To Zambia's new graduates

 

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The Pilgrim, May 6, 2022*

This past week, it has been as if the whole Zambia has been graduating. At least that’s the impression created by social media. My timelines are inundated with photographs of graduates from the University of Zambia, Copperbelt University and University of Lusaka, to mention but a few.

In fact, two of my own cousins just obtained their degrees. What’s exciting and interesting is that their experience is a far cry from ours last year, when we graduated amid the pandemic by virtual means and in the absence of dear family and friends. If it went on that way this year, the graduation ceremonies could have been triggering.

I didn’t even sit through my own graduation ceremony on ZNBC as the University of Zambia conferred on me my Bachelor of Mass Communication. Neither did I care to send in a photograph to run against my name on the television screen. There was no thrill. My parents said they heard my name and were ecstatic about it, but I was busy trying to get a medical report for a new job the same day!

I’ve very fond memories of my time after university because of how eventful and fast-paced it was. It was that way because that’s how I decided it to be. It could have been any other way, slow and miserable. Looking back on my experience, I feel that I can help new graduates with a down-to-earth guide for life after university.

The main point in all this is: all the world’s a stage. It’s your oyster. Make your life the way you want it to be.

Don’t go home

I determined from the outset after leaving University of Zambia that I was going to create an uncomfortable environment for myself. It helps actualise the saying that “necessity is the mother of invention,”

And this wasn’t a decision I made after official graduation. It’s a step I took immediately after I left the university.

You see, there is a way the universe conspires to make a desperate person’s dream come true. Things suddenly start falling in place as you panic. It’s literally counter-intuitive: discomfort leads to comfort while comfort leads to discomfort.

I’m not saying that you should cut off your family. You should reunite with them through regular visits, but I would advise that you pursue an independent, separate existence in the province with the most jobs for your career, just as a deliberate move to develop some stoicism and hunger to succeed.

A readjustment tends to take place when you go back to your parents’ house, and I’ve seen this with many graduates. It’s like redoing a rite of passage. Chances are that you’ll become comfortable. Soon you’ll be up on the streets meeting old friends and hanging out in places you previously felt you had outgrown. Soon somebody home will ask you to wash plates!

In my case, I took up a bed space in the Kalingalinga township near my university. It was infested with rats and cockroaches. But while I could have spent comfortable nights in Northmead or Rhodes Park with a rich relative, I endured my own misery until the star rose in my heart.

In squalor, I could become anything. It compelled me to launch out harder for my dreams.

I challenge you to take an unconventional path and watch the magic happen.

Find a mentor

As I tried to reinvent myself, I often ended up on the brink of my sanity and abilities. I was often out of humour, but while all this was happening, I was developing a sophisticated philosophy of life. I knew I was going somewhere.

Besides having a sense of my personal destiny and believing God for it, there was one other thing that stood me in good stead: a mentor.

By mentor, I don’t mean you should go around Lusaka looking for some elusive corporate executive. I’m talking about real people that you can have real conversations with. But these must be people who have gone ahead of you, and who you feel can help you develop valuable life skills.

I had several but the dearest one must be Simon Mwale, an accomplished Zambian writer and journalist, who sadly passed away few months after I left for graduate school in the United States.

I was free around Simon every time he invited me to his place. We ate lunch together and I spoke to him about my hopes and fears. He had so much life experience that he could provide valuable insight into any struggle I was having with my job or girlfriend.

What I am trying to say is that you’ll need a life coach through this new phase of life. Like Sir Isaac Newton, you need to stand on the shoulders of giants to see further. That giant could be a titan in your profession or a former professor.

In closing, it appears to me that tough love for yourself coupled with good trustworthy mentorship are some of the best weapons to slay any hindrance in your way to achieving your dreams after university. Best of luck!

*This column is published every Friday in Zambia's best-selling newspaper, the Zambia Daily Mail