Author: gertrudeasumadu

Apologies for the long break. I have been caught up in lots of things the past few days.

On today’s feature, I am happy to share the story of another Nigerian friend and sister of mine, Bisola Babalola. She is the definition of an ambitious individual with a heart of gold and on fire for Jesus. I hope you enjoy her story…Trust me you will!

What is your name and what university did you attend? What year did you graduate and what course did you offer?

My name is Abisola Babalola and I had my LLB Law at the University of Leeds in 2015 and my LLM  in International Development Law and Human Rights at the University of Warwick in 2017.

Briefly describe how your university life; any extracurricular activities you were involved, scholarships, awards/ honors etc.

My university years were a journey of Christ-discovery and purpose-discovery and all my activities were tied along those two streams. If I was not at school, I was in church or attending conferences. It really was that simple.

Based on your experience in university, do you regret going to university or did you regret at a point? If so why?

Never. I’ll always consider quality education as a huge gift to mankind. For me, it’s not so much about learning a discipline as it is about learning how to learn. Today, I’m working in a field that’s different from my academic discipline and I owe that flexibility to the discipline of independent learning enforced in most UK universities. I was almost always required to learn by myself and under pressure. Though frustrating and sometimes tiresome, in my experience, I’m glad I went through it.

Upon graduation, did you have any plans as to what your next move was? Could you please share?

The plans I believe God graciously placed in my heart, followed me all the way from high school. I knew I wanted to work in international development from the moment the very idea of the university came to mind. That one vision influenced all my decisions, course choices and activities while at university and beyond. I didn’t have any group of friends with similar interests, neither did I have anyone to look up to with regards to the vision I had. I had almost no role model or mentor (even academically speaking- I am the first and only lawyer in my entire lineage), but God put a vision in my heart and that vision gave me the strength to forge ahead and venture out even if I had to do it physically alone and  in reality, with Him.

Based on the answer from the question above, did these plans materialize in the short term or even long term? If it did what was the process like? If not, what happened? Did you have any backup plans?

The process was quite interesting. I buried my head in serving God and completing my studies and everything materialized in its own course. God always gives us the opportunity to use our seasons well and if we would do our best with the opportunity that every season brings, we will have no regrets in the next season. I say this because I remember being so worried about getting a job after my masters’ programme especially because I knew most UK organizations wouldn’t take international students after their academic programme had lapsed. I had done my best to apply to the relevant positions as I became aware of them while also working on my thesis and serving in the church. My spiritual mentor spoke with me about my job anxieties and he said “Bisola, if you would just do what you should in this season well, God will sort your next season out. Your business is not to figure out the next phase, it is to work out your current phase successfully and trust God with the next one”. I remember how he repeated this over and over and though I struggled with it, I decided to obey what he said. I went through many frustrations with my masters degree, as my supervisor wasn’t even available to supervise my work. Nevertheless, I completed it with God’s help. It was a tough season in many ways that I cannot possibly share here, but I still trusted God to help me finish well. Finish your seasons well and the future will be alright, God gives us seasons for a reason.

In the case where you faced rejections especially in applying for jobs etc, what effect did it have on your person? Care to share any experiences if you had one?

Oh, I was rejected many times over! All the way from the first year to my final year, I couldn’t count the number of law firms and other organizations that rejected me. I have gotten to interview stages of applications only to be turned down. My most recent rejection was just in the last quarter of last year, so it’s not that far down the line. Rejections are a part of life and they teach us the significant lessons of humility and resilience. I’ve learned to take rejections as an opportunity to dig deeper and rise higher in my sense of presentation, self-awareness, and subject-awareness. It will shock you to know that even the world’s greatest achievers still get rejected from major feats they desire to attain. When rejection comes, especially when we feel very qualified, we must learn to embrace it not as an insult to our person but as a sign that there’s more to learn and there are more boundaries to break. It could also be a sign that it’s not God’s will for us.

If you were to be that 18/19 year old going back to university, knowing what you know now (irrespective of how many years after university) what advice will you give yourself? Any advice to others?

I would advise myself to pray a lot more about my future and to spend a lot more time studying the word of God. I’ll tell myself not to confuse spiritual activity for spiritual depth. I’ll tell myself to continually put God’s voice of possibility over men’s voice of impossibility.

For others, I would say, trust God with your life and stop trying to do everything with your own wisdom. Take education and other opportunities that the different seasons of your life bring, as a gift from God. Don’t be distracted by people or seeming difficulties, everyone goes through something.  Instead, complain less and go the extra mile to see how you could succeed in spite of the odds. Be very humble towards wise elders around you and listen to their advice, you may know technology, but you don’t know life as much as they do. Finally, ALWAYS ask for God’s help with everything you do and ALWAYS be grateful to Him when He helps you.

With the current state of the job market, do you think in like 10 years time, universities will still have value? Especially with the rate at which many graduates end up being unemployed or young people prefer to start their businesses or train in apprenticeships?

Of course, universities will exist in the next ten years. They may take a different form and engage new approaches, but they will still be with us. With the growing role of tech in a world like ours, it will do more harm than good to toy with the role of education at any level. That people don’t get jobs may be a problem, but there would most certainly be a bigger problem if we had no opportunity to learn a discipline or at least discover ourselves, in the first place.

