AM FEELING LIKE QUITTING?

Money follows those who have money. If you doubt it, then do yourself justice and have lots of it acquired gradually on the basis of prudence. Chances are if you are a broke bugger, like I, courtesy of being a forced full-time student yet in reality classes are part-time.

Am writing this piece on my phone having seen a kith being furnished with ‘chums.’ On the other hand, I am jealously looking at her wishing I was the person on the receiving end so that the jealousy would have been reversed.

Anyway.

As a student, you need to kill some unnecessary wants, sacrifice for a better tomorrow they say; like going out to have a drink (ale), visiting pals for pep talk which can lead to the former, purchasing new clothes from shops or hanging out with a bevy of exquisitely hot damsels or any other activity that takes more of your time and money. Student life is frustrating, especially when your mates are in relatively high profile jobs that earn them sufficient bucks. What's worse, half of your current classmates are either employed or employers and since you were initially a proletariat before switching to full-time status, you keep up appearances that somehow you are employed because no one gives a buck about your status. Replace the ‘b’ in buck with ‘f’.

Sometimes when I get a call from a former campus mate doing well (like I did while writing this and it lasted more than 15 minutes), I usually become indifferent yet feign it over the phone. Why didn't I concentrate on building a career then probably immerse myself in scholarship after getting enough bucks to sustain payment of fees and paying my bills? Ideally, I abhor this reality of reliance, it's frustrating and makes me feel inadequate having lost self-worth. Financial disorder it is. The jobs I apply for have no reply, not even the annoying automated responses. My mail is just full of junk. Maybe I am doing things wrongly. Hitherto, I have not got any interview. Leave alone the chance of even attending one to sharpen my communication skills or confidence or just determine whether am still marketable in the job market. These are the times I feel I should not have gone to university or scored good grades in high-school that resulted in the former. Probably, I should have fully immersed myself in a profession of conviction early enough and worked on ameliorating every bit of what am engaged in.

I can only imagine the far I would have been. By now, I could be able to comfortably pay my bills without much ado. But look at me now, I am this reclusive desolate chap whose overtures have been curtailed owing to so much wavering that has clogged my mind preventing flexibility in my thought process.

When I look back, I can honestly say that it has been a series of ups and downs. The desired job market in Kenya is not easy to crack. Getting any other job is not a problem, but the one I should be in looks like a mirage. Maybe I have not aggressively explored all the available avenues with the agility of a monkey. Maybe I have become reluctant. Or chances are, I am lazy. Yes, I saw somewhere on social media that peeps of my generation are very lazy, we want to be placed food in the mouth like birds do feed their nestling. Have I let the notion sink into my ambition? No, that I wrote this piece invalidates the generalization on my part.

However I can say that I have not utilized well all the leads I had. Recently, I filled a form by my former employer and luckily got paid two dollars for having taken my time to give feedback on the program which was a collaboration of World Bank and the Kenya government but executed by the private sector (KEPSA-KYEP). There are guys who were phoned and never got the mullahs (sorry men if you were broke like I).  In fact, while answering the questions, my mind was hibernal. When you had placed so much hope on a program then it felt short of helping fulfill your desires, you kind of feel wasted and cheated. But the essence of it was to prepare those who are nimble, as for yours truly like earlier on intimated, I need to be pushed to get the job. Once I get it, I usually become workaholic, such that it becomes difficult to look for something else. That's my folly, I never have the intuition of an augury. When I do, like all folks, I ignore it altogether.  Now that I know about risk, I sure am knowledgeable enough to profit from my erstwhile idiocy.

Again, I have only one regret. The fact that I needed to have completed my internship is not in denial. And since my quest for autonomy in search of better pastures was too alluring amidst, I eventually lost an important certification. Now I have nothing to prove for the few months I was attached to my place of work apart from blog posts. Which means that in life, one needs to be very patient. Patience is an incompatible virtue while time is of the essence. Those who make hasty decisions never get to benefit from the probity of achieving innate results. As a matter of fact, just being patient for a while makes the biggest difference.

When I went back to my former employer to seek for my certificate of completion, and owing to the fact that I never completed my end of the bargain (I was required to complete four months before being issued with the certificate), I am now not entitled to any certification. Life is a lesson though, you learn every step of the way. Prudent it is to take stock so that such mistakes never resurge. I am forced to swallow bitter pills because of indecision looking back at my despicable folly. Need I say more?

