To be successful work hard like a poor man and have the confidence of a rich man. I don’t know the origin of this quote, but I remember reading it somewhere a while back. Its graduation season in Kenya and the celebrations are in plenty. I have attended some and the message about the importance of believing in yourself has been consistently repeated. That message is however different, once the conversation is about, what graduates must do when they seek to join the market place.
What do I mean? Well the conversation about unemployment in Kenya pops up from time to time. But the discussion has become tiresome with the same old government officials telling us to be entrepreneurs, blah blah blah! Rarely telling us what they’ve done to make the business environment conducive or just face the reality that we can’t all be business men and women.
I wonder how many from the political class tell their own children, “I took you overseas to this Ivy League school but forget that degree go start a business.” Most likely they take their children to these schools to get quality education, exposure and confidence that they can achieve what others have from their Alma mater.
I don’t believe that they tell their offspring to go out there and do odd jobs after sacrificing a whole lifetime investing in education and telling their children that they can be whatever they want to be if they put their minds to it. Then why is it the first go-to when they are advising the Kenyan youth on what they should do?
Let’s pump the brakes a little bit and let me clarify a few things. I’m not saying we compare lives and situation because we are all on different journeys in life. All I’m saying is the Kenyan youth deserves better. And yes as a generation, the millennials have their weaknesses but can we really say that, that is the main cause of unemployment in the country?
There was a text going round on WhatsApp groups telling graduates to stop their ‘entitlement’. That expecting a good start to any career is asking too much. I felt like the author of that text was saying that, “You deserve to suffer just like the rest of us.” I thought to myself this is BS. This graduate did all that was expected from them. Finally has the papers and after being told to work hard their whole life you want to tell them they are the problem and their hopefulness for a better future is too much.
This messaging is handing out the short straw, especially to those from humble backgrounds. Those from the wealthy are getting support from parents and the message that is being reinforced is that, “You can achieve anything, just hang in there as we figure things out.” Remember the quote, the confidence of a rich man.
This confidence is what separates those who make it and those who settle for less. Don’t settle for less! Yes connections are important in making it in any profession but you can always build your own networks gradually. The most effective connections are family ties. If you have them feel no shame, your parents worked hard so you could get it easier, work hard for your children too. If you don’t have family ties, the networks you build for yourself will be your greatest assets. Also, if you get a way in through family ties, work on your own networks to get new opportunities.
I am not encouraging bribing or corruption. What I mean is that the people we know can help us get wind of opportunities such as scholarships, jobs and professional fellowships. They’ll give you the guidance but you still have to do the work to get in and have the adequate papers. Recently on social media after Larry Madowo, the business editor at BBC Africa got a scholarship. People started mentioning instances that he helped people get a platform at his time at NTV and BBC but in all the instances they had to put the work in to make the opportunity workout.
So will you believe that God has great plans for you, or will you believe someone who tells you it’s downhill from here? Will you believe that God will bless you with what is in your hands or will you continue feeling inadequate?
In the song wonderful everyday by Chance the Rapper, he says, “Believe in yourself that’s the place to start”. I think that should be part of everybody’s mantra. That scholarship, that dream organisation, that opportunity, that business, you can achieve it. Don’t let your current situation make you think otherwise or let someone who has given up tell you to settle for less.
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