For those of you who have just matriculated, or the LGCSE Class of 2017 as it has come to be known, you’re faced with a critical moment in your lives which brings with it surprises.
’What does he mean?’ You’re probably contemplating.
Earlier, your parents, teachers and everyone watched over you like hawks to see to it that all was well with you. That was good. Wasn’t it? Now you’re to assert your independence and begin to engineer your lives on your own terms.
Be informed, we seriously need to be serious about this. You and I live in a globally transformative age, within which mindless following of superstitious thinking will by no means be left unpunished. No longer are you going to thrive using old-fashioned tested-and-tried modes of life.
That’s a challenge facing all of you. For some of you, life may seem predetermined, while for some it may seem random.
Yet, truth be told, choices that face a great majority of you, at this moment, can be precisely be likened to a heart transplant operation. Mark it down, Im not intending to inflict fear on any of you, just to shock you into life.
My personal advice is that you should fear fear itself, not making choices. The same way a heart transplant operation may mean either more productive years ahead or loss of life in the surgical room, your choices are as critical.
I must confess that I have no new revelation to give to you because nothing is new under the sun.
Look around, the great majority of you from the LGCSE Class of 2017 are at the crossroads. Temptation is usually that you flow with the stream and do what everyone thinks is best for you, but sooner or later you’ll find out that you’re not wired like everybody. Choosing the less travelled road may bring forth much sweeter providence.
Isn’t it funny, I mean, how life can go in either directions: upwards and more promising for those of you who are optimistic about the preferred future, or at times through heart smashing down to intractable misery of purposelessness with its companion – inevitable poverty.
Believe it or not, we live by choices we make either consciously or by default. Following misguided popular beliefs about opting for such and such a career so that you can get yourself a nice job is suicidal and you’re about to find out that it isn’t part of our present world.
For those of you, who like me, and please don’t laugh, would choose off-the-beaten rabbit trail, life has a special welcome for you.
Now don’t you ever make your career choices based on where you qualify (in the academic sense), the acid test for your choices should be your natural aptitude and personal passion.
Equally important is the fact that choosing career paths because they are high paying is a sure blind guide. What if money wasn’t the issue, what would you opt for? Do just that and we will all benefit from what you do.
Don’t you trifle with your future LGCSE Class of 2017, think hard about your choices because they’ll put in more weight on whether your life turns out to be a smooth-office-hit or flop and leave no room for regrets.
You can always think about following the strategies outlined below to see if you can benefit, and if not discard them. Isn’t that fair enough?
Step 1: LGCSE Class of 2017, define your desired outcome
Establish what you want as a result of the study you wish to undertake, as this will help you in tailoring your efforts so that you’re not a jack-of-all-traits: doing all things and ending up with nothing in particular.
This will also help to determine the adequacy of the time frame needed to complete such, because you see, the period of the study you wish to undertake depends on the expected outcome.
For instance, if you plan to start your own businesses now, you have no business going for a course that will require your four years of unwavering concentration, before you get a break, for you part-time courses maybe attractive options.
Step 2: Find the purpose underlying your desired study
This will help you to avoid making poor choices. It will aid in giving a sense of direction so that you’re not used up pursuing a pile of later headaches. As a matter of fact, purposelessness in any endeavor will naturally lead to manipulative and self-destructive behaviors in future.
I know a lot of people who chose career options based on the fact that they supposedly qualified, but after completion of their studies they realized that they’ve lived a lie.
We learn from our mistakes, but for some, you don’t have to personally commit before you learn. Just look around you and start learning from those who were before you. Be authentic and honest.
Step 3: Determine actions to be taken to attain the preferred outcome
This deals basically with the how-to’s supporting your reasons in step 2. Up to this point we’ve made no mention of necessary courses of action to be taken. Now having located the desired outcome and established the motive or purpose behind such a choice, you now have to devise practical ways on how to come out successful.
Actions include, but are not limited to the choice of an academic institution that will most likely bring to life the desired outcome. For those who couldn’t pass as you had thought and/or expected, take ownership and try again. Anything worth achieving is worth your concentrated determination.
You cannot afford to give up now, think of why you’ve endured up to this point and have some intelligent conversation with yourself and rethink your life. For some going back to school maybe quite an option, but for some supplementing maybe attractive. Whatever the case, do what’s needed to live a fulfilled life.
Be on the lookout, we’ll be sharing helpful resources on Study Resources, Universities & Colleges, Accredited Programmes and Scholarships.