Life is what you make it though perhaps analogous to a book. When one chapter ceases, you open a new one. Crying over spilt milk is not worth it. So what next, juggling books is a must. There is a succor in immersing the brain in a trajectory of continuous profound matriculation. Especially if you have Ivy league hopes like yours truly. The reprieve is that at the end of the day, you may smile all the way to the bank with an armour or arsenal that no soul will ever rob you.


Psst. Am taking an online course in University of Queensland, offered free of charge in edX on 'Unlocking your employability'. Hope it will demarcate me from the many job seekers who are earnestly searching for a job like yours truly. Take cognizance that there is a caveat imposed when taking the course that, "We hate to break it to you - but no one can guarantee you a job. Especially in today’s competitive labour market. WE certainly can’t."

Hasta la vista, Baby.

[Picture Source: Clipartbest.com]

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CHANGE OF JOB

You wake up one day and realize that the prayers you had been petitioning about all of a sudden changed into some reasonable reality. You get a job just like that after applying (Take note I was pushed this job even though I was qualified to do it yet I never knew it existed). You are told to report in due course because the organisation needs you and you leave your former modest job paying peanuts because it could not even afford you a piece of the inner clothe (I was an intern).

This is Nairobi I tell you, where you have to hustle even though the bustle never fails to excite. Am on my fourth job in the span of a year. The first job was bound to pay me nothing so I had to quit even before I started because it also had the expensive rules I was not going to force someone to pay bills to keep me within it in the name of gaining experience. Insurance it was complete with a letter of appointment. When I see my former campus roommate making ends meet while juggling it, I praise him for his patience and determination even though he was a family man even before joining the company.

I was introduced to my second job through an SMS. It was a network marketing company that still continues to operate even though the concept is too much American as opposed to Kenya because it reeks of being a pyramid scheme at the expense of being a real job. Whether a side hustle or not, I am not courageous enough to accept the ideology that you can make millions using network marketing because it enriches the owners more than the individual who struggles to bring business. And sincerely speaking (sorry- writing), there is no need to pay to continue working. You are taxed, then pay the company for working for them. It does not add up. But because it is business, who cares. It also provides a source of employment.

My third job happens to be the teaching job. I had always had this desire and passion for teaching ever since my mum beseeched me to become a teacher but thought of it as a lowly paying job. There is a possibility that some day, I will be a teacher or a professor again. Teaching did virtually offer a very profound platform. It is the most flexible and has no too much pressure provided you cover your syllabus in time, students never complain of your intellect and you deliver. The best thing about teaching is that it offers an avenue of telling stories. You also can play chess during your free time and juggle scrabble with amateurs who were on my receiving end most of the time.

Ideally, what I have forgotten to opine is that even though I was not able to use the multi-level networking platform to my advantage monetarily, I used it as a platform to learn. And I learnt one or two things about the profession. Luckily, there was an avenue of free learning and thank goodness, I learnt Photoshop via the platform and honed other skills because I am not a go-getter when it comes to marketing even though Nairobi has an unlimited supply of jobless people who I was to reach to form part of my network and alas, I would be on a payroll while not struggling sometimes as long as my recruitees were doing their job satisfactorily.

Now I have this job that requires me to be creative. An online job that combines my writing skills and graphic design skills which are amateurly honed. I love the job although it is quite demanding. The best thing is that it is also helping me out in matters pertaining to my blog. If things go well, I will be highly exposed on the different ways of driving traffic to my blog. Our company is an e-commerce one that retails products online. As a digital marketer, I have to ensure I drive traffic to the site through the various social media platforms. It’s not easy this days if you never invest on advertising on the major platforms.

This ought to be most restrictive job however. You see, coming from a teaching platform and then joining a firm that expects you to work, work and work, it is usually very tricky. One thing is, you have been used to a lot of independence which will be curtailed while in an office setting. Secondly, Nairobi people never take lunch. But once in a while, as a lecturer, you got a reprieve when a schoolmate took you out for some chicken and chips because the chap was feeling papers and wanted to tell you of his new found status.

There is also the possibility that your colleague may stua you with something good when he receives cash from a side hustle. Consequently, it is very friendly working as a teacher. The only downfall is that you may never grow if you stick there for long or become contented to a point where you cannot move or think clearly because of being held back by the notions of contentment or thinking there no other avenues to prosperity.

However, despite teaching being a poor paying job and one where there is little chance of making a big break, there are ladies and chics who may temporarily absorb most of your cognitive resources because of their sheer beauty and attractiveness because we men are visual creatures and look for the slightest available mating opportunity for anything we see in skirt if we do not reign in on our carnal desires.

