I took my leave over Christmas last year to kick back and rest over the holidays but alas ended up working at my folk’s cybercafé upcountry. Am glad I did it though because during this time I met some really interesting people who helped me understand the reasons why some people are more happy and successful in their careers than others. Two of these memorable individuals were a young boy named Simon who had just completed his standard eight examinations and came over to look at his results over the internet and a middle aged gentleman by the name Mburu who came wanting to communicate to his daughter in the states through the internet.

Simon intrigued me initially because when he came, he had no idea how to use the internet leave alone a computer but was very intent on accessing his results over the internet. We therefore sat down with him and proceeded to log into the examination council site. When we accessed them, he was very excited by his performance and could not help grinning as he said thank you. I congratulated him and asked what he would like to do. I have to admit, his answer surprised me. He wanted to go to high school and when he finished he would go to university and become a teacher. I expected him to say that he wanted to be a doctor, accountant or even engineer. Are those not the dream jobs of every young individual in Kenya…or aren’t they?. To be a teacher to Simon was a big dream it seemed and he was happy he would be able to go to a good high school which would help him proceed to a good university to attain this dream. All this made me wonder what shapes our career aspirations as adults. Is it something we have always wanted to do or is it what society deems as fit for us to do.

The second memorable encounter was with the middle age gentleman named Mburu. Mburu is your typical father who dots on his successful children and is ready to sing their praises to anyone who shows the least bit of interest. Mburu like Simon did not know how to use the internet but wanted to access a letter his daughter had sent to him through email. I gathered from him that he had been registered on yahoo at another cyber café and he had all the details we needed to open his inbox. We therefore proceeded to open it then I left him at the computer to give him privacy as he read. He didn’t take long and when he came where I was he had a huge grin on his face. I asked whether he had received good news and he proceeded to tell me about his daughter who is an artist and has been chosen by the Cleveland Art Association to showcase her work at Cleveland Museum of Art. I was impressed and told him he must be very proud of her. For those who are wondering how talkative people can be, you have lived in Nairobi too long. He told me how initially he had not been happy that she had chosen to pursue art as a career instead of an acceptable careers such as nursing or banking but then she had insisted and now she is happy and has built a name for herself in the industry both locally and internationally. She can also support herself on her earning as well as help her family build a house in the farm.

All this made me wonder, do we choose our career based on what we enjoy doing or societal norms and if its societal norms, how much more successful would we be both financially and emotionally in what we do if we choose based on our interests and potential.