What do you do now in terms of work or any other thing you are involved, care to share your social media handles so people could connect with you?

I work as a Consultant in International Development.

LinkedIn: Bisola Babalola 

Hope you enjoyed today’s feature…Stay tuned for the next feature! Have a great week ahead 🙂

Today, I present to you the story of Ebunlomo Azeez, a young Nigerian lady who finished University at the age of just 19! I connected with her on LinkedIn and I will never forget the message she sent me which really motivated me to KEEP ON GOING….’You are very accomplished’! I do hope you enjoy her story!

What is your name and what university did you attend?

My name is Ebunlomo Azeez and I attended the University of Brighton, United Kingdom.

What year did you graduate and what course did you offer?

I graduated in July 2017 with a Degree in Law with Business

Briefly describe how your university life; any extracurricular activities you were involved, scholarships, awards/ honors etc.

During my undergraduate degree, I was a Course Representative in 2014/15, Business School Representative in 2016/17. I received three academic awards in three consecutive years including the Lexis Nexis Prize. One of my essays was shortlisted as top 10 for a national competition too!

Based on your experience in university, do you regret going to university or did you regret at a point? If so why?

For me university was not a choice, it was what I saw as the next step so I suppose because I did not have those initial doubts, it is difficult for me to regret going to university. I would say, I regret more of the things that I did not do and the opportunities that I let go.

Upon graduation, did you have any plans as to what your next move was? Could you please share?

That was a big question. Closer to graduation, things seemed magnified by a 100% and suddenly, the future I dreamed of why I was here and I was this 19-year-old girl filled with doubts. I did not know the exact steps to take but it became apparent what to do closer to my graduation. I had to decide on pursuing a master’s degree, LPC or taking up an elected position as Vice President for my University’s Students Union.

Based on the answer from the question above, did these plans materialize in the short term or even long term? If it did what was the process like? If not, what happened? Did you have any backup plans?

Based on my experience, I highly recommend that you draw out a plan. So what is plan A, B to Z. What is the worst case scenario and where do you want to be? I asked myself those questions and I eventually decided that it was best for me to take up the role of Vice President for my students’ union.

In the case where you faced rejections especially in applying for jobs etc, what effect did it have on your person? Care to share any experiences if you had one?

Oh, rejections! You will get used to it. I wrote a blog on how to deal with rejections although it is truly a reminder for myself. I will say find what works for you. For some, its reading quotes about rejections and others, it is taking time off to reflect. Ultimately, you need to place a value on yourself that does not require validation through acceptance letters. I say this but I am certainly still working on it.

If you were to be that 18/19 year old going back to university, knowing what you know now (irrespective of how many years after university) what advice will you give yourself? Any advice to others?

I was actually 19 when I finished and although my journey was peculiar, there are some general things that I will say to myself. Again, I wrote a reflective blog on what I wish I knew before university. Of those things, the biggest to me is self-belief. You need to believe in yourself.

With the current state of the job market, do you think in 10 years time, universities will still have value? Especially with the rate at which many graduates end up being unemployed or young people prefer to start their businesses or train in apprenticeships?

I think universities will always have value. However, what people need to be after is additional value and this will come through the opportunities that are given to you and those that you seek during university. Some roles require technical skills so it is hard to imagine a world without universities. What I foresee is changes to the way degrees are delivered. Perhaps, more accelerated degrees but who knows?

What do you do now in terms of work or any other thing you are involved, care to share your social media handles so people could connect with you?

I recently joined Instagram so its still bare- @Ebunlomo_Azeez and my twitter handle is @Ebunlomo13 and my LinkedIn is Ebunlomo Azeez  www.linkedin.com/in/ebunlomoazeez

I am a blogger and the title of my blog is Dreams & Essence. Like I mentioned previously, I am the Vice President of the University of Brighton Student Union.

I do hope you enjoyed today’s feature…and learned a thing or two out of it…Stay tuned for another feature soon!  

Hope you enjoyed the weekend and ready for another episode! Today, I have the pleasure of sharing Carla Madueno’s story. This Peruvian beauty is one of the most ambitious young ladies I have come across so far. I met Carla last year at the Alternative Economic Monetary Systems (AEMS) Summer School in Vienna, Austria. I am so happy she agreed to be part of this project. Hope you find her story inspiring.

What is your name and what university did you attend?

Hola! My name is Carla Madueño Florián, I come from Lima Peru and I attended the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (University of Munich in English) in Germany.

What year did you graduate and what course did you offer?

I graduated from the LMU with a Biology B.Sc degree in July 2016.

Briefly describe how your university life; any extracurricular activities you were involved, scholarships, awards/ honors etc.

The undergraduate student life in Germany is fun and tough. On the one hand side, it was fun because I was surrounded by an international group of people and I got to know people from different nationalities that otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten to know back in Peru. On the other hand side, my entire Biology degree was in German and on top of that it was a Natural sciences degree so I had to learn a lot of vocabulary in German for things that I was seeing for the first time in my life. I love the German language ever since I was a child so I was always aware of how challenging a degree in German may be, but at the same time it ended up being very rewarding. Now I can say I hold a degree that is a result of my own effort in a foreign country and in a foreign language. Regarding my extracurricular activities during my bachelors, I would work part-time at the University as an office assistant or in the City in local stores in order to cover some of my personal expenses. Finally, during my Bachelors I had two awards (both were interestingly related to Canada). The first one was a German exchange scholarship to spend a semester abroad at the University of Alberta in Edmonton Canada. And the second award I got was for the first prize of a Photography Contest organized by ABMI (Canadian Biodiversity Agency).

