A high end office with a magnificent view of the skyline, and air conditioning, complete with a personal assistant is the dream of every graduate who walks out of the university gate after graduation. 

After three or four years buried in books, and a degree to prove it, one can’t hold it against these graduates who think that life after graduation is just peaches and cream.

The employment hassle

Eric (not real name) is a Rwandan who graduated from Kampala International University in 2012. He has been in and out of work since, taking on "odd” jobs just to make ends meet.

"I was staying in a hostel and worked as a part time waiter at a restaurant around campus. I always thought that with a law degree, I would find employment easily.

"But two years down the road, all I had done was serving people in a restaurant, pack grocery bags in Uchumi supermarket, and freelance marketing for small companies here and there.”

In 2014, Eric decided to try his luck in Kigali following his father’s advice. But things weren’t any smoother.

"I sought employment at a popular law firm here in Kigali but was turned down on grounds that they were not hiring at the time. I was told that in the event that they were, I would be the first person to be contacted. It’s been a year and I’ve found nothing even remotely close to my line of study. So I started freelance writing for magazines,” Eric narrates.

Like Eric, very many graduates have found themselves (if lucky) working in totally unrelated fields from what they hoped for. However, a few employed ones insist that it is better to have a job, no matter how "low” one might think it is, than just sit around doing nothing.

The dreams and ideas of university students are all valid, but do they really understand the pressure and hassle of finding employment after university? Or are they living in a fool’s paradise?

Yves Irankunda graduated with a degree in marketing two years ago.

"Graduation was one of the best days of my life. I felt life had begun at that very moment because I was going to get a job in a top company. By then I was targeting Bralirwa,” he narrates.

Every door he knocked at wasn’t as welcoming as he’d hoped. He was asked for years of experience and what he had done before. How was he supposed to have years of experience when he was only getting started?

After noticing that his dream was far from reality, he opted for small gigs and started work as a salesman. But it wasn’t enough to put food on the table and pay rent.

"Life seemed like it was against me but it wasn’t just me, a couple of fellow graduates also faced the same problem. Most of them ended up working as receptionists, others as waiters and waitresses and those that were lucky got jobs as personal assistants,” he recalls.

Today, Irankunda works as a gym attendant but keeps his passion on his CV for any opportunity that will knock at his door. He hopes to go for further studies but doesn’t see the possibility considering his current situation.

You need the right work attitude

Philip Ngarambe, head of P&FR, a marketing and branding company, says every graduate wants to be a manager of sorts.

"A managerial position isn’t something impossible to get for a graduate. It’s possible but a fresh graduate who just left school only knows as much. In the market, it’s much more than school knowledge. You must know how to handle clients, what to say and when to say it, what call to make at a particular time, and that isn’t something that is taught in school,” he says.

Ngarambe adds that he gets engineering graduates and asks them to go to the field and they refuse saying they will ask someone else to do the manual work as they supervise.

"They need to learn that first you get your hands dirty and slowly climb to the top,” he notes.

Ngarambe says that he has noticed a difference in the skills from vocational graduates.

"They are very handy and know how to do a number of things without complaints and their attitude towards work is fantastic. We have noticed a difference in delivery time and accuracy of work between graduates from vocational colleges and graduates from universities,” he says.

Ngarambe adds that much as he appreciates the work from these skilled graduates from vocational colleges, he still thinks they have a lot to learn as they lack business skills that would enable them to kick off their own business.

So, when the attitude is right, what else is needed?

Francine Nteziryayo, an accountant and mother of two students both at university, says attitude and the humility to start from the bottom and grow is key, but so is career guidance.

"Students graduate from high school and because we want them to get a scholarship, we let them do courses that are given to them randomly. We celebrate the scholarship and forget the course’s relevancy to our current economic status,” Nteziryayo says and goes on to add, "In this day and era, some skills aren’t needed and you will find that a child has wasted four years of their life only to graduate, and fail to get a job.”

Nteziryayo adds that even getting them a good course isn’t guarantee enough; we must always engage them in real life fields of their specialty.

"If you have a son doing medicine, get him to intern at a clinic or pharmacy every holiday. By his fourth year, he will have mastered his specialty. As soon as he graduates, wherever he starts, his skills will reflect sooner or later,” she says.

How is the government helping?

