Most of us take advice from our seniors, the most obvious being our parents. There are high paying careers, which are among the best, that we ignore yet they are are well-paying. In this article, I will enlighten you on which among the 140 careers in the country we overlook but can earn you up to Ksh1 million in salaries each month.
Biostatistician
Biostatisticians analyze data and statistics on living things collected during medical research studies to draw conclusions or make predications. They may also contribute to the design and execution of research studies in collaboration with other statisticians and scientists. In Kenya, these professionals work in NGOs, Ministry of Health and hospitals where data is analyzed massively.
To be a Biostatistician, you need a degree in statistical related courses and advanced skills in professional tools like R,Stata,SPSS ,SAS and proficiency in excel(Pivot Table being the most common).
Thought undergraduate degree is important,pursuing a masters in Biostatistics,Epidemiology,Boimetry,Monitoring&Evaluation,Demography,Population or Applied Statistics will boost your profile,hence pay.
In Kenya, the average monthly salary of a Biostatistician is Ksh 150, 000, though there are individuals who pocket as high as Ksh 500,000 per month.
Some of the best institutions to work for include:
Kemri CDC,which pays Ksh180,000-Ksh500,000
ICRAF,which pays Ksh130,000-Ksh300,000
Kemri Wellcome Trust,which pays Ksh 145,000 to Ksh 250,000
UN,which pays Ksh250,000 to Ksh1.5 million
ICIPE,which pays Ksh150,000 to Ksh400,000
The best universities to pursue statistics related courses include,Maseno University, University of Nairobi and JKUAT
GIS Analyst
GIS Analysts are rare in the country but they are well taken care of in terms of perks.The nice thing about this career is that few people are aware of it, hence less competition for employment.
GIS and Remote Sensing course is offered at Technical University of Kenya and JKUAT.Other colleges also offer the program, but we advise you to join JKUAT or TUK
A GIS analyst is a well-rounded, tech-savvy spatial individual with a wide range of skills. They main work involve remote sensing,mapping,data collection,data analysis,spatial analysis, and tracking of species using GPS tools.
In Kenya, few experts are available for GIS related tasks, which explain why this career is a hot cake.
Some of the areas GIS analysts work at include, The United Nations, DRSRS, KWS, Kemri, KFS, AWF, Ministry of Environment and several institutions that deal with GIS and mapping
The salary of experienced GIS Analyst at UN is above Ksh300,000.Those employed at KWS earn upwards of Ksh150,000 while in government institutions they pocket in excess of Ksh100,000
Financial Analyst
Most people who pursue business related courses avoid being Financial Analysts because CFA is not a course for the faint hearted. In our country, there are countable Financial Analysts, one being Centum CEO James Mworia.
To be a Financial Analyst, you have to pursue CFA to level 3, which in normal cases takes up to 12 years. Most Kenyans register for the program and after failing level 1 at least 2 times, they give up.Currently,we have less than 200 Financial Analysts in Kenya.
The average salary of a Financial Analyst in Kenya is Ksh 250,000
Monitoring& Evaluation
Recently a student asked me which among these courses is more marketable: Monitoring & Evaluation,BCom and Economics. The student has just joined a private university and was seeking information to determine whether he can shift from education to any of the three courses. My answer was, Monitoring& Evaluation.I argued like this:if BCom currently has 60% jobless graduates, Economics 67% and M&E 10%,which among the three you’d prefer?!!!The student said M&E.
One thing I like about M&E is that once you secure employment in any institution, your starting salary won’t be less than Ksh120,000.M&E is also one of the most marketable courses, such that once you graduate, chances of missing out on employment are below 20%.