Based on your experience in university, do you regret going to university or did you regret at a point? If so why?

I don’t regret going to University, in fact, I love the academic environment. I am a very curious, eager to learn and creative person. I have witnessed how at a German or even Canadian Universities you can play around with ideas and discover. From the natural science perspective, research funding possibilities and infrastructure have always been an amazing opportunity in the Northern countries not to be missed. For instance, at German Universities, you can be very creative with your own research projects and that I believe is a very powerful tool. The only things that required extra energies were the language and cultural challenges, as I have to constantly adapt to new social and weather rules (until now, cold weather is a challenge for me).

Upon graduation, did you have any plans as to what your next move was? Could you please share?

Before graduating from my Bachelors, I knew my learning experience couldn’t stop just there. Moreover, I had heard from many friends and family that if one would start working right after graduating from the Bachelors, one kind of gets stuck to the working routine and then it is harder to go back to school and integrate into the academic environment. So I saw a really good opportunity for me to rather stick to the academic environment and pursue Graduate Studies in Germany.

Based on the answer from the question above, did these plans materialize in the short term or even long term? If it did what was the process like? If not, what happened? Did you have any backup plans?

I started my Masters two months after graduating with my Bachelors. So now after 3 semesters in the Masters program and about to start the Master thesis I already kind of feel a bit tired, because I have had the University working rhythm for almost 6 to 7 years. But I must say that it is a choice that I don’t regret and that has taught me more about my passion ecology and nature conservation.

Prior to starting the Master, I did have however back up plans and those were to work for a year in an Ecology or Conservation related branch after my bachelors.  But then again, as a scientist in the academic environment, one can do little with a Bachelor degree, Master is mostly the first step into an academic career and that is followed by Ph.D. and PostDoc studies. Besides friends and family’s experiences of working after graduating didn’t convince me, so I was 110% sure that in order to become a good ecologist I had to pursue graduate studies right away.

In the case where you faced rejections especially in applying for jobs etc, what effect did it have on your person? Care to share any experiences if you had one?

I have had job rejections in the last portion of my Bachelor studies. I had to become financially independent from my family and it was very disappointing for me that even for “normal” jobs I would get rejected, for instance at local fashion store or offices. I knew these stores were looking for people with experience in selling and customer care, but nevertheless, I felt like my scientific effort wasn’t having an immediate use nor effect. Eventually, I would get a part-time job at a shoe store and as a private tutor for school kids, which helped me cover my living expenses here in Germany for the last portion of my Bachelors (thank God).

If you were to be that 18/19 year old going back to university, knowing what you know now (irrespective of how many years after university) what advice will you give yourself? Any advice to others?

My advice to an 18-year old version of me is to choose a University in a country (if financially possible) where natural science is not only done by Academia and for Academia but instead by Academia and for Society. I would advise myself to chose universities with a lot of social impact and outreach, like non-profit projects by Student Associations, or volunteering and entrepreneurship programs abroad. I would encourage myself to engage more with student initiatives with political, social or environmental outreach.

But I must also be honest: learning a science career in a foreign language – like German – left me little time for extracurricular activities. So I think the way I had my Bachelors done was amazing and very self-rewarding.

With the current state of the job market, do you think in like 10 years time, universities will still have value? Especially with the rate at which many graduates end up being unemployed or young people prefer to start their businesses or train in apprenticeships?

An academic degree holds always a value and that is a certain type of authority that one gains when trying to understand and investigate a topic from a scientific, structured and objective point of view. Reality is of course complex, emotional and human. But Universities nevertheless offer you the tools to abstract a complex reality and provide solutions. My current Master degree focuses on Global Change Ecology and we learn how to provide solutions to ongoing human mismanagement of nature. So I think this is extremely visionary, applied and holds a very unique value, not only for the people that study it but also for the potential beneficiaries of projects I could work for or be starting on my own in a near future.

What do you do now in terms of work or any other thing you are involved, care to share your social media handles so people could connect with you?

As a scientist in the training, I realized that scientific knowledge rarely leaves the privileged boxed world of science. As a Youth Ambassador by GLF (link http://www.globallandscapesforum.org/ ) I encourage you to check two blogs I have featured on, Global Change Ecology (link: https://globalchangeecology.com/ )  student-led initiative from Germany and NoisyScience (link: http://noisyscience.wixsite.com/noisyscience ) a Peruvian blog about fun science.

On Instagram and Twitter, you can find me as PuraCarlura

Thank you very much, Gertrude, for the Interview! Gracias 😉

Hope you enjoyed Paula’s story….Stay tuned for the next future…Have an amazing week!

Hi everyone, I hope you are enjoying the series so far. Today I have the pleasure Alvine Pete Mfuapon. Such a vivacious young lady with lots of potentials. I met Alvine last year in Dallas, Texas at the Women Ambassadors Forum (WAF) and she was literally the ‘life of the party’. Hope you enjoy her story.

  What is your name and what university did you attend?

I am Alvine Pete, I studied at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa.

What year did you graduate and what course did you offer?

