Career Path Seminar – Atlantic International University

Introduction

     This assignment is going to shade more light on greatest dreams in my life. Apart from that, the assignment will also highlight the contribution that I want to make to my family and community. I will also talk about the best way to harness and distribute the revenue gotten from the natural resources in my country. Moreover, I’m going to dwell on the achievements, in terms of professionalism and economy that will give me the contentment which will enable me, to enjoy life with my family. Similarly, I’m going to talk about the abundance that I feel is prerequisite to the prosperous life. Lastly, the assignment will define abundance that is sustainable.

1. What is your greatest dream in life?

     When we talk about my greatest dream in life, honestly speaking as things stand now my greatest dream is to be able to finish my study very soon. Because, I feel that if I manage to finish my study sooner other than later, that is the kind of thing what will pave way for me to achieve those thing that I’m dreaming about life. Because, I know that when I finished my study and receive my certificate, I will start looking for a job that are available at labor market, so that is what my biggest dream in life, because I know that when I get my desired job, I will be able to fend for myself and other members of my life. And apart from that, getting the job that will enable me to settle down as a person who has reached certain level, whereby, I need to get life partner. So honestly speaking, I may have so many dreams at the moment, but I feel that my biggest priority now is to be successful in my academic pursued. Even though, finishing my study will just be the first step among the steps that I want go through in my academic pursuit. Because, I feel that finishing my first degree is just the beginning of my journey, towards success. Even after I finish my first degree, I will like to go for mastering degree and after mastering degree I will also like to go for PhD. I know that achieving my dream is not easy at all, but I will put all my effort in my pursuit of knowledge. Because, I believe that it’s the knowledge that will make my life better and more important. Because, I believe in the power of knowledge, and I believe that it’s the knowledge that will enable us to live the kind of life that is different from that of those who are not knowledgeable. And it also enables us to know more about the world than others who don’t in any way try to pursue education. So honestly it’s very important for me to finish my study. So that is why I decided at the moment to keep aside almost everything in order to ensure that, I concentrate all my attention in my study, so that at the end of the day, I will be able to achieve my goal. Because, after I finish my study I will like to do so many things. For example, it’s my ambition to become a civil engineer. Since we are talking about now, finishing my degree will enable me to be a reasonable engineer.

2. What would be your greatest contribution to your family and community?

     My greatest contribution to my family first, and community will come later. Honestly speaking, the kind of contribution that I want make towards the members of family is such that, I cannot describe, I feel strongly about it, because it’s the members of my family that have been supporting me right from when I was born up to this point. So honestly speaking, when I’m able to achieve my goal of becoming a civil engineer, I will do everything possible in order to ensure that I improve their living standard. Because, the way they have struggled with me and the kind of struggle that they made, in order to sponsor my study is something that I will never take lightly. So honestly speaking, I will do everything possible to ensure that I do something that will gladden their hearts or make them happy. Even though, I know that I may not be able to repay them were they did to me, but at least I will ensure that they don’t lack anything. When I get or rather or when I become a civil engineer. So this is my greatest contribution towards the members of my family.

     When it comes to my contribution to my community, honestly speaking, when I achieve my goal, I will ensure that I provide very important things, to the members of my community. Because, I live in a country whereby, there is lack of infrastructural development. Honestly speaking, the members of my community are suffering from various kinds of problems. For example, we don’t have enough water. Sometimes, the children in my community have to struggle before they are able to fetch water from either borehole or where so ever they can find good drinking water. So, ensuring that this problem of water shortage is eliminated is one of my biggest dreams. That is it’s something that I want to ensure that, my community don’t have any problem when it comes to water supply. Apart from water supply, I know that there are so many young people in my area, who want start studying and those who wants to further their high education. But unfortunately, due to the prevalence of poverty in my country, they are not able to do so. Honestly speaking, I want to do everything possible, in order to ensure that, I sponsor them, so that they can at least be able to achieve their dream of gaining their education. So it’s difficult for me to enumerate all the contribution that I want make, towards the members of my community. But as soon as I achieved my goal of becoming a civil engineer, then definitely I will do those things that I have just mentioned and many more.

3. What is the wisest way to use and share the wealth from the resources of the earth?

     Honestly speaking, in my country that is Nigeria, the revenue from natural resources that my country is blessed with, is not shared or reused properly. Because honestly speaking huge amount of money is gotten from sell of oil in my country, but even though the life of the people in my country is supposed to be improved significantly, but unfortunately that is not the case. Because our leaders are looting or diverting the money, instead of the money being used to improve the life of Nigerians, to provide Nigerians with infrastructure, with all those basic things they need in life; the basic things that any reasonable government is supposed to provide to its people. So instead the way politicians use the money in order to enrich themselves and members of their family, which is not acceptable. So the way I feel that the wealth gotten from oil in my country should be use is that:

1-    The wealth should be used, in order to ensure that qualitative education is provided.

2-    Health care delivery system and many other things are supposed to provide to the Nigerians.

3-    And apart from that, the wealth should be used to provide infrastructure to the Nigerians. Because, we have problem with our roads and electricity; the shortage of electricity is so immense that it hardly stayed for more than 8 hours per day. Moreover, it’s unfortunate situation that we don’t have portable water. So the wealth gotten from the sell of oil should be used in order to ensure that, all these things are provided to the common man in Nigeria. So with regard to how the wealth should be shared, I feels that the wealth driven from the sell of oil and other natural resources gotten in Nigeria, should be such that everybody should benefit from it, that is the wealth should be shared according to ones need. Even though, I don’t means that the money should be shared among the people, what I mean is that, people should have their needs satisfied, based on the enormity of their needs. So I thing that is what is supposed to be done.

