Career Paths 1: How much do you know?[b][/b][/size][size=8pt][color=#006600][/color]

Introduction
[b]From my studies and work experience in Nigeria and overseas I have noticed a huge gap in the quality of information and associated technology available to young people on the verge of choosing career paths or those within the working age group in developing Nigeria, as against the huge information resources available to their counterparts in advanced countries. What people know and how well such is applied in the two settings described above determine their Per Capita Income and quality of life. The quality of information and practice of career paths are generally poor and grossly limiting in Nigeria. To this end, this and subsequent presentations will be of immense value, in bringing quality and current information to our youth who are on the verge, or those currently making career or business decisions, be it academic or vocational.

Regardless of extent of formal education, individuals in advancing societies somehow enjoy quality information in relevant career and vocational paths and mass participation in advances in everyday technologies which have evolved around their needs, thereby enhancing local talents, improving general productivity and increasing potential technology markets even beyond their geographical borders. As such, there is better spread of financial wealth, such that their Per Capita income is representative of their GDP, unlike Nigeria with its immense resources but is listed among the world’s poorest countries.

In Africa, available information on related careers even in the academia are largely inadequate and not up to date, resulting in poor public appreciation of Careers & Vocations and the associated technologies. For instance, Plant sciences locally, usually focused crudely on Wood, Food and medicinal Herbs, whereas due to advances in post-harvest technology (a locally unpopular aspect of plant sciences), food prices in developed societies are much cheaper due to a great reduction in spoilage. Also these are sources of numerous high value industrial substances like Cellulose fiber for industrial applications like drug fillers, diaper adsorbents, vegetable fat or shortenings for numerous food processing applications and thousands more substances with wide applications which we import with annual trade running into Billions of dollars in spite of the fact that we readily possess the needed natural and human resources.

To this end, there is urgent need to:
• Bring qualitative information on possible Vocations/ academic career paths with the associated technology advances and their market potentials to our youth who are on the verge of, or those currently making career or business decisions.
• Provide new information to drive inspiration and empowerment for productivity and increased Per capita income by showcasing simple inspiring highlights in advances in vocations and career
• Stimulate and drive active popular interest and mass participation even in simple requisite technologies and attitudinal change for peak performance and self rediscovery.
Attitudinal Change:

We have underscored the fact that in this part of the world people make career choices with poor quality of information or obsolete technology, resulting in our lower productivity, lesser job satisfaction and lower quality of life when compared with their counterparts in advanced countries. I have seen average, local British farmers and shepherds in British villages and their average Nigerian counterparts, indeed the knowledge difference is great and this agrees with Proverbs24:4:
4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
In this section, we shall establish that the knowledge difference in career practices described above is not just due to location but is largely a function of individual and cultural attitude which can be repeated anywhere in the world.
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Attitude Defined and Explained:
The business dictionary online defines attitude as follows: A predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards. In psychology, an attitude is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person, place, or thing. It is the way you think and feel about someone or something.
[img][/img]In essence, attitude is the drive, it is the spirit we bring to our engagements and the responses to issues of life experienced even in our career.
3 Levels of career/job attitudes:
From an attitudinal perspective, there are 3 levels of a career or job. They include:
1. The Captive career
2. Transit career
3. Ideal career.

The captive career: is such that, the attitude is summed up in the word-’ hate’. The career experienced is filled with complaints and frustration and often this frustration is transferred to clients, colleagues and in many cases, to the home front. In such career, the future is bleak, with little growth potential. The individual hardly ever learns new things on the job. Everyday is the same with stories of offenses. Monday mornings are lethargic and closing time is greeted with high spirits because it serves as an escape. Such individuals feel stuck. The attitude is that of an unhappy captive.

The Transit career: this is a job or career for the current season. The job holder is either hopeful or on the look-out for a switch to greener pastures. He attends trainings, interviews and workshop not just for improvement on the current job but for self improvement as part of his exit strategy. There are other side hustles added to the transit career. He may show signs of divided attention at times, especially close to his exit. The attitude here is that of one who has not got much at stake.

The ideal career/job: this comes with good incentives, the morale is high. The career demands fit the skill sets of the individual. Challenges here are opportunities for growth and the individual loves what he does and extends this attitude to clients, colleagues and family.

Progress is an Attitude (not ability): Regardless of the state an individual finds himself or herself in any of the 3 career levels described above, the individual attitude is crucial to success and progression along the three levels. This is also true for cultural attitudes among people groups and their level of progress. I read a research report many years ago where individual and group attitudes were studied. The researchers gathered housewives and taught them mathematics individually and also examined them individually and kept their scores. Next they put these same women in groups and chose some specific women as group leaders and repeated the mathematics teaching and exams. They discovered that the women who were made leaders performed better this time. What was the reason for improvement? The leaders had to dig deep to bring up the attitude of a leader. The above is true also for career paths. Hence for whatever level of career, whether the captive or transit career, if we get the attitude right the result will eventually be positive and we can progress from an unfavorable to a desirable career.

One career path in which individual attitudes become readily obvious is in the health sector. Almost everyone I know can relive an experience with a healthcare professional whether desirable or otherwise but sadly, the negative experiences of the (so-called) incompetent worker (often adjudged on attitude rather than skill) leaves a blanket smear across the greater number in the profession. I have had several personal experiences, for example, 13 years ago, I was called to assist with rushing a neighbor’s kids to the general hospital about 1.00a.m. We met a nurse sat across the laps of the only doctor on duty (a very young doctor). He couldn’t understand why “we waited that late” before taking the right action and further took his time chatting away! Honestly I too couldn’t understand why the neighbor waited that long but that wasn’t sufficient to withhold my empathy as we lost 2 kids hours later.

On another instance, a friend had treated frequent stomach aches in a private hospital for 2 years and only got worse. He dreaded going to the general hospitals around and someone advised that we take him to one ‘Longe’ hospital somewhere in the slums close to a Rail Crossing in ‘Ishaga’ on the outskirts of Ogun state, Nigeria. There, it was discovered that he had ruptured and infected appendicitis. He was attended to by one Dr Bandaki. Honestly I felt dignified by the level of care, speed and constant re-assurance from him which helped a ‘little’ to douse our palpable fears (we lost a driver in his thirties at the teaching hospital to the same ruptured appendix less than 2 months before!). With only a little deposit the surgery was performed and how glad we were when he pulled through! I have since referred friends and acquaintances there. The attitude here was one of empathy which placed premium on life.
The developed societies who are always pioneering in advances in career and technology have evolved a social attitude that collectively places a demand for continuous progressive attitudes in areas of engagement regardless of academic background of individuals. Indeed a good number of expatriates we bring into our country for projects are not necessarily university graduates but seasoned specialists with insatiable attitude for knowledge integration and positive attitude to their career. As such they are not only very current but well experienced.

In summary, our attitude to knowledge is really key to progress in our career paths and career progress must be approached with patience to yield the best results. Let me recommend a book titled, the Richest Man in Babylon. It highlights knowledge, attitudes and patience for lasting wealth.

Watch out For Part 2: visit www.scupmed.com