Why creativity beats Job hunting

Strolling along the streets and moving from one office to another in search of jobs might be a fruitless attempt now that more skilled job seekers are needed to fill the available job slots every year. Maria Kaitesi explains why job creators are more likely to become successful than job seekers. The number of Universities and graduates are increasing by the day and this has led to more unemployed people looking for jobs. Statistics from the Ministry of Education indicate that in 2010, over 6,000 students graduated. Yet the job market requires more people with a certain amount of experience which leaves minimal chance for the recruitment of inexperienced fresh graduates. According to the Minister of Public Service and Labour, Anastase Murakezi, Rwanda has an unemployment rate of 8 percent. “We are fighting hard to reduce the unemployment rate which is 8 percent today,” Murakezi said during a Press Conference. “40,000 new jobs are created in Rwanda every year but of course the weight of one’s Curriculum Vitae is what earns them the job,” the Minister said. However, instead of hassling looking for jobs, one could put their talents and creativity to use. While majority of people hunt for jobs, others have created their own and are making huge profits off their talent and passion. This category of people, in most cases, earns a lot more than the ordinary employee. Talent and creativity advantage Some of the people that are ranked among the wealthiest worldwide are those that earn from their talent and passion such as musicians, footballers, artists, fashion designers and those that have their own investments. Julia Ampeire is a proud 24-year-old owner of her crafts business in Kacyiru, Kigali.“I started making earrings and necklaces during my second year at University when I was tired of asking for money from my parents,” she says. “The response was positive as many students, female lecturers and administrators were buying my jewellery. Then wearing scarves became the in-thing and almost every girl wanted to have at least one, I started selling them as well. I would buy them cheaply, sell them at the University with a 50 percent profit,” explains Ampeire. Ampeire adds that after she left University, she continued with her business which has largely expanded. Besides her professional job, she has continued to supply her items to corporate workers in banks and other big offices. “Even if one is practising their professional job; it’s always wise to have something on the side to do. Small beginnings should not be despised for they will eventually grow into something big,” she advises. Each one of us has a talent whether we have discovered it or not, or something we passionately enjoy doing. It could be baking cake or making cookies. One could start by baking for family and friends’ birthday parties while perfecting their skill and in the end could end up supplying cake at weddings. Maximizing potentialIt is one thing to make use of your talent and creativity and another to maximise your potential. Anyone can be talented and creative but might not maximise their capability. Having the ability to be the best at something is not enough; people must decide to make use of what they have in order to succeed. “I studied Industrial Fine Art at Makerere University but after completing my Bachelors degree, I started looking for a professional job instead of practising my talent,” says Sean Fred Mafigiri, a 24-year-old artist visiting Rwanda. “I thought I had enough connections to get me one but for a whole year and three months, I couldn’t find a job until I decided to concentrate on my art work that has brought me a lot of fortune,” Mafigiri said. The young artist explains that his happiest day was when he sold one of his first art pieces to a tourist from Wisconsin, USA at USD300.“The fact that I could get all that money in just a day out of doing something I am passionate about made me love my talent more. I started doing my paintings and battique from home but am thinking of opening up an art gallery and expanding since people like my work,” adds Mafigiri. Mafigiri explains that it has been through, “hard work, commitment, endurance, practice, passion” for what he does coupled with the, “zeal to carry on through all the difficulties” he has encountered that he has come this far. Sometimes people despise their talents and creativity and others utilize it to mediocrity yet if they exploited their potential, they would be successful. “I know so many people that are great artists when it comes to painting and those that have voices that even International Artists cannot compare to, but they are so engrossed in their other careers (that earn them peanuts) that they have let their talents die. “I do envy and pity those people and how I wish their talents and creative minds were given to those who could put them to good use. If you have a talent, creative mind or something you’re skilled at, you can use it to earn yourself a living instead of spending years looking for jobs,” Mafigiri advises. Seize every opportunitySometimes people have prospered simply because they are aggressive and are not afraid to try out something new. They make use of every opportunity and learn everything they can to sharpen their talent and creativity. Identify a niche that will make you stand out, proffessionalise your talents and gain exposure. m.kaitesi@yahoo.com