In Ghana, ask a child what profession he or she dreams of pursuing. Most will mention doctor, engineer, lawyer, lecturer, pilot, or nurse. Very few will say they want to become a carpenter, blacksmith, farmer, tailor, cleaner, or mason. But can we really blame them?
Growing up, I always wanted to become a teacher. As I grew older, however, I changed my mind. The poor conditions in many classrooms, the challenges teachers face, and the way society often treats them discouraged me from pursuing that dream.
That is why I was not surprised when some teachers recently demonstrated over unpaid salaries. A nursing mother among them openly said she regretted becoming a teacher. Another teacher remarked, “Teachers are not respected in Ghana at all.” These comments reveal a deeper problem. In Ghana, respect often influences career choices.
This reality is also seen during career day celebrations in many basic schools. Most pupils proudly dress as doctors, nurses, lawyers, soldiers, police officers, engineers, or pilots. It is rare to see children choose professions such as carpenter, tailor, farmer, cleaner, or waste collector. From childhood, society teaches us that some professions deserve greater admiration than others.
This article therefore seeks to examine some of the reasons behind this unfortunate phenomenon, with the hope of helping to change society’s perception of professions now or in the near future.
Salary
Money is important because it helps people meet their basic needs. Unfortunately, respect in Ghana is often linked to wealth and material possessions. People with expensive cars, houses, and fashionable clothing are often admired more than others.
As a result, many young people avoid lower-paying professions even when those careers match their talents. Sadly, some even believe that certain professions are meant only for the poor. Such thinking discourages people from following their passions and deprives society of valuable talent.
Former Ghanaian footballer Charles Taylor once shared how he was denied entry into the Accra Sports Stadium because of the old car he was driving, while another player in a luxury vehicle was allowed in without difficulty. He admitted the experience hurt him so much that he sat in his car and cried. (Interview on Angel fm – Ghana, 2025). His story reminds us that society sometimes judges people more by what they own than by who they are.
If this attitude continues, some professions may become overcrowded while others face shortages. Many people may also lose confidence in careers that receive little respect.
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh recently announced that government is considering reducing admissions to health training institutions because more graduates are being produced than the health sector can employ. While several factors contribute to this situation, the prestige attached to health professions may also influence many young people to choose them even when their true interests lie elsewhere.
This is the bitter pill. Many people abandon careers they genuinely love because they fear society may not respect them.
Ghanaian musician Okyeame Kwame has also urged parents not to force children into careers they do not truly love. Drawing from his own experience, he said he was pushed towards accounting although his passion was music. He encouraged parents to guide rather than dictate their children’s career choices (Springboard, Your Virtual University Joy FM- Ghana).
Difficulty of attainment
Another reason some professions receive greater respect is the belief that they are difficult to attain. In Ghana, careers such as medicine, law, engineering, and accountancy are often seen as demanding because they require many years of study and rigorous training. As a result, many people believe that only exceptionally brilliant students can enter these professions. While they certainly require hard work and dedication, this perception can make other equally important professions appear less valuable. In reality, every honest profession demands skill, commitment, and sacrifice.
Prestige
Prestige also influences how society values professions. Some occupations are admired because of their dress code, influence, or the status attached to them. Interestingly, this has not always been the case. Years ago, football was not regarded as a highly respected profession in Ghana. Today, however, professional footballers are among the most admired people in the country and around the world. This shows that society’s perception of professions can change over time.
Every honest profession deserves dignity and respect. Whether one is a teacher, farmer, carpenter, nurse, mechanic, tailor, cleaner, trader, engineer, or artisan, each contributes to national development. A nation that values only a few professions risks discouraging talent and slowing its own progress.
Morality
Another factor is the conduct of people within professions. In Ghana, some professions have lost public trust because of corruption, dishonesty, abuse of office, and other unethical behaviour.
The first National Tracking Poll of 2025 by Global InfoAnalytics found that the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Immigration Service were perceived as the most corrupt public institutions in the country. The Judiciary, the Ghana Revenue Authority, local government officials, and business executives also ranked highly. Although these findings do not mean everyone in those professions is corrupt, they show how the actions of a few can damage the image of an entire profession. Every profession must therefore uphold integrity, accountability, and ethical conduct.
No honest profession deserves to be looked down upon. Ghana’s development depends on teachers, farmers, artisans, mechanics, traders, nurses, engineers, doctors, police officers, and many others working together. Every profession has an important role to play.
If we continue to value only a few professions, we will discourage talent, create shortages in key sectors, and slow national development. It is time to respect professions not only for their salary, prestige, or perceived difficulty, but for the value they bring to society.
Will we continue to swallow this bitter pill, or will we finally spit it out? The ball is in our court.
WRITTEN BY
Henry Atta Nyame
Institutional Assessment Practitioner
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
