What They Did Not Tell Me... (When I Joined University)

It was in my third year at the University when I finally decided to quit Civil Engineering and pursue a different course. I was already past the halfway mark, but I no longer cared. All I knew is that I had made a mistake in choosing the engineering course and I’d much rather be doing something else.

It was only the thought of the financial strain such a move would have on my single mother that convinced me to stay through the five years and finish the course. I graduated with a Second Upper Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering in 2010, and I am currently a practicing journalist with Nation Media Group.

You did not misread that. I have a degree in Engineering, but I am currently making my way through a career in journalism and communication. What happened? I simply took my Engineering certificate and walked with it into Nation Center Building. How I got a job here is a story for another day, but my experience in pursuing a course I did not like – a tough course for that matter – taught me several things that others did not tell me when I was joining the university.

They did not tell me that even though passion does not always put food on the table, it is still an important consideration. What they told me is that Engineering was a prestigious course, and Civil Engineering guaranteed me an enviable bank account.

They did not tell me that the wisest choice in choosing courses in college lies at the intersection of passion and pragmatism. They focused fully on what was most practical and completely ignored my passion.

They did not tell me that the university is about more than the single academic pursuit. That this was the place that I will meet most of my lifetime friends and networking lines and future business partners.

They did not tell me that it was possible and profitable to live two lives in college. While I tapped away at the scientific calculator in the daytime, I weaved lyrics and penned poetry in my notebook at night-time. Where my classmates only saw designs of building storeys, my mind was busy building storylines.

They did not tell me that I did not have all the time in the world; that whether I spent most of my time partying, it was going to reflect on my grades and eventual career habits. They did not tell me that the clubs and student societies you join while in campus will shape your life and future career more than your classwork. They told me that with great freedom comes great responsibility, and that my convictions and philosophies and street-smarts will be formed and set in college.

They did not tell me that you do not have to like something to be good at it. My final year project was among the most detested – the design of a multi-storeyed reinforced concrete building. Yet, I worked at it with the passion of a lover and even saw it end up as an actual building in Milimani.

The truth is, in one way or another, I was aware of all these things. But I guess I did not listen to most of them. The allure of quick riches and the naivety of late teen hood worked in tandem to cloud my judgment. I chose to walk the path of big town campus and big shot courses. I settled for academic misery with the promise of big money. In the end, the only thing I ended up doing it take the long way home.

But the simple reality is that writing is what I love. Words - not numbers - is what I delight in.

They did not tell me that Journalism is what I should have selected when I was joining campus.

(Originally published in Daily Nation, 14 Mar 2014)