Today we have so many graduates on the market. The challenge of unemployment is still an issue in Uganda and it may not end tomorrow and universities and other high institutions of learning will keep graduating people. I would like to congratulate all those who recently graduated. I know it has not been a journey trodden on a smooth road. A lot of life challenges here and there must have been a hindrance and somehow affected you. But above all, you overcame them and ow you are a graduate! Do not forget that some of your friends you started with are still struggling to graduate.
Having served in a university, I have learned a lot of things that students do ranging from “eating” tuition, sleeping around with girls/boys and sugar daddies/mummies, using drug and alcohol substances, clubs among others. Such behaviors somehow impede them from performing well, finishing on time and some end up absolutely without completing their respective courses on time. Most of these things happen without a parent’s knowledge and they come to learn about it late, yet the parents faithfully paid tuition each semester.
Some parents seem ignorant about the university education system and their children take advantage of that. Other parents never follow up with their children to know where they reside during campus and how are they are fairing on a daily basis. They only drop off this child in a hostel at the beginning of the course. They never visit again until the time of completion. They only get updates from their child with a phone call. As a parent who could be having a child in a university, don’t give up the habit of checking on your child. The successful completion of one child may not be the same case for another one.
Some could already be employed somewhere whereas yours could be struggling maybe to get a job. Therefore you still need to support your child in all ways until s/he is in a better position of becoming fully independent. Don’t just think that since you have finished paying tuition, the rest is in your child’s hands. Rather than sitting home waiting for or walking on all the streets looking for a job, you can still sponsor your child for either a master’s or postgraduate diploma programme. An added paper in our nation appends more value for the betterment of your child’s tomorrow. You can also plan to begin a business together and this will not make this graduate a job seeker but a job creator.
As a graduate, think about starting up something that will bring you an income. Even when you get a job, don’t abandon that small business. Start small and grow big. You cannot develop on salary alone in our inflated economy. Rather use it to expand your business so that you have more than one source of income. Plan for multiple sources of income. Earn money, save and grow it through investments. It’s worse to keep your eggs in one basket. Remember that successful people are not only the educated ones with jobs but those creative enough to use their minds beyond a degree paper/transcript. Be creative enough and innovate new ideas to make your life better. Think outside the box.
tumudickson@gmail.com
The writer is a child advocate and parenting coach.