I graduated in April 2015 a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Briefly describe how your university life; any extracurricular activities you were involved, scholarships, awards/ honors etc.

My life at university was a different one, I worked outside campus, I was not really involved in any of the activities going on at the campus. I came when I had class and left as soon as I could. The few times that squat at my friend’s room we basically just studied the entire night. I only heard from others that there was a party, or they are elections coming up…

Based on your experience in university, do you regret going to university or did you regret at a point? If so why?

I was raised in a system that believes in education. Many of my family members never got someone to pay for them to have access to higher education. I was privileged to go to university in another country. I never regretted. I was tuned to appreciate the opportunity. I had a personal commitment plus the needs of the family back home pressurizing me to succeed.

Upon graduation, did you have any plans as to what your next move was? Could you please share?

I was one of the most fortunate students, I studied for two years full time and my third year was an internship. After my internship, I was offered a small job in the company. I completed the fourth year in part-time and worked full time till this day.

Based on the answer from the question above, did these plans materialize in the short term or even long term? If it did what was the process like? If not, what happened? Did you have any backup plans?

I basically had a job before graduating.

In the case where you faced rejections especially in applying for jobs etc, what effect did it have on your person? Care to share any experiences if you had one?

Before getting the job where I am currently working, I applied to various companies for an internship. The year was going and was still at home not getting any job. One of the government company came to the university and requested to interview the top seven ladies from my cohort.  I was selected and called for my first interview. I spent nights preparing for this as if I was writing a final exam. I attended the interview, it was a panel of four managers (HR and Engineers). I was just telling the truth and I was very enthusiastic about working in engineering especially for the government of South Africa. It meant a lot to me. I was told the results will take four weeks since it’s a government job. A month later I met a friend who attended the same interview and she said she had started working. All this time I didn’t stop looking but I was 90% sure I got this job (they needed four out of the seven). I was just going for interviews just for the record (lol). In this time I went for the interview at the company where I am now but I wasn’t really interested. Later that day after meeting my classmate, I went to the coordinator. She vaguely told me they recruited some time ago and they did not want foreigners. I was broken, I felt stupid, small, needy, not good enough. I went home in tears. That same afternoon I got a call telling me that I could come start work the next morning. (the job I initially interviewed for).

If you were to be that 18/19 year old going back to university, knowing what you know now (irrespective of how many years after university) what advice will you give yourself? Any pieces of advice to others?

I will live on campus, this will reduce the traveling time to campus and from campus. I will get a job on campus this is generally school related, it keeps your brain busy with stuff that you need to remember. Outside jobs just clutter your memory with unnecessary stuff. I will get involved in other activities like (health club, student’s representation organizations, and Science club). All these shape you. It exposes you to some realities and teaches you skills that you don’t learn in a class. It builds leadership and creates a network of future leaders.

I will stay out of love stories, it drains you, hurts you and wastes your precious study time.

With the current state of the job market, do you think in like 10 years’ time, universities will still have value? Especially with the rate at which many graduates end up being unemployed or young people prefer to start their businesses or train in apprenticeships?

The job market is poor due to the courses people are enrolling for. Students don’t want challenges anymore, there is no orientation after high school. Most learners chose what their friends chose. There is a need for orientation between high school and varsity. University doesn’t teach you a job, it gives you skills to be able to think, learn fast and work efficiently. Your personal goals are what motivates you to be self-employed or to have a boss. Teaching learners is basically a part of the work that universities do. There are a lot more. Universities conduct many research and development in various fields.

What do you do now in terms of work or any other thing you are involved, care to share your social media handles so people could connect with you?

I am a Project engineer in a pharmaceutical plant. Mostly involved with youth development and children school performance projects where with a group we tutor and encourage girls in to choose sciences. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.

Hope you enjoyed Alvine’s story…What did you learn from it? Stay tuned for another feature on Monday! Have a lovely weekend!

Hope you are enjoying the series so far… Today, I have the pleasure of sharing the story of my Nigerian friend, Benedicta Uweru. I met her at the ONE Youth Summit in Brussels, Belgium back in October 2017, there and then we clicked and kept in touch since then. She is so full of life and an ambitious young lady who is doing lots in terms of youth and women empowerment. I do hope you enjoy her story.

What is your name and what university did you attend?

I am Benedicta Chukwuyem Uweru and I attended Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria.

What year did you graduate and what course did you offer?

I studied Pharmacy, graduated in 2016 and offered a total of 100 courses within my 5years study.

Briefly describe how your university life; any extracurricular activities you were involved, scholarships, awards/honors etc.

My University life was obviously a very busy one, having 100 courses to read, study, attend classes and pass weren’t easy to come by. I had more “religious” extracurricular activities of which I went from being Music Director of my Faculty’s (Faculty of Pharmacy) religious Fellowship to being first female President. All of this coupled with my full coursework wasn’t funny at all. But I’m glad I took those giant steps as they built me up into being able to multitask and delegate duties. I remember joining the political arm to serve as Public Relations Officer (PRO) because I wanted to know how things work in politics. I believe I did poorly at it, I mean I could have done better but none of those experiences were laid to waste.