Professor Nelson Ijumba, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research at the University of Rwanda,says graduates do have the knowledge but still lack some skills that are crucial in the market, like communication skills and team work among others.

"We do understand some of these cases and we are responding to them. We emphasise strategic internships that equip our students with skills but also give them a feel of the market dynamics. Students can also have interactions with players in a particular market or sector,” the professor notes.

University of Rwanda is also putting in place advisory boards made up of key individuals in a particular sector to help the different departments in the university to keep up with the market trends, and also have better lecturing techniques that meet the needs of the market.

"We also set up innovation entrepreneurship training that equips students with project management skills.We help them understand the market and to think outside the box,but most importantly, we breed entrepreneurs as opposed to job seekers,” the professor says.

Ijumba also advises graduates to enter the market with an open mind.

"A university degree is key for success but it isn’t all a graduate needs. I know banks that have all their employees start from the teller position, irrespective of whether they are managers or not and slowly they move up to positions they deserve.”

"Be patient and strive to achieve professional qualifications but most importantly, go through the orientation process without feeling like it is a downgrade but rather a way to learn,” Ijumba advises.

patrick.buchana@newtimes.co.rw

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REAL LIFE SUCCESS STORY

Mufuth Nkurunziza is the managing director of Guez Show Limited, a graphics company doing stereoscopic 3D and design. He studies computer science at the University of Rwanda, Butare campus. He attributes his current status to patience.

"What I am doing right now has very little to do with computer science. While I was at school, I noticed that I loved graphics and design which my course wasn’t offering,” he says.

"As soon as I graduated, a job was the last thing on my mind; I knew it was frustrating to get and it wasn’t what I really needed at the moment so I decided to search for ways to enhance my skills instead.”

Nkurunziza started teaching himself as much as he could online, but also kept applying for unpaid internships at many companies in pursuit of skills development.

"I got internship at Green Zebra and from there, I learnt a lot. I did so many jobs for free just to get clients’ opinions and feedback as I focused on learning. It was tempting to go commercial and start my own business but I remained patient and decided to focus on learning market dynamics too,” he narrates.

Nkurunziza says the internship started with being a personal assistant, and that made him feel like his level of advancement wasn’t appreciated but he decided to keep the peacock feathers down and focus on learning.

"When I felt like the time was right, I talked to my bosses and they agreed that I was ready to get into the market independently. I had learnt a lot and starting my business and running it wasn’t so hard. Today, my company is the only one that does stereoscopic 3D and cinema packaging but I still search for internships in big companies in the USA and Europe to advance my skills and serve my clients better in the future,” he says.

Based on Nkurunziza’s story, the attitude towards the first jobs is key for development of skills and willingness of the mind.

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What advice would you give a fresh graduate?

Jean Bosco Muneza

Don’t take for granted any kind employment, even if it’s below your qualifications. Many graduates tend to despise jobs because they are below their desired employment. Be flexible and take any employment because that’s the foundation to more opportunities to come.

Jovia Murungi

Since experience is required more when it comes to employment; I think internship in line with your desired career would be of help. Eventually, it is this experience that is required when seeking a job. It doesn’t matter if you work without pay, your target should be gaining experience.

James Rutikanga

Fresh graduates should consider job creation rather than job seeking. As people who are fresh from school, one should study the available market needs and eventually come up with a potential idea on how to provide what is lacking on the market. Concerning funding, there are many institutions ready to fund such resourceful ideas. Job creation should be every graduate’s goal.

Chantal Zuba

The best advice to fresh graduates is to be innovative. It’s obvious that what one studied, thousands of others studied the same, so it’s a person’s degree of innovation that will set him/her apart. With such skills and knowledge, a graduate is likely to come up with an appropriate source of employment. Creativity and innovation is the key to employment.

Innocent Mitali

Don’t sit waiting for employment to show up. Attend several trainings in line with your field as you continue with the employment search. Training conferences and seminars offer plenty of resourceful knowledge and skills that can help one find their desired employment. As a graduate, find out which training is going on in your area of study, eventually it will help you find a job.

Maxime Cyubahiro

While still searching for employment, take on a course so as to keep your brain active and also gain extra skills and knowledge. The basic reason for this is to make yourself competitive. Eventually, it’s such expertise that will earn you several employment opportunities.

Compiled by Dennis Agaba