IT’S the time of year when third formers will begin to think seriously about what careers they want to pursue and therefore, what classes they will choose for fourth and fifth forms. Fourth formers will be settling into those classes and getting used to the choices.

Traditionally, the majority of students lean towards non-science areas, but that’s a convention the Government has been trying to reverse. It has been enocuraging focus on STEM subjects, which includes agricultural science, and it appears its efforts are starting to bear fruit.

Agricultural science was among three subjects that recorded an average pass rate of over 90 per cent in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results.

According to the exam statistics, agriculture showed the highest percentage increase in passes, recording some 16.7 per cent over the previous year.

This is indeed good news for the sector, which contributes over six per cent to Jamaica’s gross domestic product and is one of the growth sectors of our economy.

“With the growth that Jamaica is now experiencing in the agricultural sector, there is a demand for agricultural specialists in several broad areas, including technology, agro forestry, marine and fisheries, aquaculture, agronomy, livestock, agricultural machinery and research and genetics,” said Dermon Spence, chief technical director at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

He explained that agriculture is more than farming; it is an exciting industry with dynamic career and entrepreneurial opportunities. It is a very highly technical and sophisticated industry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries website lists over 70 career options available to people interested in entering the field. These include soil scientist, agronomist, horticulturalist, food scientist, hydrologist and veterinarian.

But that’s not all.

If you are a lover of trees and would like to contribute to the sustainability of Jamaica’s natural environment, you might want to consider becoming a tree surgeon/arborist. This would expose you to the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. If, however, you enjoy bird watching, then you could consider becoming an ornithologist, where you would study every aspect of birds, including bird songs, flight patterns, physical appearance, and migration patterns.

Another option is to become a limnologist where you would focus on learning about inland waters (both freshwater and saline), reservoirs, rivers, streams, wetlands, and groundwater, and how these ecological systems interact with their drainage basins and the atmosphere for the beenfit of mankind.