Lack of proper career assessment in early stages of education as well as inadequate mentorship rank high up on the list of factors that lead many into wrong careers.
There is also the added confusion that comes in the form of the grade that we score in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams that seems to be the key determinant of the course that we study in university, factors such as individual aptitude, interests and talents notwithstanding. Finally, there is pressure from parents and society in general to take up certain courses, the result being many individuals in careers they tolerate, rather than enjoy.
This week, we engage two groups: those that went to college to study for ‘prestigious’ college degrees they had no interest in, and those that rose above the poor grades they scored in high school to pursue their dream careers.
This feature is also a letter to parents and education stakeholders – it is time to lift the iron hand with which you pressure the youth to study courses they absolutely have no interest in.
DR JOY MUGAMBI, 43
Clinical officer to consultant family physician
Her C grade in her final secondary school exams seemed to have completely erased her dream of studying medicine, but because of the desire that she had to become a medical doctor, she chose to put in the 11 years that she needed to become a medical doctor.
“I started with a diploma in clinical medicine, which took three years. After that, I worked for two years in Kiambu District Hospital and a year at Marie Stopes, Kenya. Afterwards, I travelled to Tanzania to study for my degree in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, which took six years. I then returned to Kenya, where I did my one year internship and then went on to work for three years. I got lucky to be partially sponsored by the government for my Master’s in Family Medicine, which took four years, but only because I took maternity leave in between,” she says. But Joy is not done yet, and plans to enrol for a PhD in medical ethics next year.
Her achievement did not come easy. The number one challenge was school fees, especially in her undergraduate level following her father’s death. It took the combined effort of her mother, sister and brother to keep her in school. Getting a school that would admit her for her undergraduate studies was also difficult.
“I visited the University of Nairobi and Moi University, but none was admitting clinical officers into their degree programs at that time, and so I expanded my search to the other East African countries and eventually got admitted to the International Medical and Technological University in Dar-es-Salaam. During my graduation in 2005, I was awarded for being the best in obstetrics and gynaecology.”
When she returned to Kenya, she sat the medical board exam, which she passed, and was posted to do her internship at Nakuru County Referral hospital. When she completed her internship, she stayed on at the hospital for the stipulated three years before applying for her Master’s in family medicine, a new specialty program that had started at Moi University.
“Don’t let your grades hinder you from your passion because failing is not the end, rather, the beginning. Start small and finish big, your efforts will always yield good fruit if you put your heart to it.”
STEPHANIE WANGA, 22,
Law graduate pursuing the arts