THE STORY UNFOLDS
Career guidance sessions are essential for individuals seeking clarity and direction in their professional lives. Such sessions often unveil hidden talents, passions, and untapped potential. Nelly Nagaba, an eighteen-year-old Senior six student at the crossroads of her educational journey, recently had a life-changing career guidance session at 8M Construction Digest. She was accompanied by her supportive family members:
- Mr. Godfrey Byarugaba, a self-confessed father in intricacies of technical professions;
- Young Kelly Nabaasa, Nelly’s sister and a student of Senior three; and
- Young Teretha Kiiza Kirabo, Nelly’s sister and a student of Senior one.
As a parent, Godfrey came seeking career guidance for his daughter. He confessed that he did not know how to advise her about fine art and its possibilities in life. Nelly needed to fill the university and tertiary-entrance forms with a preferred career path. “Which way?”, was the question.
In this article, we’ll delve into the details of Nelly’s testimony, and the valuable insights she gained from the career guidance session
2.NELLY’S TESTIMONY
Nelly with a penchant for creativity, confessed giggling, that she embarked on her educational journey with a passion for the arts that dates back to her early childhood. “At around eight years, I began sketching pictures of people and crafting my own makeshift magazines,” she narrated. According to Eng. Mwesigwa, an expert in technical careers, “This skill signals Nelly’s innate abilities and capabilities, which could lead to industrial and fine art, architecture and engineering.”
However, when it came to choosing her O-level subjects, Nelly made a conscious decision not to pursue Fine Art. She believed that artistic skills alone were not enough to secure her future, and she sought a more comprehensive education that could blend her creativity with technical knowledge.
But as she progressed to Senior five, Nelly’s passion for the fine art remained a constant source of inspiration. Here, she observed her friend Anabelle, the sole Art student in their class, with keen interest and a bit of unexplained envy. She became inseparable with Anabella, or rather, with the pictures she drew! They both found that Nelly was the one showing Anabella tips in shading for the best light effects, for Anabella’s works! This closeness into the world of fine art re-ignited the desire to explore her own creative potential further. Fortunately, Anabelle recognized Nelly’s potential and encouraged her to draw more pictures. Nelly honed her skills to sketching full human figures and things.
This newfound discovery soon found its way into her Technical Drawing (TD) classes, where her pictorial representations consistently outshone other classmates’. So, here was Nelly, taking Technical Drawing, Mathematics and Physics. She offers Information Communication Technology (ICT) at subsidiary level. And she loves and would never want to part with ICT, so she confessed.
At the career guidance session, Nelly expressed her passion for fine art, though she was not taking it at the Senior six level. However, she expressed concern and confusion about her career path. She confided that people around her were discouraging her from pursuing architecture, a field she had considered. Some said that architecture takes long to complete and that it may not be well paying. Worse still, she did not quite understand what architecture is all about. Amidst these uncertainties, Nelly also revealed her reluctance to limit herself to drawing houses, a common association with architecture. What Nelly truly yearned for was a career that would allow her to explore her artistic abilities while engaging her technical knowledge for a sense of fulfillment. She added another pressing concern, being the prevalence of fraudulent practices in some professions, as commonly gathers from the public domain. She wondered if the engineering and architecture professions were among the suspected professions. If so, she felt this could threaten her income and job security.
Among the parents and professionals responding to her cries was Eng. Annet Nsiimire, a registered electrical engineer. She shared a bit of her testimony, how she chose and studies engineering against odds. She encouraged Nelly and reminded her, that there was inevitability of fraudsters. The single most important consideration was, if the career path was suitable and appropriate for the candidate. She advised everyone around, that in every field of work, it is important to professionally and consistently deliver high-quality work, to secure one’s position and income. She advised Nelly to reflect on her abilities and preferences, and to then choose a career path that resonated with her on a personal level. “It is important that you choose a career path that aligns with your inborn skills and interests”, Annet advised. “As for Information Technology (IT), You will always need to apply it in any field, architecture inclusive.
At the end of the session, Nelly, backed by her father opted to consider seriously applying to study architecture at the university level. “After all,” concluded Nelly, I really love mathematics, technical drawing and physics. Since I am assured that I can still tag along my ICT, all is well that ends well.”
CONCLUSION
Nelly’s career guidance session at 8M Construction Digest was a transformative experience that opened her eyes to the vast array of opportunities awaiting her. It reinforced her knowledge that a successful future career dependent on the skill, passion, interest that one meets in the subjects of study at school. Nelly left the session with a newfound sense of purpose, ready to embark on a journey of more self-discovery and exploration. Mr. Godfrey Byarugaba made a sigh of relief, happy that his mind was at rest, since his inquisitive daughter queries had been answered!
Career Guidance in like the English saying, “A stich in time saves nine”.
At least, it enables one to SECURE THE FUTURE.