I did apply for and got granted the Jim Ovia Scholarship formerly known as MUSTE and that was so exciting for me as I was paid 150,000NGN on an annual base till I graduated. I had enough money to purchase one or two things while supporting my parents with paying my school and accommodation fees. I attended student conventions outside my State, took training within the Universities all of which make me the person I am today and I’m so grateful for all of it.

Based on your experience in university, do you regret going to university or did you regret at a point? If so why?

I never regretted going to school, I guess the only time I had regrets was having to study such tough course in of all Nigerian Universities, Delta State University because we believed learning could be a little easier. I remember crying severally in my room after some exams or hectic class or overloads of assignments with near deadlines but I’m so glad I came out victorious.

Upon graduation, did you have any plans as to what your next move was? Could you please share?

Upon graduation, I knew I wanted something different but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted.

Based on the answer from the question above, did these plans materialize in the short term or even long term? If it did what was the process like? If not, what happened? Did you have any backup plans?

I had attended this conference held at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, it was supposed to be a religious gathering precisely the National Fellowship of Christian Pharmacy Students (NFCPS)  of which I was First Female President in my school. This lecturer, Dr. Ubah spoke about the YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) Network and I was thrilled. He is a pharmacist so that got me the most. So I began to read up on my own, joined the network and started community projects in that light and that was the beginning of my journey into Civic Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship leading to my creating an NGO,  Girls Health and Education Foundation (GHeF), November 2016. Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds, I had to first look beyond my “over-protective” parents especially my dad to be able to start. Also, I worked to build trust with school heads in my community to release their students to come for my events and projects on their school uniforms since I wasn’t and still am not yet registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

In the case where you faced rejections especially in applying for jobs etc, what effect did it have on your person? Care to share any experiences if you had one?

Of course, I got rejected here and there especially during fundraising but I refused to give up, I gathered personal savings and meager donations from family and friends, concerned individuals and put up massive projects reaching out to thousands of community girls.

If you were to be that 18/19 year old going back to university, knowing what you know now (irrespective of how many years after university) what advice will you give yourself? Any advice to others?

If I were to go back to being the 17/18year old girl who got into University, knowing what I know now, I would have started earlier with community projects, I’d engage in more extracurricular activities especially those concerned with Social Entrepreneurship, I’d add more value to myself realizing that just passing examinations won’t solve societal problems or give one job satisfaction. I’d bear in mind that what I studied in school especially for a first degree doesn’t define who I am and what I can be!

With the current state of the job market, do you think in like 10 years time, universities will still have value? Especially with the rate at which many graduates end up being unemployed or young people prefer to start their businesses or train in apprenticeships?

I think the value of our school systems would be dependent on what we can offer to the next generation especially seeing that we are entering gradually into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence etc, anyone can acquire such knowledge without even being in the four walls of a University. Especially judging from the high rates of unemployment among supposed University graduates.

What do you do now in terms of work or any other thing you are involved, care to share your social media handles so people could connect with you?

I for one have been applying for internships which is a one year compulsory prerequisite for getting a permanent license to practice as a pharmacist in my country. I’ve written interviews upon interviews, rejected here and there but I’m still positive waiting for other interview results. This, however, hasn’t stopped my community projects but even inspires me and gives me the time to engage more.

Social Media Handles

Facebook: Benedicta Uweru

Twitter:  @BennyYem

Instagram: @benedictauweru

LinkedIn: Benedicta Uweru

Hope you enjoyed today’s feature…Stay tuned for more 🙂

I am very sorry for the delay in getting the episodes up quickly, I was caught in lots of things over the past weekend…The series continues…

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing my FRIEND of about a decade, Nana Ama Benewaa Agyei. I met her in my first year of secondary school (Wesley Girls’ High School) and she is the first friend I made in school. I am honored to be sharing her story today and I hope someone learns from it.

What is your name and what university did you attend?

My name is Ama B. Agyei and I attended the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

What year did you graduate and what course did you offer?

I graduated in May 2017; I majored in Criminal Justice and Psychology as the basis of my future plans of going to law school.

Briefly describe how your university life; any extracurricular activities you were involved, scholarships, awards/honours etc.

My university life was well quite boring in my estimation. I wasn’t really involved in extracurricular activities due to most of the drama surrounding these activities. Also, as a double major and working in school, I barely had enough time for myself and I felt like extracurricular was not worth the little free time had. I finished school with honors to which I am highly proud of considering some circumstances that cropped up while in school.

Based on your experience in university, do you regret going to university or did you regret at a point? If so why?

This is such a loaded question! I do regret going to the university I went to because I did not like it and I feel like I could have achieved a more holistic university experience had I went elsewhere. My biggest regret was not transferring when I had the chance to. Besides that, I wouldn’t say I regret going to college as a whole because it has educated in ways unimaginable. Also, I made some few friends whom I think will be life-long friends. I would say my regret may come in terms of my choice of major. Having graduated since May 2017, it’s been already almost a year and I am still yet to find a full time “decent” job. My mother advised me to major in nursing and while that is an honorable career choice with a stable solid source of income, I knew that was not what I wanted for the rest of my life. Headstrong, I went ahead with Psychology and Criminal Justice. There have been many nights where I have laid in bed regretting this move simply because I cannot seem to find a job. While I plan on going to law school and ultimately working as a lawyer, it is such a heartbreaking feeling considering the racked up student loans and countless sleepless nights only to complete college and be unemployed. By no means do I want to sound entitled but upon completion of college, there are simply some jobs that are unacceptable for me to do. In sum, my biggest regret is I should have analyzed the job market a bit more before choosing my career path.

