The subject we are discussing today is virtually age-old. When I was in high school many years ago, it was topical. Before that, it was, now still is, and will always be, moving forward. This is the stigmatization or discrimination of school subject classes or groupings. The general perception is that sciences are the real deal. Commercials come at second. Then arts are generally looked down upon. Recently on Twitter, there was a stand-off between those who pursued sciences and those who pursued arts. The question is, which then is the best career path? That is the premise of our important discussion today; read on.
No Single Path Is Universally Better Than The Other
This is the primary notion I want to dispel. As a people, especially in Zimbabwe, we need to move past this retrogressive notion. Stigmas such as throwing shade at art students or graduates need to go. That superiority complex of science pursuers of thinking they are high and mighty needs to go. To be objective, the importance of sciences, commercials, or arts is highly contextual. The sober truth is that they all have their place, and to exalt one over the other is largely subjective. Let us explore some scenarios to dismantle this unnecessary discrimination based on different academic fields.
Any Functional Entity Is Held Together By All 3
Suppose you are an electrical engineer and want to start a business. Most of what you will do before and during business development requires commercial experts. For example, you may need business consultancy, business registration, tax clearance, etc. The professionals are instrumental in all that have commercial expertise. Then you may need to enter business partnerships. You most likely will have to draft or deal with contracts. You may even possibly get into legal wrangles at some point.
These areas will require someone with legal expertise, e.g. a lawyer. Looking at those dynamics, all 3 have been brought into the fold. You, the electrical engineer, a business consultant, and a lawyer; these are sciences, commercials, and arts. From this matrix, can we objectively deduce that either of the 3 is bigger than the other? Well, you will realize that whatever answer you want will be mostly subjective. Thus you cannot say either of the 3 is better than the others. Which career path is the best, then?
Exploring Revenue Or Compensation Dynamics
This is another scenario worth talking about. It is often the most cited basis for exalting one subject area over the other. For instance, you may hear someone arguing that science people earn the most. Is this a universal truth? As in, is it accurately generalizable like that? The truth is it is not as straightforward as that. Sift through the population, and you will realize it comes to context. There are science people who earn more than their commercials or arts counterparts. Then there are commercials for people who earn more than their sciences or arts counterparts. You can also find art people earning more than their sciences or commercials counterparts. Thus, no subject area is always superior to the other across all people.
Unpacking The Context Element
You may have noticed that I have been mentioning context several times. What are considered high-paying jobs in Zimbabwe are not necessarily the same as in other countries. The dynamics can also vary regionally and continentally. The same applies when looking across different employers. For instance, an accountant in one company may earn more than an engineer in a different company. The converse can also be true, which applies to all 3 subject areas.
The context element buries the argument that one subject area is superior to the others. Especially when you consider the circumstances in Zimbabwe, generalizations are fatally flawed. You can easily appreciate it when you chat with people in Zimbabwe. The remuneration for different subject classes get vary greatly. You cannot accurately guarantee which one is the real deal. Which, then, is the best career path?
A Look At Learning Areas Leading To High-Paying Jobs
Rankings of the highest-paying jobs in the world can vary, but there is a general trend. The same applies to learning areas that lead to high-paying jobs. For instance, the top 10 degrees or learning areas that lead to high-paying jobs are:
- Medicine
- Dentistry
- Nursing
- Surgery
- Aviation
- Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
- Economics
- Marketing
- Law
- Engineering
A Look At Highest Paying Jobs In Zimbabwe
Rankings of the highest-paying jobs in Zimbabwe also vary, but there is a general trend. You can see a recurring trend even if you juxtapose it with the above list.
- Doctors Or Surgeons
- Court Judges
- Lawyers
- Bank Managers
- Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)
- Chief Financial Officers (CFOs)
- Dentists
- College Professors
- Pilots
- Marketing Directors
What Is The Bottom Line?
The medical field ranks the highest. To generalize, saying sciences are the best career path may not be entirely true. Look at the job rankings for Zimbabwe. The top are doctors or surgeons – the only sciences in the top 5. You will also notice that law ranks quite high in Zimbabwe. The second and third places are from the law field. From the Zimbabwe list, you will also notice that commercial professionals are generally high earners. The place of commercials on both lists is almost similar. All in all, no one subject area is superior; context and circumstances rule.
The most important thing is determining your aptitude and personality dynamics. You can take advantage of the many online tests you can undergo. You can navigate your way to high-earning status in any area; be it sciences, commercials, or arts. All areas hold prospects!
