CHOOSING A CAREER PATH

First of all, I want to thank the organizers of this programme for giving this fantastic opportunity.
I’ve been asked to talk on the topic – CHOOSING A CAREER PATH. Apparently, we have to define what a career is. Now, we are going to be interactive about this. (Point to three persons to tell the audience what they think a career is). We are going to do a little exercise here before we go deeply into the topic. I call it THE GAME OF SINCERITY. Please, tear a little sheet of paper and write whatever you are passionate about. Pls be sincere. I mean something you love doing and you can do it for people free of charge. Let’s do that in a minute.
Here’s the secret – Someone once said whatever your passion is, make it your career. Don’t waste your time on a career you hate. If you have to change your career direction, please do. You may have to go through specialized training, getting another degree or certifications or writing a professional examination.
For the sake of clarity, let us look at the meanings of the three key words in this topic – CHOICE, CAREER & PATH.
CHOICE – Choice consists of the mental process of thinking involved with the process of judging the merits of multiple options and selecting one of them for action. Some simple examples include deciding whether to get up in the morning or go back to sleep.
CAREER - Career is a term defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as an individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life)". It usually is considered to pertain to remunerative work (and sometimes also formal education). A career is mostly seen as a course of successive situations that make up a person's occupation.
PATH – Path is the way, the route through which you reach a destination.
From my research, to choose a career path, you definitely have to consider some factors;
1. The God factor – We can never run away from the fact that our Maker has a plan for our lives. The question is did you choose your parents, complexion, height, day of birth. Wisdom demands that you acknowledge God and He will direct your path, when it comes to making your career choice. Proverbs 3:5-7, Isaiah 48:17, Proverbs 12:
2. Your values – What’s really important to you? What do you like to do so much that you almost feel guilty getting paid to do it? Your values are the emotional anchor of everything you do. Satisfying careers are built on the high correlation between your personal values and the work you will be doing. Values include; money, being your own boss, travel, freedom, service to humanity, Progress, Power, Hard work, Friendliness, Personal Growth, Status, Creativity, Adventure MIGHT BE ALL YOU WANT IN A CAREER, e.t.c point to some people & ask their personal value(s). Believers are supposed to have godly values, Philippians 4:6, 1 Corinthian 10:31
3. Identify your talents & skills
A skill is something you have learned to do. A talent is something is you’ve been born with. You need to recognize the difference between the two. Of course, you enjoy doing what you do well naturally than what you are taught to do. For example, a guy whose parents forced to read Medicine, but later went on to read Music. The course you read in the university ALONE should not dictate your career path. Listen to yourself and your heart. People dream of making a career out of what they love. Singing songs, cooking meals, working with numbers, networking with people, comedy, singing, drawing, e.t.c.and writing essays are all valuable talents. By listening to what you truly enjoy doing; you can shape your career path. Give examples, Proverbs 18:16, 2 Timothy 1:6, 2 Corinthians 4:7
3. Pursue your dreams/visions
I read a book titled “LIVE YOUR DREAMS” by Les Brown (MTN) and I got excited, inspired and energized to pursue my dreams. One of my dreams is that in 5 years time, I will be, by God’s grace, a Spirit-filled motivator and the best professional public speaker Nigeria has ever presented to the world! And I am working towards this daily. As you pursue your dreams (the cheetah is the fastest four-footed animal on earth, chase your vision like a cheetah!), you will SURELY find the right career for yourself and move faster up the ladder of greatness. Give examples, Les Brown, Larry Izamoje. Barack Obama Jeremiah 1:11-12, Habakkuk 2:2 – run with your dreams/visions!
4. Personal Growth – Look for ways to develop your mind. Reading good books like “Live Your Dreams” by Les Brown, “The Psychology of Selling” by Brian Tracy, “God’s Generals” by Robert Liadon will increase your knowledge and cause transformation in your life. As you read more books, listen to audio CDs, watch DVDs, attend self development programs, you will begin to discover yourself and your areas of interest. It is very important for you to study and research into those areas of your strength and look out for the resources & opportunities that are out there for you to succeed. Do a SWOT Analysis on yourself. You have to take personal growth seriously, if we want to be relevant in this generation, especially now that we are in a knowledge-driven society.
5. Understanding times & trends – By way of summary, we have looked at the God factor, your personal values, your skills and talents, the need to deliberately pursue your dreams, personal growth and finally we look at what I consider the final factor, understanding times and trends. 1 Chronicles 12:32, Eccl. 3:1. You should follow up developments (Someone said “If you are not current, you cannot be correct”) and see the opportunities that are NOT obvious to people around you. For example, the guy that first started Pure Water and the fried plantain, ICT is going to be a very strong, lucrative and powerful industry in the nearest future.
Conclusion
Your passion is your right career! Even if today you are doing one job or the other to keep body and soul together, find out your real passion and make plans to convert it into a career. Only a passionate career like this can lead you into greatness and give you the joy of fulfilment in life.

My presentation at a Youth & Singles Program on Sunday, 24th May, 2009