By Victor Ochieng’
Last week, Mrs Rosemary Kuto, the pleasant Principal of Metkei Girls High School in Elgeyo Marakwet County, invited me to her school to guide Form Two students on how to make career choices with a special bent on selection of subjects.
Subjects have a great impact on students’ future career. When arriving at the cluster points for specific courses, KUCCPS takes a lot of consideration on subjects.
Understanding the group of subjects is necessary for a student to engage in serious subject selection. To steer clear on this issue, subjects done in high schools are categorized in six groups.
These groups are:
- Compulsory: English, Kiswahili and Maths
- Group two: Sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics)
- Group three: Humanities (Christian Religious Education (CRE), Islamic Religious Education (IRE), Hindu Religious Education (HRE), Geography and History and Government)
- Group four: Technical subjects ( Home Science, Agriculture, Computer Studies, Aviation Technology, Woodwork, Metalwork, Electricity, Power Mechanics, Building and Construction, Art, Drawing and Design )
- Group five: Business Studies, Kenya Sign Language, Music, Arabic, German and French.
According to the Essential Career Guide by KUCCPS and Discover Your Career Workbook published by Story Moja, students should enter at least seven subjects from the afore-mentioned groups. These include all group one subjects, at least two subjects from group two, at least one subject from group three and at least one from the remaining groups.
Other than knowing the group of subjects, one has to consider a number of issues when selecting subjects.
These include:
- Academic performance. Do not select a subject if you perform poorly in it
- Dream career. If you want to be a medical doctor, then Biology should never miss in your subject selection. If you want to do Engineering, Physics is an important subject to choose.
- School selection policy. Some schools have a tendency of making some subjects compulsory. That means that come rain, come shine, students must do some subjects.
- KCSE requirements. The selection criteria from credible sources instruct students to enter at least seven subjects though in most cases, students pick eight.
- Judicious advice from career counsellors and professional experts. While selecting subjects, students should wield a cache of information and make informed choices.
In this exercise, ignorance is a disease, while knowledge is medicine. It is advisable to consult widely since bad choices lead to future guilt and regret.
There are selection pitfalls and pratfalls students should shun. A pitfall is a trap while pratfall is to fall with the two round parts above the legs.
It is wrong to select a subject due to whims of peer pressure. It is erroneous to listen to discouragements crawling from kith and kin. It is utterly wrong to focus on the family academic history. It is misguided to select a subject like Geography because it is rife with trips and tours. It is wrong to select a subject because the teacher looks funny or friendly.
It is erroneous to select a subject simply because it looks easy. Every subject requires a lot of effort. If you want to pick what is under the bed, you must bend.
The writer rolls out career talks and training services in schools.
vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
