SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE — The month of March was a busy one for Rwanda’s institutions of higher learning. Over 10,000 fresh graduates were rolled off the production line to the job market. For some, it is a time to celebrate the end of the academic rigours associated with student life. Parents will be celebrating after realising that their money was well spent. For the married, it will be time to celebrate because they are at last free to spend more time with their spouses. On such occasions, parties are thrown, cows are slaughtered and speeches are made. Why not? It is at this time that the graduand will be heaped with praises. Some will claim that their prophecies had come to pass, that they had received this revelation before one they were born. Like a funeral eulogy, nothing bad will be said about the graduand even when it is public information that one terrorised the daughters of Eve in the neighbourhood or when ones frequent male visitors served as a bad example to the little girls in the neighbourhood. For those who are still single, the ‘old men and women’ of the clan will demand for a daughter –in-law. Their wish is to see a grand child before they die as if that would stop them from dying anyway! Friends you left in the village after joining university will remind you of the football games you played, the ‘bird hunting’ ventures you engaged in, just for them to keep fresh in your mind. Everyone will want to whisper a little nothing in your ear during the ceremony just to show how intimate you are with them. And then reality strikes. It will be another day on the street hunting for that elusive job. Days turn to months and months to years. You run away from family or they run away from you because the pressure and frequent questions about work send you into walking in circles. And then, you hit a wall. My friend welcome to the world of work! Completing university education is a great achievement but the transition from the world of school to a world of work is the most challenging period one can ever go through. Well, this may not hold for some people but let us look at the bigger picture here. For those who are lucky enough to be short-listed for job interviews, the dreaded word ‘experience’ will always pop up. It will then be a long and lonely journey back home contemplating what the next day brings. Moses (not real name) graduated from the National University of Rwanda in 2002 with a degree in Political Science. It was all smiles on graduation day. What happened in the subsequent months and years left an indelible mark on his life. “It was difficult to imagine myself unemployed for three years. Friends and family deserted me. At some point I lost confidence in myself. My girlfriend with whom I had shared tender moments while at university deserted me. This was hard to take,” Moses said. Starting own business was the only remaining option. But the million dollar question was where to find the initial capital when he could not even afford to meet his taxi fare. For Moses, the 2006 local government reforms were a blessing in disguise. While many people cried because they had lost their jobs, Moses was in jubilation because his degree earned him a job as a Sector official. “It was a rebirth for me. My telephone number suddenly became busy. Old friends and relatives started calling to congratulate me and requesting for a visit! This period taught me a lesson: never to rely on anyone but myself,” said Moses. Well, the days of Moses are over, such reforms may not come in the near future or when they come people don’t have similar chances. What then happens to our fresh graduates just off the production line? The cliché doing rounds in the city and in government is ‘be job creators and not job seekers.’ This is an area that you have to explore. It is a difficult one where only the strong-hearted survives. Fresh graduates should explore youth schemes and take advantage of loans through these youth associations. It is better to solicit for a loan as a group than as an individual.For those who lack business acumen and fear risks, try hard to find that elusive employment opportunity. The problem with fresh graduates is that they tend to despise jobs. You will never get your dream job or position at the first go. Some do but rarely. Learn to start small to rise up in the ranks. Even if the job you are doing is not your dream job don’t make a mistake of leaving it before getting another one. Experience shows that it is easier for people in employment to get other jobs. Don’t hesitate to volunteer if an opportunity knocks on your door. You will be amazed how much you will learn and the contacts you will be able to create with your work colleagues. So stop wearing off your relatives sofas and remember the television set your tuned to consumes electricity. Do I need to remind you that you do not pay the bills? Get up and go to work! Ends
