Are you ready for life after graduation?
By next week we will have no headlines and opinions on who should supply Makerere University gowns. This will probably be a great relief for the Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, from numerous questions about the anonymous uniform supplier who collected Shs1.33b from the graduands but failed to deliver on time.
Let’s assume that all the graduands have received their gowns as promised by the university administration, the question would be whether they are ready for life after graduation.
This is a pertinent question that those who never attended class or did not write exams for themselves cannot answer. We can as well question ourselves how they ended up on the graduation list if it’s not a questionable ethical miracle.
Being ready for life after graduation involves having the necessary skills that the job market needs, these can vary from soft skills such as communication, problem solving and negotiation, among others to technical skills such computer skills depending on the individual’s area of specialisation.
Readiness involves an assessment of whether one pursued the course out of passion or just because it’s what university offered them.
Research has it that most people succeed in careers that are pursued out of passion and this is where the Ministry of Education has to come in and provide career guidance to students as early as possible before they join secondary school that’s if the career and guidance department still exists in the ministry.
If it doesn’t, then the public and private professional have to spare some time to give guidance to the young generation.
The government has been blamed long enough for the high rates of unemployment but the question of whether students pursued courses that fit our economy needs and the individual passion has not been posed to the complainants.
To the latest graduates, we welcome you to the real world, opportunities exist everywhere if you pursued a relevant course, are determined, lucky and meet the demands of the market. It’s time to update your Curriculum Vitae, iron your suit, grab every opportunity that comes your way because it’s a stepping stone to greater things, and apply the soft skills you learnt in class.
Above all seek guidance from your creator for he guides the footsteps of every man under the planet.
