r/Cameroon • u/Right_Discount_6211 • 22h ago
Discutons-en / Let's Discuss What's the real state of the job market right now, and which fields actually have upside?
Hey everyone,
So my nephew came over this weekend. He just finished Form 5 last academic year and is in high school now, so he's starting to think about which path makes sense for him, and he started asking me all these questions about the job market. Naturally, being the "adult with a career", I gave him my best answers: told him tech is solid, mentioned a few fields I thought were safe bets, shared what worked for people I know.
But after he left, I kept turning it over in my head and realized something uncomfortable: most of what I told him is based on my own experience from years ago, plus whatever I half remember from conversations with friends who are, honestly, in a pretty similar bubble to mine. I have no real idea if what I said still holds up given I'm not actively searching in the job market at the moment.
So I figured I'd ask the people who'd actually know better than me.
A few things I'm genuinely curious about:
What does hiring actually look like right now in Douala, Bamenda, Baffousam, Yaoundé, and other cities? Are companies hiring, freezing, or cutting back?
For students like my nephew who are still choosing a major or a career path, which fields seem to have real upside over the next five to ten years? Tech, agribusiness, healthcare, finance, something else entirely?
Are there industries that look good on paper (the ones I'd probably recommend without thinking twice) but are actually oversaturated or hard to break into right now?
I'm not looking for generic "STEM is good" answers, that's basically what I already told him, and that's exactly what's bugging me. I want to hear from people who are actually living this right now: recent graduates, hiring managers, people who switched fields, anyone with a story or a strong opinion that might challenge what I think I know.
If you're a student trying to figure out what to study, or you work in HR and see trends firsthand, or you just have a hot take about which sectors are quietly booming or quietly dying, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks in advance.
