A Comprehensive Description of Academic Disciplines in Pure, Applied & Environmental Sciences.: The Ultimate Career Guide Books

COMMONLY USED TERMS

Applied Sciences (practical problem solving): These sciences are purposive towards answering specific questions, and they practically apply scientific knowledge into use. They are applied in the process of developing specific technologies, applications, processes, and normally results into commercial proceeds in the form of products, procedures, or services

Career: This is an occupation that one engages in resulting from a series of related training, acquiring skills and experience in employment over time. Career can be self-employment, employment, innovation, or ministry, etc. Career brings about financial reward, job satisfaction and fulfilment of purpose. It is different from a job. A job is more of less an activity that focuses on just going to work to make money.

Consultancy: Consultancy is when you employ yourself and offer your services at a fee. You become a consultant after gaining education in a given field and specializing in it. A private consultant is an expert in his field of profession. One can run an office and offer his/her services or liaise with his clients and offer his services at a fee.

Discipline: A branch of knowledge or an area of study that one studies in higher education

Environment related disciplines: These are disciplines focusing on the main components of our environment; water air, and land, their interrelationship and their relationship with living beings.

Field of study: A branch or area of study.

Graduate: A person who has successfully completed a course of study and has been awarded a first academic degree.

Instructor: A person whose job is to teach people skills in a particular field.

Learner: A person who is in the process of studying a particular subject or course.

Modelling: The process of creating models, images, or designs using computer programs.

Pure Sciences (theoretical and abstract): These sciences desire to expand knowledge and involves the acquisition of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. These disciplines ventures into what is this?, How does it work? Why does it? The objective is to increase understanding of fundamental principles. Pure science research may not have immediate financial proceeds and will contribute to the theoretical foundations of inventions, products, procedures, and solutions to a problem.

Research: The process of investigation or experimentation with the objective of drawing out conclusions about a subject matter of interest.

Resource: A natural feature or phenomenon that enhances the quality of human life.

Technologist versus technician: These are professionals who through academic training and experience can apply engineering or scientific principles in a specialized practice. A technician and a technologist differ in their educational levels and responsibilities. A technician is a person with a practical understanding of technology and he is responsible for trouble-shooting, inspection, calibration, maintenance, modelling, data compilation, estimating, sales, surveying, field supervision, technical sales, teaching and any more. They generally work under supervision of a technologist. Technologist is a person who is completely skilled in various technologies and are generally team leaders. They research, analyse, design, conduct studies, resolve problems, interpret, and evaluate situations, develop prototypes. A technologist innovates and a technician applies the innovations. 

| Pure, Applied & Natural Sciences

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

What is a career?

This is an occupation that one engages in resulting from a series of related training, acquiring skills and experience in employment over time.

Why do I have think about my discipline of study?

Every learner has the opportunity to choose a course/programme to advance his/her knowledge in a field of interest. This step is very critical to the direction your life and future will take. It will determine your life occupation, opportunities available to you, life style, living environment, expected financial gains, career satisfaction, academic progression, etc. You need to make a choice to determine the direction your life will take in relation to all these factors.

What do I consider when choosing a discipline of study?

Your academic ability, i.e. your current performance in high school should guide you to the right selection of courses. An average learner should choose programmes that are within the cut points of their grades and brilliant learners should target programmes that align with their performance. Subject selection at high school also determines the area of study in college or university. The subjects you choose for study at high school may limit or favour you in the disciplines you will choose in college or university.

Your interests: What you would love to do for the rest of your life is important now. By choosing the right programme, you start your path towards job satisfaction.

Your future goals: One should choose a programme with an idea of what to do with it; employee mind set, self-employment and entrepreneurship, boost your family business, further you study, a means to move abroad, or any other.

Your personality type: Understanding your preferences will enable you understand yourself and align you to the right career that you will enjoy doing and progress over time.

