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Wake-up call for Unemployed SA Graduates

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Wake-up call for Unemployed SA Graduates:

An opinion piece by Nelisa Bhumazela from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University:

Many believe that after graduation, it is go-time! You get employed, you buy your car, you buy a house, and it is just magically a jolly period! Well, not in this country, that is just a dream, a fantasy, especially for black kids, it is not that easy. South African unemployment rate is so high in a such a way that graduates are involved in some crime businesses to survive, and unfortunately those who are looking up to these graduates have lost hope in life.

I somehow get it! Why would you stress yourself, experience headaches and sleepless night just to stand by the corner of that old spaza shop in the township or sit home and watch chicken hatch in the rural areas. But! What if there was a way beyond that? What if there was a way where you can avoid such stressful situations? There is a high number of unemployment graduates in the country, let alone the general number of everyone including those who are not graduates. I personally do not see why someone with a Degree or a Diploma would just sit home and wait for opportunities to come by. If opportunities do not come by, then that is a wake-up call for you to actually chase these opportunities. Nothing beats the sense of being a go-getter.

As an unemployed graduate, you can always do something of your own like self-employment. Sure, it will not be your good and basic salary but it will serve your purpose, right? For each and every cent you get, learn to save it, save money like that young kid you were when growing up. You never know how much money you can possess in two or three months. After you have saved yourself some few cents start doing something, buy something, and sell something. You can even sell sweets or snacks to school kids, just be out there and look for opportunities and there is an even bigger opportunity for you if you are situated or in the rural areas. There are no McDonalds, Nandos, KFC and Zebros in the rural areas. All these food shops I have mentioned are trusted shops where school kids in the city buy their lunch or snacks. Use the opportunity of being the rural graduate because you can see that the school kids love snacks besides the government free feeding scheme.

I have seen many graduates declining the volunteering opportunity. Well, I have news for you too. You don’t know how much experience you need in order for you get that dream job of yours. Sometimes for some workplaces, it is not even about the experience pertaining to the field, but it is more about the experience of being able to work with a team, the ability to be a role player. Just to give you a heads-up and a little advice, take that volunteering offer and learn, you never know which door you are knocking on because you may be even given a stipend as time goes by, and we all know that if you know how to save money, you can even start your own business.

Another tip I can give is: open yourself a company. Go to your drawing board and develop ideas on how to start your own company. Make research and find out who your targets are and who would be your competitor and what proper channels would you go on about communicating with your targets. The government is very open to young entrepreneurs nowadays, all they want is motivation and persuasion from you in order to give you funding for your start up. So my point is; get down on that pen and paper and write your proposal. Pitch your idea to people who are very keen to help and to people who are very passionate about the business of the company you want to open. Chances are, you may get funded and start your company and when you prosper, you might even kiss goodbye to that dream job of yours.

In conclusion, South African youth must stop complaining and wait for hand-outs. There are so many opportunities out there; one just needs to lend a very open mind to that. We cannot let our parents sweat over improving our future just to sit home with them and watch TV. We need to generate ideas, use our minds and look for opportunities, because we never know who is watching, who is inspired by our action.

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Source: Eastern Cape – MyPR.

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