10 most marketable courses in Kenya 2021 (and least marketable)

In the Kenyan education system, students tend to prefer courses that guarantee quick employment and have good salaries. There is little regard for a student's passion as they are pressured into giving in to the demands of parents and teachers concerning the courses to pursue. This has caused a market saturation for some of the most marketable courses in Kenya while the least marketable ones attract few students.

Naturally, students finishing their form four education select courses deemed marketable when joining college. Such courses end up having more applications than the actual slots available. Priority is then given to students with exceptional grades, while the rest must revise their selection and pick the less marketable diploma courses.

10 most marketable courses in Kenya

These are the best courses in Kenya because one cannot stay long without getting a job or some other source of income. Often, such courses require students to have excellent grades to pursue them. They are courses like:

1. Medicine

Health is an essential ingredient in the growth and development of a country because a sick workforce cannot accomplish anything. It is, therefore, no surprise that medicine disciplines fall under the most marketable courses in Kenya. To study medicine, one must score a mean grade of B+ or above in KCSE.

Medicine is one of the most challenging courses an individual can decide to study. The upside is that medicine courses are marketable, and with a degree in any of the fields, you can work anywhere in the world. In addition, those who are not keen on being employed can start their clinics, hospitals or even pharmacies, and they will still make money.

2. Education/Teaching

A considerable percentage of civil servants in Kenya are teachers. To be a teacher in the country, you must take a course in education, be it a certificate, diploma, degree or even masters. Even though the entry grades for a teaching course are not as high as those for medicine, this course is almost like a favourite for Kenyans.

The argument for taking such a course is that rarely will you be unemployed. It is also a stress-free profession, especially in lower levels such as a primary school where basic things like reading and simple arithmetic are taught. The downside with this marketable course is that salaries are relatively lower than those of other marketable courses.

3. Pharmacy

If your dream was to pursue medicine, but you missed out on the cluster points that are required, then pharmacy is one of the courses you can fall back to. Even though you won't diagnose and treat patients, you will still be involved in the recovery process by administering drugs. In addition, the diverse nature of this course makes it marketable.

Pharmacy is thriving partly because of the high number of private and public hospitals in need of pharmacists. As a pharmacist, your work is to bestow treatment medications to ill persons and provide information on the safe use of medicines. Other tasks can include screening, vaccination, and healthy living advice.

4. Marketing

Marketing plays an essential role for all kinds of businesses. It is the department that creates and maintains relationships with clients. In addition, modern companies have had to incorporate social media and online marketers due to the importance of marketing to a company's brand.

Due to its widespread application, marketing is among the most salable courses in Kenya. The course includes communication, negotiations, management, emotional intelligence and other things relating to customers.

5. Computer Science

In Africa, Kenya is among the leading countries in the migration from analogue to digital systems. As a result, industries have taken this approach to employ young people with the right skills in computer science. The demand for computer science graduates to be either full-time employees or consultants is therefore high.

This course enables students to equip themselves with skills in the basics of programming as well as algorithms. Through this knowledge, one can design computer systems, software and even networks according to the needs of the company.

6. Architecture

As a developing country, the demand for architectural solutions is high in Kenya. It is all about hard work in this course as it demands a high degree of concentration, practice and drawings. Automatic qualifications in this course are only reserved for the brightest students who score a grade of nothing less than an A in KCSE.

Architecture students often start earning even before they can graduate from college. Thanks to the booming real estate industry, they are called upon to lead innovation such as green/sustainable projects. The pay for architecture jobs is something that makes it desirable to many students.

7. Law

Law is one of those courses that breathe life into the proverbial saying that the roots of education are bitter, but its fruits are sweet. Before being called a lawyer, you have to go through rigorous learning in a university and then the Kenya School of Law before being admitted into the bar. All these are worth it because they rank among the most respected and marketable.

Those who pursue a law course find themselves in professions that help people and institutions to solve legal problems. It is also a good starting point if one intends to become a judge or even a politician. Moreover, lawyers working in reputable law firms can earn to the tune of millions per month.

8. Mechatronics

Students who have ambitions in engineering should consider mechatronics because it is one of the most marketable in Kenya. The course is an integration of mechanical and electrical systems, computer systems, telecommunications and also control. The aspect of integration usually depends on the specialization an individual chooses.

