As a first class graduate electrical/electronic engineer that just concluded my National Youth Service at the time, my family, friends and old classmates, all wanted me to go back to take a job as a graduate assistant, enroll for masters, PhD and climb the ladder towards professorship in the federal university I graduated from. However, their expectations were all in contrast to my career plans. I had no plans to start my engineering career from the classroom, I said.
I decided to seek for entry level jobs and other internships opportunities in the relevant industry ( engineering & manufacturing). I finally got an entry level job in an oil and gas firm even though it paid( $90 a month) five times less than what I would have been paid as a graduate assistant, but I decided since I was seeking for an opportunity to sharpen my skills.
"You're crazy, why would you decline a higher pay offer for the one that pays five times less?" said my family, close friends and relatives. They called for a family meeting to address the decision but I was firm in my decision and told them that I know what I wanted. On resumption at the company, I was placed in safety department since I already had basic level certifications in safety. Month after month I decided to look at my goals that made me took the decision and took a step towards achieving them. Firstly, I enrolled for higher safety certification courses specifically PMP, thereafter ISPON & then NEBOSH, among other training programs and was certified.
Three years later, I was promoted to be the assistant safety director in the firm with a rise in the pay. Though shunned by my family, I decided to inform them of my promotion but no positive not of a congratulatory message or whatever kind. My colleagues in the academic field had taken their masters and were on their PhDs but I never got perturbed since I knew what I was pursuing. I stayed for two more years and then got another higher offer to become the senior project Engineer and safety director for the company.
On the new job, I didn't relent that I had arrived so I decided to sharpen my skills even the more until one day that my colleagues approached me and said " Mr. Eru, we're working towards registering another subsidiary and with your wealth of experience and expertise, would you not consider joining us?" So I looked at the plans and did join them and was given the position of chief project engineer with a pay of about times four of my colleagues who decided to enroll for masters, Phd, etc. Today, I serve as a consultant to different firms and a visiting consultant to universities.
How many times in our lives have we changed our decisions in our career life because of family, friends and peer pressure? Whatever goals, plans that you have that's worth it, go for it, the sky is your limit. The only thing that can stop you from reaching your next goal is your will/decision. Be determined, be focused.