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Endogenous Preferences
How geography influences one’s trajectory in life
And I heard ’em say
Nothing’s ever promised tomorrow, today— Kanye West
I was born and brought up in Nairobi’s Eastlands. Kayole and Komarock, to be specific.
In Eastlands, the teachers we were exposed to had a limited range of potential careers for students. The essays we wrote about our anticipated futures depicted reduced creativity. A doctor. A teacher. An engineer. Maybe a pilot or an air hostess. That was it.
Schools are supposed to be spaces that inform students. Ironically, before enrolling in school, the options were more varied. I wanted to be a professional soccer player. My family members and close friends were the only ones who supported my ambitions. Not my early school teachers.
Years later, career departments bring you back to reality, to your everyday living situations. In high school, they would match campus courses to your strengths and advise which professions you might excel in. It was never that you could be picked by a top football team, despite the same teachers knowing you were good at the sport.
These are what I call endogenous preferences. Societal engravings of what a child can grow to become…
