Alice holds a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting and finance, she has been searching for a job in her domain for close to three years in vain. Friends and family advised her on other means to make money without necessarily ‘sitting in an office and enjoying air conditioning’, but she turned them down as some jobs were ‘not her cup of tea’. What will people think if she starts selling snacks like chapati, or starts an agricultural business, she wonders. Her dream is to be an accountant in a big organisation. But the question is, what if her dream doesn’t come to pass? Will she remain unemployed forever? Like Alice, many people would rather go hungry than do what many call “blue- collar” or “odd jobs”, from hard labour jobs like construction and mining, to cleaning, driving, waiting tables, laundry, among others, as they are assumed to pay peanuts. Some jobs are considered ‘white collar’ —like corporate executives, advertising and public relation professionals, architects, stockbrokers, doctors, dentists. Yet very often, these positions can be highly stressful, demanding and require good time management skills. Blue collar workers work most often in a non-office setting. They use their hands and physical abilities to perform their duties. Why are some jobs looked down on? According to Moureen Mutiso, a human resource practitioner and media personality in Kigali, some jobs are viewed as ‘odd’ because people have an assumption that if they do them, they will not earn the respect they deserve. She notes that many people, especially the educated, think that they won’t hold the status they desire in society if they do such jobs. So they avoid them. Mutiso explains that if someone has a job that puts food on the table, then the state of it won’t matter. “This can only be achieved by turning a deaf ear to what society dictates one should do,” she says. The HR practitioner adds that most people are attached to the shell of their credentials, as it is what leads them to choosing jobs. She adds that such people worry about how they will be perceived if they, for example, opened a food kiosk or worked as a receptionist with their Master’s degree — thoughts that mess them up. “I wish people knew career satisfaction doesn’t come from what one does, rather, what one gets to be (the efforts, and commitment) while doing that job,” she says. “Parents have sometimes created an environment of tension for their children as they grow up, reminding them that they should be doctors, pilots, and managers. And when they end up serving tea in offices due to lack of jobs, they are labelled ‘failures’,” Mutiso adds. She urges everyone to focus on how their future will look like, for instance, if another pandemic surfaced and they lost their jobs? How would they survive? Justin Racheal, a business leadership coach in Kigali, notes that as far as jobs are concerned, there is nothing like an odd job, adding that the shell of having experience and over-qualification has hindered many people from carrying out business on the side. She believes in doing any kind of job to survive, because it is not about a white-collar or odd job, but making a living and succeeding in that matter. Racheal further notes that if you let out the sale’s behaviour in you, you’ll be ready to try out anything because your mind is now focused on business. She highlights that once you reach working age while under the roof of your parents, whatever the field you studied, the ball is in your court to focus on what available job can save you years of unemployment. Racheal says that your passion and dreams have nothing to do with your level of education, but what you value, and what really wakes you up. “It is disturbing to live in an environment where you are the HR or CEO, but wake up with a lazy attitude since you are assured that the job won’t ‘expire’.” She also says that any sort of job that doesn’t bring possibilities, is not worth it —find your passion and dream and try to grow your career. The leadership coach also says that one ought to work smart, enjoy the work, develop soft skills, have a better working relationship with others, and mostly, give it one’s all.