The reason I was so quick to change jobs was because I was finding it demoralizing seeing staff turnover increasing each day. The working conditions were however improving. My major bone of contention was that being a single dude, I would have been caught up in a quandary. What with the hot chics- thank goodness I never ate the forbidden fruit. Again, there was liquor. Cheap liquor that would have made me addicted for nothing yet I was trying to avoid the bad habit of drinking 2^nd generation spirits. To make matters worse, I was struggling a lot. Sometimes teaching that which I could because students were there and someone had to teach because there is rarely any specialization in most middle level commercial colleges. But I gave my best. That I am sure about.

Looking forward, I know I could have had one year experience by now had I stuck to one job. But I am zetetic. I need to know where possible that which I can in my quest for knowledge. Reason why I never limit my potential. My brain is only being in use at ten percent. Why can’t I just stretch it a little bit to a figure like 20%. My quest for knowledge is usually very amorphous. When this job opened up to me, it was an opportunity long awaited.

Having previously read on one of the daily newspaper about some career advice that in the current world, what comes your way should be taken with open arms, I took this job solely because I wanted to also be either a part of the success or failure of a growing company. It has not disappointed so far. In future when I will have the opportunity to practice that which I did in campus. I will give it a shot. As at now, money is a driving force. And it should be because we need to pay bills. Anyone who does not work for money is philanthropic and well into charity which is something I usually am passionate about.

However, if you read my previous posts, you may well be shocked that I did lament about the lack of jobs in the country. There are jobs. The only folly is that the HR department sometimes wants experienced individuals. There is also too much pushing and connections in the job industry.

Some people again never want to alert their mates of potential jobs because they think the salary is too little the chap may work for a few days before calling it quits and putting the credibility of the person pushing for the mate to get a job in doubt. This may be due to the pay most employers give because it may make one to shy away if one makes an analysis of the expenses and the income which may only mean one runs into more debts after receiving a salary.

What I have however noted is that patience pays when working for organizations. Those who are patient enough usually reap the fruits that are varied. The organization may grow and your salary may increase or the terms and conditions may be revised. As I sit penning this down, I am still looking for greener pastures. I am not going to restrict myself to something that will not guarantee me the kind of life I want. If the BIG BREAK comes early on, well and good.

As at now, let me chill in my current job hoping things will get rosy after the probation period ends.

HASTA LA VISTA BABY

[Photo source: My own]

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TEACHING AND ITS DYNAMISM

Who ever thinks of being a teacher? Staff-room, classes, whiteboards and students. Teaching is fun. You need to be very informed and relevant like a a budding writer like me. But teaching can be very challenging. Standing in front of a classroom is not easy. Not when all students are looking at you and they have expectations that you will deliver and not mislead. 
 

After looking for a job left right and centre, I landed in a teaching institution. Wow, before that, I had been interviewed for a job in an office setting. Well, if I were to choose, I would stick to teaching for now. It is an experience that I have to be very happy about. Of course my employer offered me the job and I thought, well, this is a good starting point.

I am sitting in the staff-room, writing these chronicles. Just minutes ago, the Nairobi skylines were rented by the cacophonous sounds of low flying military aircraft that caused some hullabaloo among  staff mates. It sounded as if the jet was just hovering directly overhead having singled-out an Alshabab mercenary ready to sed the Recce squad to deal with the terror outfit.

'That is UK trying to showcase his military preparedness in wait of Obama.' One of the vocal teachers commented.

Since I have no lecture to attend, I am reminiscing about the first impression of this school.

It is relatively big by any standards, it is located in a serene atmosphere at the periphery of the city centre and the students are generally amiable.

If I would describe teaching, I would say it is one of the most relaxing jobs. Of course there is pressure to meet the target, students passing exams and what else, yes imparting knowledge among other important aspects that has to do with education.


Many of us find it excruciatingly painful to speak publicly, this is very unarguably true. Take note that this is not a fallacious argument We feel nauseous. We can barely breathe. Our bodies tremble. We lose track of time, find it difficult to concentrate, and babble.

While reading Mwalimu Andrew’s Staffroom Diaries, I have been reading it ever since its inception but neither did I ever had the idea I would ever work or end up spending a huge chunk of time in the staffroom.

I also wrote about teachers last year. And maybe, I had foretold about me being a teacher.

As opposed to Mwalimu Andrew who teaches in a Primary School, I teach in a tertiary institution where the kind of students you deal with are sometimes more informed than you are.

