First of all, this is a really wide topic and one article may not do it justice, maybe we will only scratch the surface and next time we could delve much deeper. Question is, Is it important to work in the field you studied for?
The factors Influencing work are very diverse, from economies (rigid and flexible), labor supply (excessive and insufficient), work demand, pandemics (for example Covid-19), technology to socio-cultural norms.
The statistics of people working in fields they didn’t study for is equally puzzling. The 2013 study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, reveals that only 27 percent of college graduates landed a job closely related to their majors.
Most people spend around 2-5 years in College/Universities. For majority of the population, only to get out and end up in a completely different field.
It’s baffling and interesting at the same time because one thing that is constant in life is change. Technology is advancing very first and is becoming a vital component of nearly every career field. This seeks to remind us of how flexible we need to be to weather the storm of the massive changes.
Some of us also end up finishing the courses we enrolled in with less gusto than when we begun. In the process we may discover that what we are studying for isn’t something that we are particularly interested in. Maybe we may also be interested only in a certain part of the field and choose to pursue it more than the field as a whole.
It is also important to recognize that there is nothing like wasted time in school. Even if you only made friends in your school years, that is equally as important. Also the discipline that may have been imposed on you unconsciously while studying in a particular field may go a long way in your career. It was and has never been a waste even if you aren’t currently in the field you studied for.
On the flip side, you may end up in the field you studied for. Hopefully it is indeed what you are truly passionate about. Nonetheless however as you may come to notice, the Career world is a different ball game all together and you still need to be taught how different companies handle different matters. That is why there are different entry levels, Beginner, Intermediate and Expert.
It may be easier but still work is required in perfecting the skills and climbing the ladder in your career. Furthermore employers are keener on the critical thinking and problem-solving skills and consider these qualities as more important.
After school, our main aim is normally to stand on our own feet financially, this may involve different things for different people. For some it is affording to live by themselves, going on vacations, buying a new car etc. It is important to define what standing on your own two feet means so that you can work to achieve it.
Sometimes the end does justify the means.
And you never really know, you may discover that your passion was in something completely different after all. The only best way to know whether you truly like something or not is to try it. It is important to thus sample a bit in the beginning, then you may discover that it is not only your mother who prepares delicious meals.
Read here Quinta Onditi’s Interview
