Clueless

Growing Up

As a kid, my dad always told me I'll become a medical doctor. I was young and had no clue whatsoever what a career meant or what I was supposed to do with it. I was only excited about my dad's choice for me. So whenever I was asked what I wanted to become in future, with so much excitement I would hurriedly reply "I want to become a medical doctor" with a proud smile registered across my face.
At age 13, this time I was more aware what a career path was all about and slightly understood its importance to the society but not to be as an individual. I knew a doctor took care of sick people, and I knew a lawyer helps defend the innocent people, and a couple of other professions. So when asked again what I wanted to be in future, my reply was "I want to be an architect" was so much certainty that I definitely sure I wasn't going to be anything less. Honestly, I wasn't actually sure why I wanted to be an architect, but I think it had something to do with my love for scenery. Besides, I already knew I had an abject fear of blood so being a doctor was no longer an option.
As I grew older, my knowledge about a future profession had broadened and at some point I didn't even know what I wanted to be - being an architect wasn't even an option. I knew I couldn't make a choice based of some childish interest. I had to weigh my strengths and weaknesses. So at 16, when asked the same question, I wasn't in so much of a hurry to answer. Rather, I took my time to think about it before giving an answer. I wanted to be an accountant. I was good with figures and I was the best accounts student in my class in high school. Therefore, accounting it was.
To speak the truth, I never even liked accounting. What I truly wanted to be back then was an Engineer, a Mechanical Engineer. I loved to dismantle electrical appliances. I got trilled by just watching a technician at work. Fixing stuffs was my hobby and I just had to understand the mechanics behind every machine I could lay hands on. But sadly, I found myself somewhere else.
The Nigerian system of education required that at the Senior Secondary Educational level, a career discipline had to be chosen in other to guide each student towards a career choice. These discipline were divided into three: science, commercial (social science), and arts. To become an engineer, I had to be in science class. But unfortunately for me, my academic adviser thought it best I should be in commercial class because I was one of the highest in social science subjects. My dad had the power to make me stay in whatever class I wanted, but he was a semi literate man who thought the opinion of my academic adviser best as he wasn't educated enough to make such decisions for his children who he wanted nothing but the best for. And despite my begs and pleas, he made me stay in commercial class.
I was torn and unhappy, but I stayed anyway. So, I was back to square one on my career path and even though I was one of the best students in my class, I still didn't want to be there and nothing particularly interested me. By my final year in high school, I had to make a choice. I was getting ready to enter the university and I couldn't apply if I didn't have a course of study in mind.... Then came the accountacy choice.
It wasn't my first choice, but it seemed to be the only option left that I could manage. My dad had wanted me to study Economics, and my mum having masters degree in Business Administration, wanted me to follow suit. I didn't want any of their choice because I was a rebel and that's when I decided to become an accountant....