Mechatronic engineers work with those machines that are made of sensing and actuation like robots used in factories. In Kenya, a mechatronic engineer can be hired by companies like Coca-Cola, EABL, AND Bidco, among others.

9. Piloting/Aviation

Being a pilot is a dream job for many children, but few make it. This is partly due to the huge fees required for one to take the course. However, once you graduate, you will never lack a job because of the deficit between the demand and the number of pilots available. Other than the national courier Kenya Airways, many private companies seek pilots' services in the country.

To pursue a piloting course in Kenya, you will be required to have a minimum grade of C+ in KCSE. You will also have to score at least C+ in both physics and mathematics. This course is marketable in Kenya, that it attracts students even from neighbouring countries such as South Sudan, Tanzania and Rwanda.

10. Survey

A quantity survey course empowers experts to have the necessary knowledge and skills to determine the legal boundaries of properties. A surveyor does their work by collecting relevant data and gathering legal documents in real estate and mapmaking.

Surveyors get employment in the real estate industry, quantity surveying companies, local authorities, and civil engineering specialists. Those seeking independence can be consultants and work without being employed.

Least marketable courses in Kenya

These are the courses no one would prefer to pursue. Still, students pursue them either because they are passionate about them or because their grades cannot select the marketable diploma courses in Kenya. They include courses like:

1. Criminology/Criminal Justice

There is no denying that criminology is an excellent course, but it tends to be underappreciated in Kenya. As a result, it has become among the least marketable courses in the country. Graduates can hardly get a job in line with what they have studied.

Criminologists do their work by interrogating crime patterns and predicting future occurrences, thus coming up with mitigating measures. Unfortunately for criminologists, these roles are assumed to be the task of the police; hence there are few criminologists in public service.

2. Counselling and Psychology

The increasing number of mental issues in the country shows an under-appreciation of the role counselling psychologists have to play. In addition, the desirability of this course has declined over time as job openings continue to diminish by the day.

Because it is not marketable, most psychology graduates go back to school for further studies as they set their eyes on other careers like academia. Even those institutions with traumatizing environments that could use the services of psychologists don't see the need to hire these experts.

3. Library Sciences

Again, like most of the courses on this list, it is not that library science is a bad course, but it falls under an underdeveloped industry in the country. There are not so many libraries around, and even the few ones that exist end up employing staff who have no background in the library sciences.

The qualification needed to be employed in a library is a high school certificate and basic computer skills. Unfortunately, this means even if a library science graduate is lucky to land a job, the pay will not be competitive. As a result, the course has lost its relevance, and fewer students apply to study it each year.

4. Urban Planning

It is a course that ought to be at the core of developing our cities and towns. However, most towns in Kenya spring out of nowhere without any planning. This is the root cause of challenges such as traffic congestion, poor drainage and even pollution.

Rarely would vacancies be being advertised for urban planners in Kenya. This means pursuing such a course is a waste of time. The only luck is if you can get opportunities to work abroad but not in Kenya. That is why many students have shied away from this course in favour of the most marketable ones.

5. Physical Education

While physical activity is essential to the wellness of everybody, the demand for physical education as a course is deficient. This course is offered even by top universities to equip students with knowledge about physical fitness.

No one will tell you that the course is tailored for students intending to become professional athletes because that is how it can be of value. However, other students picking this course to have careers as physical education instructors may find it a big challenge to get a job.

Even though the ever-changing market forces are supposed to determine the desirability of courses, the most marketable courses in Kenya have remained the same for decades. Unfortunately, the story is no different for the least marketable courses, as some have ended up being scrapped from colleges. Students are therefore urged to know where a particular course ranks before applying for the same.

Tuko.co.ke shared an interesting piece about the best courses for B+, B, or B- students in 2021 (KUCCPS). Following the current employment trend in the country, anyone who aspires to join the university should be cautious about which programs to pursue. Some degrees might even end up taking you nowhere. Well, it pays to do some research before finally determining which field is trending in the Kenyan job market and which ones will be as good as useless in the future.

Having a B plus, B minus, or even B plain means that you qualify for a lot of programs offered by the leading institutions in Kenya. As a result, you might find it hard narrowing to the 5 programme choices required by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS). While making these selections, you should include some of the marketable fields in the country so that you don't end up tarmacking.

Source: TUKO.co.ke