Experts from various fields have advised students of Oduduwa Junior Secondary School, Ladipo, Mushin, to make career choices early, saying this would help shape future outcomes.

Addressing the students at the school’s career day event, which brought together professionals from different fields, the experts explained the demands and prospects of their careers and answered questions about the skills and education required.

The Principal of Oduduwa Junior Secondary School, Ifemade Kikelomo, said the event was organised to sensitise students and provide practical insights into career options.

She explained that many students attend school without a clear idea of what they want to become, noting that early guidance helps set and work towards specific goals.

She added that sensitising students to making choices and explaining the prospects of different careers can help shape their direction and improve their chances of achieving set goals.

The principal said the event was in line with the directive from the Tutor General, Mrs Mojisola Yusuf, which mandated all junior secondary schools to organise career talks and sensitise students.

“This will go a long way in helping them, shaping their lives and future so that they can have insights into their future goals,” she said.

Kikelomo also spoke on the role of social media in students’ lives. She said students are taught about both the advantages and disadvantages of social media, and encouraged to use it positively.

Chief Superintendent of Police, Agboola Olutunde, enjoined the students to take advantage of available opportunities, noting that the choices they make now will determine their future.

He urged them to shun cultism, prostitution, drug abuse and other vices, warning that involvement in crime would cut short career prospects.

Similarly, the Global President of the Oduduwa Secondary School Old Students’ Association, Makinde Oladapo, told the students that focus and curiosity are key tools at this crucial stage of their lives.

He said students should ask questions about how their actions can positively affect their future. “The main thing is that the students need to stay focused. All they need do in this stage of their lives is to ask questions such as what they do to affect themselves positively,” Oladapo said.

He acknowledged the work of teachers, but said parents also need to play a more active role during this period.

“The teachers are doing a lot. But I think the parents, too, need to do more in order to save this stage of their lives. This is a stage to learn whatever they want to become,” he said.