Upon graduation, did you have any plans as to what your next move was? Could you please share?

I had expected to be working in a research role or as a Paralegal/Legal assistant. Even before completion of school, I perfected my resume and applied for jobs. I had many family members speak to me about applying for as many jobs as possible so I followed suit.

Based on the answer from the question above, did these plans materialize in the short term or even long term? If it did what was the process like? If not, what happened? Did you have any backup plans?

These plans have surely not materialized. I feel like it’s a combination of several factors. The main factor is that the jobs I have been eyeing are all in the city area. I live in a very small town with little to no job prospects in the direction I want to take. I have to consider commuting to the city but also, I have to consider if the pay of the job is worth the commute. To commute, I’d have to drive to a nearby town, park my car and pay for a day parking pass, then take the commuter train to the city. Over time, not only is this highly expensive but also very time-consuming. I applied to over 300+ jobs, went to interview after interview using the little money I had for gas to and fro. Rejection after rejection, I began to realize I needed a backup plan. Given that I had some internships working with challenged kids and youth, I applied to an agency that provides care for kids diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorder. I got hired as a part-time employee and that’s how I’ve been making ends meet. I am grateful to my family and my boyfriend for financial support throughout college and up till now.

In the case where you faced rejections especially in applying for jobs etc, what effect did it have on your person? Care to share any experiences if you had one?

To be completely honest, the rejections dealt a hefty blow to my soul! I began to lose hope of finding a decent job. It was emotionally, physically and financially draining to go on interview rounds with multiple managers and be turned down. One of the most significant experiences was a Residential Counselor position I applied to. I was interviewed by 4 people in the room, asked countless questions and finally given a tour of the facility. As courtesy and interview protocol, I couldn’t ask the pay till the final stages. I was asked to come back to the facility to spend about 5 hours to see how things were run. I only stayed for about 3 hours. A couple days later, I received an email from going forward to pick a date for orientation meaning that I got the job. Reading further into the email, I discovered the pay was $12 an hour. I was mortified, highly disrespected and accepted that I had wasted my time. To go through all this only to find out the pay was even less than what I made at my job during college was extremely distressing and a slap to my face. Highly upset, I sent a lengthy email to the recruiter explicitly telling her how disrespected I felt to have to go through that process only to be presented with such paltry pay. It was highly disappointing!

If you were to be that 18/19 year old going back to university, knowing what you know now (irrespective of how many years after university) what advice will you give yourself? Any advice to others?

I would say have a backup plan most importantly. Also, even before making a career choice, study the trends of that job market and the different options you have. Ultimately, you have to make a choice of deciding whether to ignore the trends and be persistent in your career choice or play it safe to choose a career choice like nursing or STEM majors which have a higher chance of a stable decent income job. To be completely honest, I would never advise anyone to major in Crime and Justice. It was a complete waste of time and there are virtually few jobs. Unless you plan on becoming a police officer, even with that, you could use another means of achieving that goal without racking up debt like I did. Also, if you plan on majoring in Psychology, be prepared to go straight to grad school of higher education of some sort because that degree also had disappointing job prospects. If you love working in the social service/ community-based jobs be prepared to find a backup job because that field is as unstable as it comes.

With the current state of the job market, do you think in like 10 years time, universities will still have value? Especially with the rate at which many graduates end up being unemployed or young people prefer to start their businesses or train in apprenticeships?

In the next 10 years, a Bachelor’s degree, especially in the Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, will be rendered useless. A master’s degree will pretty much get you an entry-level job. It’s sad but that is the world we live in now. I hope that parents around the world will encourage creativity among kids to think outside the box in finding sources of income instead of going the traditional route of academia only to complete school to be unemployed. I could say more but for length sake, I’d say think outside the box.

What do you do now in terms of work or any other thing you are involved, care to share your social media handles so people could connect with you?

Currently, I am still active in the job search process. I have a part-time job working as an ABA therapist with kids diagnosed with autism. I say that’s a glorified term for essentially a babysitter. I also recently started a Youtube channel as a hobby and I hope to be more active on that. You can connect with me on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Nana Ama’s story mirrors the harsh realities many graduates have to face after leaving university into the REAL WORLD. As millenials, what can we do to change the narrative? As you ponder over this, stay tuned for the next episode soon. 

So like I announced about a week ago, I decided to profile different people across the globe’s experience and how their journeys have been so far since they left university. I posted ads on all my social media accounts to get as many people as possible to be involved in this project…I am glad to begin posting these stories on here and I hope someone somewhere takes something from it.

I present to you Victoria Princewill’s story. I connected with Victoria via the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) Fellowship as we both happen to be Fellows. She was so nice to connect with me and also did not mind at all contributing to this project. Such as sweet spirit!
 

What is your name and what university did you attend?

My name is Victoria Princewill and I did my undergraduate degree at Oxford and my Masters at UCL.

What year did you graduate and what course did you take?

I graduated from Oxford in 2012, UCL in 2015, I studied English at Oxford and Philosophy at UCL.

Briefly describe how your university life; any extracurricular activities you were involved, scholarships, awards/ honors etc.

