Career simply means someone's occupation. Work is panacea for poverty but career is more than putting end to pathetic poverty and indigence. Career is to make ends meet, to make mincemeat of destitution and most especially the fount of everlasting interest, joy and peace. Apparently, the issue of imposing career on children have become a usual act in our society today. The society which consists of different families, ethnicities, political groups etc decided to condole the sense of making the people engage in some certain works, jobs, professions with their paradigm being vague. Although the family have major role to play as far as children's calling is concerned, they should not take such despicable act of jeopardising children's future directly and indirectly.

           This horrible occurrence often occurs because some parents or guidians, who have failed to acheive a particular aim of practising one calling or another, but all to no avail as result of some hapless circumstances, see their children or younger ones' future as a fufilment to such particular dream. Most times, the beloved child or most phlegmatic sibling is likely to fall into this dream dungeon because they see it as a way they could prove their love and also a way to attain and fufill their old ambition and perhaps their solace. For instance, A man who failed to accomplish the dream of becoming an Engineer might instill in his child, mostly the favorite one, to pursue a career in Engineering to cover up for his aborted dream.

           Furthermore, this ugly trend usually happens owing to the fact that those children have not matured enough to decide their career or to have a particular aim, ambition and aspiration to accomplish. For instance, a child who is asked of his future goals, ambitions and plans in order to be assisted with a proper implementation, But quite unfortunately, he/she couldn't provide an answer to the question. Such child is likely to be given a wrong career that is inapproaprate to the talent of the child or his area of blessing. The worst part of this is when children themselves know the career they long and yearn for, but parents notably father will force their interested one on them.

            Another inducement of career dictation is society. As we all know the society needs adequate funding for growth and societal development, people, base on societal factors, dictate and choose a wrong profession for the young people. Emperically, most children are forced into some certain careers because of their lucrativeness in order to meet up with the requirement of the society. Since no parent wants their children to end in endemic penury, therefore, most of them assume that the best way to provide them a finacial security is by forcing them into certain occupation not because of any other reason rather than the factor of money involved and as a result of the prominence and emphasis placed on some certain skills, businesses and professions by the society. However, they be-little and dishearten those who do not involve in it leading to the action of "fit in."

            Indubitably, no undesirable act occurs without its own consequences. In other words, this unconsciously conventionalised action has some certain wounds on the victims. In fact, the society couldn't be put aside to escape the reverbration also because the more luminaries a society produce in diverse callings have an immense influence on the development of the nation and vice-versa. Most of the victims of this situation birth in a lackadaisical attitude towards such particular careers. They mostly participate or involve without enthusiasm thereby making them a failure either in the aspect of learning or in the labour market since they have neglected the area of persistency, determination, interest and tenacity in fostering their performance and greatness in such career. Some of the victims of career dictate who are vision driven never neglect the fact that there is a need to pursue a particular profession that brings joy towards them. Some of them, after engaging in the career they are being forced into, they later go to immerse in their own heart desire i.e the career they always love but was criticized and ridiculed. Therefore, such victims end up wasting their time and effort.

           However, the perpetrators of such act serve as the cause of sadness and non fufilment to the victims. They create enmity and animosity among them i.e the children and parents as a result of denying one of their rights. I do hear some student say "If not for my dad, I wouldn't be studying this course." and some say "This country is fucked up." This act only develops the seed of hatred in the victims towards their perpetrators who turn some of their hearts to black i.e turning human to inhuman and increasing the furnace of their hatred towards the person or society.

            Whatever goes up, comes down, this vile act of dictating career for children could be subjected to gravity, and therefore, its furnace and comeuppance can never be over-emphasized. Parents should stop seeing themselves as expertise in some particular situations especially when it's a crucial one like the disccussing topic in order to prevent interminable tragedies and disasters in the life of their children and also a regretful life for themselves. Rather, they should only suggest in terms of career, guide them effectively and give them the choice of making their own decisions. Morever, the parents should carefully figure out their children God's given ability, help them to foster it in terms of parental support. They should take their time to find out their children's area of interest that inspire their love for learning to build a productive career.

            In conclusion, there should be social awareness. The society should be enlightened about the aftermaths of career dictate and parents should discern that their children are to serve their interest and not parent's interest and fulfilment. They should be oriented on how money and career are different things and their interweaving. There should be cancellation of the sterotyping act and be-littling of some careers because no career is above the other in terms of passion and interest rather an help mate for one another. Career is not about lucrativeness, rather the vision we see in it, the happiness we derive, the passion we have for it.

WRITTEN BY: OLASENI KEHINDE (Pen Kenny)

Olaseni Kehinde Precious with the Sobriquet Pen Kenny is a native of Akure, Ondo State Nigeria. She studies English and Literary studies at the great citadel of learning; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. 

She is a member of the Association of Nigerian Authors ( ANA) OAU chapter as a result of her great desire for writing where she learns to play with literary alphabets.
Kenny is a young writer who is willing and aspiring to influence the society with the ink of her pen. You can contact her via the following media:

Contact No: 08133548288
Email: olasenikehindeprecious@gmail.com
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