If you are looking forward to pursuing that dream career, it is essential to acquaint yourself with the demands or requirements of that profession.
There are different forms of education, including non-formal, informal, and formal education. They all serve the vital purposes of building up an individual; formal education provides certification, which most careers demand.
Most careers require exceptional learning to develop the advanced skills and knowledge needed to perform the requirements of that profession.
Formal education provides a structured educational system that includes specialized vocational, technical, and professional training programs.Â
It also provides a curriculum that satisfies individual needs and preferences and contains a diverse range of subjects that build up the individual in the areas required to advance in a selected career.
Below are ten career paths that demand a formal education
1. Education
Suppose you’re looking to get involved in the educational system. It is expedient to have a formal education and certification from a college of education or university and fulfill student teaching requirements.
There are several misconceptions regarding job opportunities in education, with many people thinking the only available opportunity here is teaching as a profession.
Earning a degree in education will make you eligible for jobs such as a school administrator, curriculum developer, superintendent, principal, educational consultant, librarian, special education teacher, adult literacy and general education developers, academic deans, college professors, school teachers e.t.c
Formal education will help you learn and positively contribute to enhancing the educational system, the most suitable educational approaches to apply in a classroom setting, build remarkable communication skills, organization and creativity. Â
2. Medicine
Medical-related professions such as dentistry, pharmacy, medical laboratory science, dermatology, anesthesiology, surgery, and other medical-related disciplines demand formal education that involves intensive learning and training.
These professions involve the well-being of human beings, and specialists are required to undergo advanced learning and training to equip them with the required knowledge to save lives.
The average length of study for earning a medical degree in a tertiary institution in six years, accompanied by one year of housemanship/internship.
3. Law
If you are anticipating being a legal practitioner or lawyer and handling the legal affairs of your clients, either in court or preparing legal documents which include contracts and wills, you have to be equipped to fulfill the requirements of this profession which consists of five years course in an accredited university to earn a Bachelor of Laws(LLB) degree and proceed to Law school where you will spend a year before you graduate and become a member of the Bar.Â
4. Engineering
It is common for this field to rake in a lot of interest, considering how much money you could make.
And no, it is not handed to you on a platter of gold. You have to put in a lot of work, undergo intense training, and participate in advanced learning.
You are required to earn an engineering degree in your field of interest. These fields include petroleum, mechanical, chemical, marine, aerospace, architectural engineering e.t.c
Bagging a degree in engineering usually involves a five-year study in a university.Â
5. Technology
There is a consistent increase in the demand for specialists in the technology industry as innovations are constantly being created every day to solve real-life problems and improve human life.
This career path encompasses flexible employment opportunities in different sectors such as tech firms, research organizations such as NASA e.t.c
A career in technology includes the following professions, information technologist, computer scientist, web developer, computer engineer, cloud engineer, cybersecurity specialist e.t.cÂ
The academic requirement is a minimum of a bachelor’s degree achieved in 4 years of study.
6. Food Science And Technology
This multidisciplinary career involves microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, and nutrition.
Food science is concerned with studying the chemical and physical properties of foods, causes of food deterioration, and changes during processing, storage, etc.
Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in food science and technology demands a formal education in a university within five years.
Food science and technology degree holders can work in manufacturing companies, research institutions, government agencies, health care institutions, universities, etc
The career opportunities in this field include food laboratory technician, laboratory quality assurance officer, food technologist, food scientist, technical brewer, and toxicology.
7. Sales
Most organizations demand proof of formal education before employing you as a sales representative.
Certification required in this field is usually a minimum of a high school certificate and requirements could be increased to a university degree depending on the job position.
Enterprises require a team to organize and dispense manufactured products and this team becomes the face of the company.Â
It is very important to put together a reliable team that will represent the identity of the enterprise. Those who work in sales must have good communication skills, be strategic and persuasive, possess technical knowledge, etcÂ
A career path in sales is incredibly varied and a formal education assists in impacting the required knowledge for working in most of these positions such as Sales Development Representative(SDR), account executive, outside salesperson, account manager, regional sales manager, etc
8. Linguistics
The field of linguistics offers numerous career opportunities in different sectors ranging from publishing, lexicography, government work(department of education, national security, and defense), advertising/marketing, linguistic consulting, language documentation and fieldwork, translating, and interpretation.Â
A formal education guarantees the building of proper communication skills, and the ability to articulate their ideas expressively and persuasively.
9. Business Administration
Building a career in business administration requires studying courses that center on accounting and finance. The significant role here is assisting businesses in achieving their financial goals.
Formal education is required to impart this kind of knowledge in interested individuals and also help them assemble skills to enable them to think analytically, carry out research and develop leadership abilities to lead work teams.
Studying business administration in a tertiary institution is a four-year endeavor with the certification of a bachelor’s degree.
This career path opens up employment opportunities such as a loan officer, human resource manager, financial analyst, certified public accountant, etc.
 10. Journalism
Becoming a reporter or journalist appearing in front of the camera or creating printable and illustrative content behind the scene requires a formal education to build solid communication skills and exceptional creativity.
Journalism requires a bachelor’s degree in an accredited university and usually involves training in an internship in media houses.
Journalists can practice investigative journalism by sourcing for important information and uncovering real stories; they also practice broadcast journalism by dispensing information/ news through platforms such as radio stations, television, newspapers, blogs e.t.c
Job titles under journalism include photojournalist, reporter/correspondent, columnist, cartoonist, technical writer e.t.c
Conclusion
There are many career paths to embark on, depending on your choice and what you are good at.Â
There are some job opportunities and career paths that one can take on that do not necessarily demand a formal education due to the nature of the job.
Other career paths demand a formal education due to the knowledge and skills required to carry out the services you are expected to render.
So, before you consider other factors while making a career choice, such as possible earnings and your passion, it is necessary to assess the career requirements such as formal education and prepare a plan to achieve it.
