THE POWER OF CHOICE-Part II

THE POWER OF CHOICE- Part II

Yusuf and Musa have been friends since childhood. They attended the same primary school, secondary school and as fate would have it, same university. 

Although they applied for computer science, Yusuf was offered statistics while Musa got admitted into computer science. They had both been intrigued by computers and had hoped that a degree in Computer Science would help them actualize their dream of being Software Experts. 

Although broken at first, Yusuf didn't relent on his ambition and scoured the internet for free courses on Computer Science. Sometimes he took classes with Musa and bought books too. 

After four years, they both graduated from the university. Yusuf, with a degree in Statistics and Musa, with a degree in Computer Science. Due to their parent's social ties, they had more offers than they looked forward to. And since their parents were close friends, they almost always got the same job offers. 

The offers that came along ranged from firms that dealt in enterprise software to those that dealt in consumables. Then there was this opening at an oil company. 

The vacancies could accommodate both and their parents knew the right buttons to press. I mean, they went to the same school as the company's current CEO and had been friends with him for years. What's more, offers had been exchanged between both parties not once, not twice. And this wasn't going to be hitch in that relationship. 

Although they were both passionate about computers and had offers from software firms, the vacant positions at the oil firm looked too good an opportunity to pass up even though it was clear that there was no way they were going to actualize their ambitions of being software experts if they got accepted. What's more, there were projections that over the next decade, technology would substitute many jobs that people do today. 

In the end, Musa went for the oil job. A few phone calls from his dad to the CEO and Musa had become an employee at the oil firm with a starting salary that could pay the salaries of a dozen employees working at a firm that paid minimum wage. But Yusuf, seeing the future of enterprise software and obsessed by passion, accepted one of the offers from the software firm. The consequence of this choice was that his starting salary was about half of what Amos earned at the oil firm. 

Fast forward to ten years later and technology was already having the impact it was forecasted to have. Unfortunately that technology wave swept across the oil firm Musa worked at causing it to trim down its workforce. Then a major economic crisis meant that more employees had to be fired. In the end, Musa was shown the way out. Without a skill to fall back on as well as an unwillingness to accept job offers that paid less, he decided to remain in the job market until he found a job that paid as much as his old job. 

On the other hand, Yusuf had changed jobs over and over and had now become a high end software developer whose skills were sought around the world. By this time, enterprise software had become a big deal and men like Yusuf had become some of the most sought after consultants in the industry.  

And oh, Yusuf was now earning about 10x more than what Musa earned at his old job. Ten times more than what Musa was now hoping to get.

What made the difference? Call it the dynamics of choice. Choices have consequences. And the better you are at forecasting the consequence of a particular choice, the easier it would be for you to weigh the alternatives before you. 

In the first part of this article, I pointed out that sometimes, choices that have lifelong consequences don't have such clear cut differences like the one little Emily had to deal with. 

Early on in their careers, there was no way they could have known how things would pan out. The difference in choice was a result of a difference in understanding of what true value is. 

For Musa, value lied in what a job offered. For Yusuf, value lied in what a person offered. And that difference in perception determined their life's trajectory. 

Jobs come and go but vacancies remain. Most times, these vacancies need skills that people are not prepared for. Companies come and go but the economy remains. Trade remains. Commerce remains. And these activities need humans to keep them running. Humans with skills required to deal with contemporary challenges. 

Today, let it dawn on you that the choices you are making everyday of your life is either leading you closer or farther away from the future you desire. 

So instead of chasing after things that look like gold, dig further and find out if they are actually gold. And dig even further to find out if they have the kind of value that can last years, decades and even a lifetime. 

Story: Bolaji Seyi

Photo credit: pixabay