The prospect of choosing a career is not easy. When I was young, I liked a particular news presenter on our state broadcaster, Gambia Radio and Television Services, GRTS. The man was articulate in speech. His intonations, rhythm and delivery of the 8 o'clock news made me a frequent guest in our parlour at that particular time - just to hear him speak. The influence he had on me at that tender age made me want to become a journalist. I felt that was my calling. I wanted to be just like him. I started building interest in newspapers, world news, and even took it a step further by participating on the international children's day of broadcasting (ICDB) at the premises of the state broadcasters. A dream come through right?! I participated in the news reading segment. I thought I did well to be fair. I had trained a long time to reach there and show my skills.
However, then we had a history of journalists being arrested and some going exile because of their independent views about the status quo of the country. It was a dangerous profession. And as a person who likes to share his views at that early age, I started thinking about doing other things. I wanted to be alive.
When I reached grade 6, I started opening up my horizons to more possibilities. At the time, I was very good at basic maths and loved science. That drove me to the desires of being an Aeroplane Pilot one day. The desire for being a Pilot became stronger than being a journalist. I had transitioned.
In the latter days of high school, I fell in love with biology. I was amazed at how the human body was structured down from tiny cells. Also, I began watching medical movies at the time. I began to imagine myself as a medical Doctor. It's a profession I admire a lot. The discipline of the white coat, the ability to take care of a sick person and cause them to regain their health through thoughtful interventions was magic in my eyes. At that point I had made up my mind. So I studied medicine.
Albeit, I have transitioned from journalist, pilot to a medical Doctor. This for me is growth. Career is influenced by numerous factors - some of which I have highlighted in my essay. But one thing that should drive you to choose the career path for you is passion. If you are not passionate about it, don't waste your time, move away. You could earn loads of money from the profession, but if the core values of the institution or profession do not match your interest it would be very difficult keeping up a smiling face at work. Although certain people develop desires or passion for a profession whilst working in the profession, this is not the same for every other person. To what you love doing. And be you.
I hope you enjoyed this piece.
Have a pleasant evening y'all 🤗
[All pictures are mine except where stated otherwise]