4. What level of economic and professional achievement would give you deep contentment to enjoy life with your family?

     When we are talking about an economic achievement, that gives me contentment to enjoy life with my family, then I can say that as things stand now, life has change enormously. I think that having money is very important, because at the moment, it’s money that guarantees the best possible life that anybody can imagine. So I think that specifying the amount of economic achievements that will give me contentment to enjoy life is very difficult. So I can say that having a stable job or a stable business that brings in more money, is what will enable me to enjoy life together with my family. But since the value of money has been fallen now a day, I think that having a millions of naira with a stable source of income is an economic achievement that I’m dreaming in order to live a prosperous life with my own family. Therefore economic achievement is something that is difficult to be quantified, just what matters most is to have huge amount of money.

     And apart from economic achievement, the next thing in line is professional achievement. So when we are talking about professional achievement, the way I have decided that my life will be, is to be able to reach the apex or the pinnacle of my career as a civil engineer. So I want get that kind of expertise from the degree that I’m pursuing right now, to ensure that I become the engineer that stand out from the rest of the engineers, so that I will be able to achieve a lot. Sky is the limit to what I’m aspiring to achieve as an engineer. So as things stand now, I don’t know how much or rather it’s difficult for me to ascertain the kind of professional achievement that I will gain as an engineer. But I’m aiming for a higher rung of the ladder among the ranks of engineers. That is I want to be or rather rub shoulders with the best civil engineers in the world. I want to be a kind of civil engineers that will live behind a legacy, that will be remembered for a generation. Therefore, it’s only when I achieve that goal, that I will be able to live a kind of life that I’m dreaming together with my family. Being a civil engineer and that too at the top of the rung of the ladder of engineers, is not something that is easy to achieve. But I’m trying to put everything into the effort of achieving this goal. So I’m optimistic that with hard work and prayers, at the end of the day I will succeed in doing what I’m aiming to do right now.

5. What type of abundance is the best to live a prosperous life? Personal wealth? Personal power? Personal satisfaction? or Shared wealth and power in community? Harmonious respect and support with other people? Living life in balanced harmony with others and nature?

     As far as I concerned, among all those types of abundance, I will go for personal satisfaction. Because personal satisfaction is very important, because it enables a person to live a very happy life. Therefore a person can be happy, weather he has money or not. So I think that personal satisfaction is very important and it’s more important than personal wealth, personal power, shared wealth and power in community. Because all those things are likely to be exhausted but personal satisfaction is something that is innate, is something that a person has. It’s a kind of habit that a person cultivates. So it’s a quality that enables a person to live a kind of enjoyable life. So it’s a something that enables a person to survive at any situation. It’s something that enables a person to be responsible, to be contented with whatever he has. But look if a person has personal wealth, so there is likelihood that one day, the wealth will be gone because we have seen such examples.

6. How would you define a sustainable abundance that could be enjoyed from generation to generation?

     Defining sustainable abundance that could be enjoyed from one generation to another is something that is very difficult for me. But I will do everything possible in order to ensure that I define what I see as a sustainable abundance that could be enjoyed by the upcoming prosperity. This is a difficult question, so different people are likely to face a difference explanation, to this kind of question, but my check on this question is goes like this. So the kinds of sustainable abundance that can be enjoyed by the upcoming generation, especially in a country like mine where there is lack of sustainability, in terms of almost everything in my country. So having visionary leaders who have people in their minds is something that I’m hoping for. So it’s only when we have those kinds of leaders who are patriotic and sensitive to the needs of their peoples, that we could at least start hoping that, a sustainable abundance will be created. But as the things stand now, I can be pessimistic in this regard, but there is a saying that man proposes Allah disposes. So my outlook of life is likely to change in the future, with improvement in how things are done. But the way things are going right now doesn’t give much hope to common people like me who are struggling to pay tuition fees. Just to crown it all, people are struggling with how to meet basic needs. The question of sustainable abundance is something that most people in my country are putting at the back of their minds, because they know that achieving that sustainable abundance is something that is far away from being achieved. Because of the nonchalant attitude displayed by our leaders who are so insensitive, to the needs of their peoples that they can diverse the money, that is meant for the improvement of the life of fellow countrymen. Therefore, we are still optimistic; we have not given up of having things improved in the future. So we will like to see a situation whereby, there is a sustainable development, whereby the next generation will enjoy life more than us. Therefore, we will keep on hoping that, one day things are going to improve dramatically, from the way they are right now. It’s my urgent hope that, we are going  to have generation of leaders who are likely, to come up with infrastructural development or blueprint, that will provide infrastructural development that will be sustainable, to the extent that the future generation benefit from such infrastructures. And it’s also my hope that a powerful vision will be initiated which will be aiming for improvement of things in the future. Because, as things stand now, the future looks bleak. But with prayer and enlightenment of common men, to elect people who are responsible, I think that, the dream is achievable. That is the dream of having sustainable abundance that can be enjoyed by the generation that will come in the future.

Conclusion

From the aforementioned the following can be deduced:

–         That my greatest dream is to pursue my study, become a civil engineer and live a happy life.

–         My greatest contribution to the members of my family will be to improve their life, as for the members of my community; I will do everything possible to make them happy.

–         That the best way to use and shear revenue from the natural resources, is to provide infrastructure to people and ensure that they live a happy life.

–         That the abundance that brings about a prosperous life is the personal one.

–         Sustainable abundance involves; providing what will bring about everlasting benefit to the people.