At Oxford, I co-founded a series of TEDx conferences, called TEDxOxford. It drew speakers from around the world, international press and a global audience. Despite having launched it in 2011 it is still going strong, maintained by existing students 7 years on. Aside from that, I was a member of OUDS, the Oxford University Drama Society and the Failed Novelists’ Society.

Based on your experience in university, do you regret going to university or did you regret at a point? If so why?

I could not envision a world where I regretted going to university or gaining an education.

Upon graduation, did you have any plans as to what your next move was? Could you please share?

Upon graduating from Oxford I knew I wanted to write and think and I also knew I wanted I specifically wanted to study Philosophy. Soon after I graduated I applied for the UCL Masters. Whilst doing my masters I was headhunted a consulting firm, through a recruiting agency. I initially turned it down but joined later whilst writing my thesis.

Based on the answer from the question above, did these plans materialize in the short term or even long term? If it did what was the process like? If not, what happened? Did you have any backup plans?

I work now as a novelist, and intermittently as a freelance writer, so I suppose you could say my plans to ‘write and think’ did materialize fairly swiftly. I hadn’t intended to work in consulting and ultimately had no backup plans for a creative career. I left consulting less than a year after joining because it wasn’t for me and began writing immediately after that.

In the case where you faced rejections especially in applying for jobs etc, what effect did it have on your person? Care to share any experiences if you had one?

I was rejected by one company, after five rounds of interviews. It was interesting because I had prepared extensively and after the final interview, the interviewer shook my hand and promised she would ‘see me soon’, a phrase I took to mean I had got the job. Realising I hadn’t become something of a turning point for me — I asked myself why I was going for a job that on a fundamental level I didn’t want. I wanted to be a writer. I had left consulting and was doing freelance writing at the time whilst looking for another full-time position. That rejection was the impetus I needed to commit to writing full time. Not too long after that I began my novel and didn’t look back.

If you were to be that 18/19 year old going back to university, knowing what you know now (irrespective of how many years after university) what advice would you give yourself? Any advice to others?

Advice to self: work harder.
Advice to others: [N/A]* I couldn’t begin to advise other people in that sphere, it implies a one-size-fits-all approach which I think doesn’t accurately reflect the vast array of experiences that people have prior and during university and thus the difference in their corresponding needs whilst attending or intending to.

With the current state of the job market, do you think in like 10 years time, universities will still have value? Especially with the rate at which many graduates end up being unemployed or young people prefer to start their businesses or train in apprenticeships?

I am quite passionate about the idea that university is not simply a rite of passage that guarantees one a steady job. As such, I am indifferent to its relationship to the job market. For me an education is about learning to think analytically, to critically engage with ideas. One should develop the skills to question and understand the world, to maintain a strong sense of curiosity, skepticism, and empathy as they navigate it. Of course, those principles can be fostered in a liberal arts education or any specialized humanities program. Whilst degrees like STEM tend to offer more specific and in some cases vocational courses, I think an optimal degree program would offer that alongside a liberal arts course. Rarely outside of vocational courses do people truly need a university education to get a job. I think the two are actually quite unrelated and that learning is infinitely more important than the concept of ‘work’.

Indeed I think the emphasis on productivity in our society is harmful and, as our experiments with artificial intelligence continue to prove to us, soon to be pointless. As most jobs will become automated, maybe the real question is whether in 10 years time ‘work’ will have any value. It will be fascinating to see a world without ‘work’ as the central focus. Will people be inspired to return to university, to cultivate a life of learning? I’m curious and hopeful about what future generations will look like in the absence of this emphasis on economic productivity. Perhaps they will learn a plethora of languages, challenge themselves in ways they never could before. We could end up with much more enlightened generations and much more equal ones. I’m optimistic but also clearly quite idealistic and given I’m writing about this in the most general terms rather than pointing to actual feasibility and breaking down the limitations of this rosy-eyed utopia, I imagine I’m also coming off as deeply naive.

What do you do now in terms of work or any other thing you are involved in? Care to share your social media handles so people could connect with you?

I recently completed my debut novel, In the Palace of Flowers. It tells the story of Abyssinian slaves who live in Iran in the Qajar court between 1894 and 1896. It’s a work of historical fiction, inspired by the photography of the reigning Shah at the time, the autobiography of his daughter and the sole existing first-person account of an Abyssinian slave in Iran.

The novel is about how two Abyssinian slaves navigate a highly politicised world, where the imperial powers of Russia and Britain are muscling in and the Iranian public is empowered and angry. The two slaves are trying to find meaning in their lives, as individuals who are educated but owned, who live well but can never truly go home. The real Abyssinian slaves in Iran were completely written out of history; there is not a single book that focuses entirely on their experience. There are mere hints, references in chapters and a few academics doing diligent work. I hope that this novel will shine a light on that area of history, perhaps leading to more funding in the area and be the impetus that gets more people telling the stories our global history has forgotten so that we forget them no more.
My Twitter handle is @vpofrances, my Instagram is @francisnin278.

What have you learned from Victoria’s story? Don’t forget to stay tuned for more entries from other amazing people with amazing stories!

Let us all confess we spend hours of time on ‘Social Media’….irrespective of how busy our schedules could be…I mean that is where the ‘world’ basically IS…Such that when there is a trending news and everybody is talking about it and you have not heard about it…..everybody looks at you and be like ‘Have you been living under the rock?’