The skills and knowledge you will attain in any discipline of choice:  Do not be confounded by the complexity of a course/programme title, rather consider carefully the knowledge and skills you will gain and what you can do with them, i.e., where and how you will apply them. Consider three probabilities below that may occur after completion of your study.

❖  You may be employed; if you get an employment opportunity, the question is? Will it give you the job satisfaction in terms of finances, interests, opportunities, career growth, etc. that you desire?

❖  You are not employed; how can you utilize the knowledge and skills gained to generate income and at the same time enjoy yourself? As you progress through your studies, it is good to think about how you can innovate and develop new ideas, applications, technologies, or equipment. You can be your own boss, and be an employer too. Many young people have taken this route today and are contributing immensely to the economy of the country and at the same time enjoying their ideas.

❖  You get an opportunity to further your studies; is your programme of choice a good foundation to your postgraduate studies? Choose a programme that will steer you to your career dream. Avoid taking a course that you may have to change later to a different programme of study because it is not leading you to choose degree, masters, or Ph.D. studies. This avoids wastage of energy, time, finances, and other resources.

Consider how you want to apply your knowledge and skills after finishing your college/university programme. Ask yourself these questions.

❖  What type of knowledge and skills will I acquire in my desired discipline?

❖  In which profession can I apply the knowledge and skills acquired?

❖  How can I use these knowledge and skills to innovate?

❖  How can I use these knowledge and skills to invent?

❖  How can I use these knowledge and skills to promote my family business?

❖  How can I use these knowledge and skills to start my own business?

❖  How can I use these knowledge and skills to develop a new product?

❖  How relevant will these knowledge and skills be to my next degree?

❖  How can I use my knowledge and skills to improve livelihood in my community?

How do I know my career?

Several theories and tests assist us to identify our career preferences for proper career choices.

Holland’s Personality Type Theory

Personality type theory by Holland emphasizes that an individual career choice should match with his/her personality. He relates six basic personality types with an individual psychological makeup. These are; Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional (RIASEC). Based on Holland’s personality type theory, a RIASEC test (Table below) was developed to determine an individual’s career interest. This test will assist you to relate your personality type with your career interests, however a lot of changes may occur in one’s personality as time goes by and therefore this is a guide for self-awareness at this phase of high school.

Holland’s RIASEC Personality Test

Realistic (R): Are you physically enthusiastic and love working with your hands? Do you love assembling, fixing or building things or love working with machines, tools, animals and plants? Your career interest and satisfaction may be found in areas such as e.g. engineers, architects, mechanics, farmers, drivers, construction workers, etc.

Investigative (I): Are you curious and love to research, investigate, discover? You enjoy observing, learning, investigating, analyzing, and formulating solutions. Your interest and career satisfaction may be in occupations such as sciences, research, medical, biology, economists, etc.

Artistic (A): Do you love expressing yourself artistically, i.e., painting, designing, dancing, acting, writing, etc.? You love to work in unstructured situations and therefore enjoy being very creative and imaginative. Then you will be comfortable in careers such as artists, musicians, advertising consultants, authors, fashion designers, etc.

Social (S): Are you the type who enjoys to work and talk with different type of people? You get along very easily in new people environment. You enjoy, engaging with, informing, helping, training or even entertaining them? Then you are best suited for careers in areas such as teaching, nursing, social work-oriented fields, counsellors, public relations, diplomats, lecturers, etc.

Enterprising (E): Do you find yourself dominating others, easily influencing, persuading, leading, encouraging and managing others? Then you are highly suited for careers in business, politics, insurance, marketing consultants, and management positions, etc.

Conventional (C): You love to work within guidelines and instructions and you are highly organized. You perform better when they are clear guidelines rather than when you are to figure it out. You are good at clerical and numerical duties, then you will easily work in careers such as bankers, clerks, secretaries, financial managers, etc.

CHAPTER TWO

DESCRIPTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL RELATED DISCIPLINES

Agribusiness Management

This discipline emphasizes on development