We could save a lot of time if we didn’t squander so much of it trying to figure out what to major in or what career to pursue. When my parents pushed me to study Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology for my A-level, I knew I didn’t want to, but I didn’t know what I wanted to study either. When you don’t have what you want, you take what is handed to you, as they say. So, how can one tell? Do we really know what we actually want to do? Is passion such a strong and hardly controllable feeling as depicted, or is talent simply inborn, and thus your fate is predetermined? As I grew older, I made the decision to study Global Challenges at African Leadership University (ALU), where the basic precept is to have a life mission- a mission that will provide you the opportunity to live for yourself, your community, and Africa. Yet, in my exquisite institution, I must choose what to focus on among Africa’s seven grand challenges; which one to make mine and extract my mission from; for my sake, for the sake of the country of a thousand hills I call home, Rwanda, and, of course, for the sake of mother Africa. Urbanisation, education, healthcare, infrastructure, job creation, governance, and climate change are the seven grand challenges. At the age of roughly twenty, I’m supposed to choose a career path that will direct my life in both a professional and personal sense, allowing me to look back on my life and be happy about it. Is it even possible to have a single life mission? The mission of ALU’s founder, Fred Swaniker, is to improve leadership in Africa and around the world through education. So, what do I do, and what do you do? For the time being, saying how difficult this is, is an understatement. Willy Mucyo, a filmmaker by profession, believes that knowing what you are good at and what you enjoy the most is all that is required. “As a kid, I used to love watching movies and would stay up late on the phone, attempting to come up with some coherent visuals as those I saw.” So as I grew older, I continued to dabble in videography, picking up tips from a variety of sources, enrolling in a number of short courses, and volunteering to work with people I knew were talented in the field. Now I’m doing what I love, and all I want to do is continuing advancing in this field,” he explains. “I studied languages in high school, and then majored in drama and education, so I was not worlds apart with things I loved to do and knew how to do,” he adds. In my piece, ‘The journey to my childhood dream’, I describe how I have always wanted to be a journalist. True, I did, and I still do, and here I am, doing what I enjoy the most. But I can’t wrap my mind around the thought that this is all there is to life, so who knows what the future holds? Well, as much as one may have the same questions as mine, I may not be able to provide responses. However, in the event of selecting a major course or a job, the following are some pointers to consider; Good luck to us! ● Self-awareness: You might not want to dismiss your childhood dreams! You may not have to disregard why you’ve always been the class representative or why you’ve previously won those drawing prizes. You might want to pay attention to that wonderful voice that has everyone clapping and emotional. Do you really want to neglect those things that set you apart from the crowd? Even those that are only known to you may be deserving of attention at the end of the day. ● Remember it is your major: Do it for the sake of you. It’s fine to seek counsel from others, but what are your interests at the end of the day? What skills do you have? What makes you dream? What is that thing you would still want to do if money wasn’t an issue? ●Income potential: Time passes and economies change as well. Today’s outdated professions may have been the most in demand in the previous century. But for the present moment, you may consider what’s on the job market, what skills are needed in the present sectors, and what innovations are needed in future.