I should start a diary of the ups and downs of a Nairobi lecturer. I sometimes wish I would have used my talent in being an actor to the fullest. However, when I think of the grueling procedure involved in terms of auditioning, rejection, trial and error; I usually am like, ‘Ok, I am not that aggressive kind of guy or person. I love things on a silver platter. Who doesn’t love a life of sitting and waiting for things to happen? It’s just normal that I am also part of wider majority of people who love an easy life.’

So my employer inquired if I was interested in a job as a lecturer and I responded on the affirmative. You see, there is no denial that most youth are looking for better jobs. If someone would have asked me which kind of job I am looking for, I would also say the same. Am looking for a better well-paying job.  But sometimes my main motivation is usually not even the pay. Sometimes it is the acceptance and the satisfaction you get from what you do. Again, getting an opportunity to be a teacher is not as easy. And it being teaching,majority of teachers are still looking for greener pastures.

With the rate at which media houses are hell bent on exposing institutions that offer certificates of doom, I take this opportunity to clarify that the institution I am currently lecturing in does not offer certificates of doom. Most of my workmates are either pursuing their masters’ degrees or are planning of pursuing the same. Majority are former campus graduates who did their undergraduate studies not more than ten years ago.

Of course there are those who are in their prime ages as one lady lecturer who said her first child is a year older than me. By any standards, I am among the youngest here.

However, I initially told myself that the first job I came across, I would never mind as long as it gave me an opportunity to interact, get to the next level and it also giving me a challenge in terms of growth and ameliorating myself. As a teacher, I realized I need to be very informed. Read wider in order not to mislead and be very dynamic and flexible.

After being introducted to my students by their former tutors, I did take over. I felt like I was in another dais with a scripted document that I was to present. I could see expectant faces of students  students and albeit they were not cheeky, they were cynical. They are my age mates. I had hardly introduced myself when they started asking questions.

Obviously I had told them my name, but most of the ladies were like: Tell us about status, engaged or single. They wanted to know where I had gone to school and when I told them, I could see one student telling another by finishing off the title of the course I had done.

At that point, I wished I was as good in narration like Joinno Ten (link). Or maybe those lecturers in my former campus who bragged about their covets which they made us believe were real.

If one of my students ever gets to know that I write, I will be belaboured to him or her because of my secernate nature yet I am still a nom de guerre. I still want to keep my profile low. I have not yet got the guts of going mainstream.

Teaching is a very fantastic job, especially when you are doing it with a passion and you love what you are teaching about. Again, if you never love reading and doing some bit of research during free time, you may end up not delivering content as expected. Students may also reject you, but you become good with time.

In fact, though this is a tertiary institution, we teach them the same stuff I read while in campus. I was amazed that they sometimes cover the units better than we were doing while in campus. Delivery is paramount. However, teaching sometimes does not mean that you know, but as long as you can read, understand, give an example and prove to students that you are good, you are good to go. I am sure even teachers themselves usually find some students smarter than them but since they cannot acknowledge for fear of belittling themselves, they never will let such a student know. If you are the type who is afraid to answer questions, fret among students and develops cold feet in front of people, then teaching might prove a challenge in the short run.

When I grow up, I want to be a lecturer. Now that it seems like in Kenya you require connections to make it in the mainstream job market (you know those jobs, you wonder how that guy doing it got it earning 10 or fifty times your pay but was an academic dwarf), I will be contented with reading and making hay while the sun shines.

I have not yet started using my potential skills, like doing a TEDx, trying to convince students that with education something will happen or something will not. But what is amazing is the fact that if you are good with what you are doing, you can be very good. With teaching, I get to be respected by my students (I especially like the part where you have authority over them, they calling you Sir or teacher and you smile  internally and there is nothing they can do about it even if they are your age mates.)

Now I understand why teachers sometimes did ask questions and students gave blank stares. Like I rarely participated in question and answer sessions in campus, but while in primary or secondary, I tried or lets say I was more vocal. However, in school, there is usually a wrong answer and a right one. It goes without doubt that answering questions among your fellow students’ boosts your confidence and also makes you more knowledgeable as you may also try as much to be conversant most of the time.

Another thing is that, students rarely take time to read when it is not time for exams. When I walk along the alleys and see students reading (is it reading or copying notes? I am not sure), I usually get the impression that we are indeed not a sleeping nation. While studies without thinking of another means when things don’t go as planned is not beneficial, there is something that is for sure, you never get sick while gaining knowledge.

SITUONANE.

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