By Isaac Asabor
It is not an exaggeration to say that medicine, law, accountancy and journalism are well-liked professions, and that they unarguably lead to fulfilling careers so much that not few young ones aspire to belong to any of the professions, going by their preferences that are yearly deciphered from the choice of courses they filled in their respective Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms, and the high scores required to be admitted into the university or polytechnic to study any of the courses, coupled with the heated competitive struggle by parents and guardians that usually characterized the bid to secure admissions for their children or wards to institutions that offer the courses.
Aptly put, to become a medical doctor, aspiring professional need to study Medicine. In the same vein, to become an Accountant, an aspiring professional need to study Accountancy, and to become a Journalist, an aspiring professional need to study mass communication or journalism.
It is expedient to clarify at this juncture that those who want to become Journalists do not necessarily need to study Mass Communication or Journalism at first degree level. However, to those that joined the profession with degrees or diplomas in other disciplines, it is expedient they study mass communication at Post Graduate degree level, or strive to obtain a regular diploma in mass communication as it would give them an added advantage in the profession.
In as much as this piece is not aimed at offering free counselling service to any aspiring professional into any of the four careers, it is expedient to say that, like other professions that they suffer stereotypes and misconceptions. For instance, Doctors are seen to be curers when in reality, “They care while God heals” as mostly announced at the entrance of most hospitals that “We Care, But God Heals”.
As gathered, a doctor once said, “There are some diseases we can cure. Most diseases we cannot. If we can’t cure something then we don’t use the word cure. If we can, then we do. It is all about providing accurate information so patients can make an informed choice”.
Putting the words of the foregoing doctor into consideration in this context, it is logical to say that using the word cure when the doctor cannot cure a disease is misleading and damaging to the doctor-patient relationship.
Analysed from the forgoing perspective, it is expedient to ask, in line with the headline of this piece, “Is it true or false to say that a doctor can cure?”
In a similar vein, another misconceived question that is usually asked is, “Are lawyers liars? This, no doubt, is one of the ever-raging questions that has not being given any definite answer yet. Though, some scholars have given different answers on the question, but no answer has been settled yet. While some people actually thinks that lawyers are actually liars, some do not.
Without any iota of exaggeration, the interrogation has remained one of the most difficult question for anyone to answer from a dispassionate point of view. Whether they are liars or not depends on who is involved. For instance, an innocent person that loss a Court case and in error sent to jail will see every lawyers as liars.
To those that are yet to come to grip with what lawyers do, it is expedient to enlighten them in this context that a lawyer is trained and licensed to prepare, manage, and either prosecute or defend a court action as an agent for another, and also gives advice on legal matters that may or may not require court action.
Lawyers apply the law to specific cases. They investigate the facts and the evidence by conferring with their clients and reviewing documents, and they prepare and file the pleadings in court. At the trial, they introduce evidence, interrogate witnesses, and argue questions of law and fact. If they do not win the case, they may seek a new trial or relief in an appellate court.
In some instances, lawyers can bring about the settlement of a case without trial through negotiation, reconciliation, and compromise. In addition, the law gives individuals the power to arrange and determine their legal rights in many matters and in various ways, as through wills, contracts, or corporate bylaws, and lawyers aid in many of these arrangements.
Lawyers have several loyalties in their work, including loyalties to their clients, to the administration of justice, to the community, to their associates in practice, and to themselves. When these loyalties conflict, the standards of the profession are intended to effect a reconciliation.
At this juncture, it is expedient to say that from teaching to banking that many professions have to some extent being smeared by stereotypes so much that practitioners in such professions just cannot shake off the slur. But these misconceptions are not just misleading, they might be putting the young ones that aspire to join any of the professions off pursuing a career they actually love.
To graphically illustrate how bad the perception of an accountant is, the story is told of a wealthy man who had been ill for quite some time. He sent an urgent message to his lawyer and accountant that they both come to the hospital one day. When they arrived, he asked them to sit on either side of his bed, which they did. Then, propping himself up against his pillow, he said, “Now I can die just as Jesus died, between two thieves!
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that rather than stealing or committing fraud in the office, it is the accountants that help to prevent fraudulent activities as they are the ones that professionally implement internal controls. These can include specific steps and forms for requesting travel or other expense reimbursements. It can also include having a purchasing or procurement system, such as requiring multiple bids or quotes for purchases over a certain amount. Some controls, such as surprise audits, are not announced by accountants in the bid to stem the tide of perpetration of fraud.
At this nexus, permit me to say that if there is any profession where its practitioners are mostly castigated and misconceived, it is journalism. Not few people believe that Journalists manipulate, twist, and misinterpret everything they hear to fit their stories. This is a very common misconception about journalists. However, this is not true.
Be that as it may, it is expedient to say that while there are bad eggs in every profession, one cannot take away from the fact that the three professions, that is medicine, accountancy and Journalism are chock full of excellent and credible professionals who work very hard to serve the people.
Again, it is germane to say that this piece was inspired for the need of people to eschew generalizing flaws found among professionals across various professions, and at the same time to urge bad eggs in any of these professions to turn a new leaf as they have negative or positive bearing on peoples’ lives when they not well practised.
