Can you go home?
Recently, I went to an accountant to complete my taxes (Sidenote: first time I had to do that ... but owing a state over $1,000 would certainly encourage anyone to seek professional help). Anyway, I digress. Going back to my original point, my accountant made a comment, who interestingly is a native of
In our casual conversation he asked, ‘Do you plan to return home?’ My answer was quick and assertive. ‘Of course, as soon as I finish my education.’ A few weeks have passed since that conversation. However, the question still resonates. Now, I have somewhat changed the question to ask: Can I return home?
If we are truthful with ourselves, we all want to go home. Home is, after all, where the heart is. But we are forced to ask ourselves, can we go home? Are there opportunities? Is the environment conducive to your professional and personal growth? Can you contribute?
I know too many friends who struggled on their return home to find jobs, secure positions that would utilize their skills and qualifications and then build a career. It’s a tough choice for young professionals. While I long to give back to my country, I am hesistant to make a choice that stymies my growth.
Admittedly, I don’t have answers to these questions. Rather, I pose them to the other young professionals at home and abroad.
Can we go home?
2 comments:
our country isn't our country anymore. The government continues to sell off our birth right to foreign investors. As i applaud young people for leaving to gain knowledge and expertise in whatever field they're interested in its hyprocritical and a little bit naive to be considering now whether or when to return, as if it is such a burden to decide. common sense alone would suggest that when you leave a small island to become an aerospace engineer chances are there aint gonna be any job for you when you return. Alot of people left to study areas of academia that would never apply to where they come from. frankly it does matter anyways. what a good education should have gotten you in the least is a thirsty for innovation, a desire for critical thinking. How can you re-invent st kitts...how can you apply what you've learn and seen, what can you do to unhook your countries dependence on tourism, foreign investments etc etc all of which comes at a price.
globalization as a force is pulling more cultures and ideals together..unfortunately weaker cultures become absorbed and we all become versions of what's popular. so maybe you dont have to go home after all...soon st kitts will be america version -2.0
In all honesty, opportunities in the job market at home, centre around persons who have qualifications in technology, finance, human resources, and hospitality related industries.
But there's also a lot of room for small business if you're entrepreneurally minded and have a skill. There is room for consultancy, florists, specialty bakers, electricians, event planning, carpenters etc.
Most people who go away to study wouldn't really be interested in those kinds of careers (except some form of consultancy).
So no, St. Kitts doesn't have an aeronatics industry, or science research and development industries, or the oil and gas industry etc. We have to be realistic in our outlook.
Or we have to be willing to start new industries. I don't actually understand why we rely on the government to orchestrate the economic direction that we want the country to go in, when they have made it clear that they are pursuing a different route. Admittedly some governments have done that with tangible success, the South East Asian Tigers, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia etc. But many other economies are fuelled by entrepreneurship and free market forces.
I returned home and then left, not for lack of opportunity in my field, but just to live somewhere else where I initially earned less money than I was earning at home.
I think in the end its really a personal decision. I don't even think that you necessarily have to work in the precise field that you qualified in, because a quality education should equip you with skills and maturity that you can apply to take advantage of whatever opportunities are available.
So while you may not be able to pursue certain careers at home, you can return home if you really want to.
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