You have graduated: What next?

There was a time in this country when a graduation was akin to a swearing in ceremony or a winning of the lottery. On such days and thereafter, as graduation parties were held, the air rung with ululations loud enough to raise the dead and rightly so because for the fortunate graduates and their families it meant joining the high table of fame and fortune through the most fair means; academic prowess.

But things have changed from the 1950s when graduations were first held. True, the ululations and parties still exist but they do not connote the same thing. To succeed today takes more ingenuity than a degree. You will understand what I mean when very soon, that graduation haze wears off and you find yourself so out of pocket that you cannot find two five hundred coins to rub together.

A degree in itself, while it is a testimony to your commitment and hard work, will not get job offers pouring into your inbox.  Just consider it as an ignition key which is useless unless the other parts of the vehicle are in order.

As the driver, remember there is a lot to learn, so be humble and teachable; be willing to pay the fair for you to reach your destination. That condescending attitude or arrogance will push away all those willing to teach you; there is always more to learn in life beyond your first class degree.

If you want to save yourself the heartbreak and pain, start your own business. I know it feels heavy but the truth is as a graduate, your community expects you to bring solutions and the simplest solution you can give is creating job opportunities.

We expect you to have started on this during your internship and you should have gauged by then whether you have a chance in your field or not. In other words, it is foolish to have all your eggs in one basket.

Talking of eggs, this graduation ceremony was spiced up by the many marriage proposals that went viral. In that department, you have proven yourselves superior to all your predecessors who wanted their parents to believe they were still innocent at graduation. I remember most speeches at graduation parties were always about reminding the graduates that they were now mature enough to start romantic relationships. This crop is definitely too much aware of their maturity and they are not too shy to show it. 

As you consider those proposals, please remember that relationships are healthiest when both partners are capable of standing on their own. Do not view the relationship as a way out of your next chapter dilemma. Your community is relying on you to turn that more than two decades of acquired knowledge into something tangible that can benefit everyone. Do not settle for simple and selfish solutions.

Always remember the purpose of education is to turn a blank mind into an open mind that thinks of solutions where there are problems. Do not become part of the problem.

Having said that, we need to give credit where it due. Graduating from university is no small achievement, especially when you realise that 125,000 pupils drop out of school every year. So, to all graduates, teachers and sponsors, congratulations.

For the rest of us, what our graduates require from us is support in form of connections or advice. Let us manage our expectations of them after all they are just as human as you and I; the degree does not give them any super powers.

And please do not waste these young people’s time, if you do not have employment opportunities do not ask them to give you their CV. The less time they spend on finessing their CVs, the more time they will spend engaged in innovative projects that have potential to transform their communities.