A Career: Life’s Reflection by Brandon Ebah Oben

I was barely12 years old when my class six teacher asked me what I wanted to be in future. Without much thinking I said an engineer. What could a class six pupil preparing to get into Secondary school possibly know about the engineering field?

When I got to Secondary School I changed my mind to a medical doctor simply because I had fall in love with Biology. At first that was the only science subject I performed well in. It was not until Form Three when I became conscious enough to take Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics seriously if I hoped to drift towards the Sciences. At the end of Form four, I was admitted into Form Five Science with the blessing of the Guidance Counselling office. Being the last of five kids to our parents, I was the only one who took the Pure Science path breaking the Social science and Arts path’s tradition of my older siblings.

I sailed through Secondary and High School as I graduated with a GCE Advanced Level with a combination of Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.

Then the choice of a career came up again. While in High School I had resolved to be a Medical Doctor. I took the competitive entrance examination but was not selected. I grew anxious, not knowing what to do but then I asked myself an honest question; Why do I want to be a Medical Doctor in the first place? The answer to this question came in as a revealer and it was because I wanted to help people get well. ‘But the healthcare industry has a lot of career profiles?’, I thought to myself. That’s how I ended up being the Medical Laboratory Science I am today. I am not a Medical Doctor but I still help people get well and better.

Today I am not just a Medical Laboratory Scientist, no, I am also an advocate of holistic healthcare with a Pharmaceutical Industry. And I am also a tutor and trainer of Laboratory Agents in my country.

While Reflecting on this, Marina Keegan’s quote was very inspiring as I use it every time someone feels discourage or feels undecided. She says “What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over. The notion that it’s ‘too late’ is comical. It’s hilarious. We can’t, we must not, lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.’’