We live in a day and age where many people work via social media, I mean there are bloggers, YouTubers among others who are making a living out of social media and thus we cannot dispute the importance of this innovation. However, just like everything has its advantages and disadvantages, so does Social Media. The wisdom is in knowing how to use it.

Anyone in their 20s at the moment will agree that growing up, the buzz of social media was not there…talking about from the ages of 10 to 17 years ish. Social media only became very popular about 6 to 7 years ago. However, for those who are probably in their teens now, they grew up with the buzz. For instance, I opened a Facebook account when I was 18 years almost turning 19 but my very little sister had Facebook when she was about 9 to 10 years old…..LOOK AT THAT DIFFERENCE!

My decision to have social media accounts was primarily to connect with my friends from secondary school at the time and probably old time friends but as the years went by, I find myself using social media more than just chatting people, I mean I run a blog now and plan to do more with Social Media. When it comes to entertaining myself or knowing whats up with other people (including public figures I admire), I follow them especially on Instagram like their pictures, inspiring quotes they share, funny videos (which I tag friends to laugh with) among others or just browse through my explore page keeping myself abreast with what is happening in other parts of the world, in my country of origin (Ghana) among others.

On the other hand, I see many things on Social Media which makes me wonder what the intent was in the first place. I see pictures of young girls dressed almost naked twerking and doing all sorts for attention. Also, I see people trolling celebrities just because of a picture they posted. One thing I learned at a very early age is that ‘If you do not have anything nice to say then do not say it at all. Many people hide behind mobile phones to insult people they could not even walk up to in real life…I see people fighting each other in comment sections saying all sorts of things to each other all in the name of ‘getting their points across’, I see people posting pictures of dead bodies at accident scenes, I see people posting videos with extremely ‘graphic content’, I see people posting videos of other engaging in fights among others.

Many people have LOST IT because of the urge to be the first to post something about a trending topic or to gain traffic to their blogs or pages. Where did this come from?

Furthermore, the younger generation might fall prey to antics such as following some so-called celebrities whose lifestyles may practically not send any positive message to their followers thus falling into the trap of wishing and hoping their lives were the same as theirs. I always tell anyone who cares to listen that it is very important to draw a very thick line between reality and fakery because the latter exists a lot on social media these days and I am quite sure it is not going to stop anytime soon.

I can go and on about this issue but I would like to end quickly by saying, don’t let social media turn you into something you are not, because at the end of the day, whatever you portray there may come back to haunt you; either good or bad. When we finally meet you in person, will your online presence match your personality? And will your thousands/millions of followers want to engage with you the same way they did with you online or otherwise? Stay WOKE.

P.S. I am still accepting entries for my upcoming project #lifeafteruniversityseries from anyone who has left university…irrespective of whatever stage in life you are now, I would like to hear from you. Just email me asumadugertrude@yahoo.com

I am Gertrude Asumadu on all Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter).

I am so excited about this one guys! So you remember I did University Diaries a while back where I detailed my University Experiences in series of blog. I trust that you all took a thing or two out of it. Well, that was the intention.

I have been thinking about what next after university? This something I was very scared of myself and asked the same question countless times especially in my final year (I will do a reveal soon).

Well, this project is about profiling the experiences of different people (irrespective of where they are in their careers) and how their experiences/journeys after university and how they got to where they are in their careers now. This is just a means of motivating the younger ones who are in university or about to enter or about to graduate or just graduated…..that despite their fears and anxieties there is hope for them in the end. It is just to say that, no matter the hurdles you are facing either in applying for jobs and being rejected multiple times, launching a business, taking a gap year among others…You will eventually GET where you want to be.

Of course, there is the issue that everybody’s journey IS different…so it is not about mirroring someone’s journey…but taking a cue out of what and applying it to yours irrespective of your circumstances. Either way, even if we feel we have made it or we are where we want to be, we are all still on a journey.

Thus, if interested in giving us a peek into your journey thus far, please leave your email under this article or email me at asumadugertrude@yahoo.com and we will take it from there. I am very happy to have as many contributors as much as I can so please share with everyone in your network! Looking forward to receiving your emails!

I am on Social Media;

LinkedIn: Gertrude Asumadu, FRSA

Twitter: @AsumaduGertrude

Facebook: Gertrude Asumadu

Instagram: @gertrudesays

Alas…another Valentine’s Day is Upon us….14th February…It is right to say that after New Year that is another huge celebration most people look forward to. Walking on the streets, it will be quite weird not to see shops selling stuffs including cards, perfumes, and other gifts for ‘that special someone’. In fact, even if you do not want to experience the Valentine Day’s fever, it is quite possible that it is going to choke you…then you wonder what’s with all the hype?

I will tell you…well according to what I have learned over the years…This Day is a day set aside to show love to someone. could be your husband, boyfriend, friend or whoever is that special to you or someone who you don’t necessarily have a relation with. Thus, it is very common to see people go out to restaurants to have a meal with their loved ones, others going to the cinema, others going on a trip or holiday or whatever they have in mind to tell that other person…I love you!

Personally, I think Val’s day is supposed to be EVERYDAY…We are supposed to show love to those we care about every single day..not just one day out of 365 days. Val’s day is not like a birthday where you have to wait for a whole year before you are a year older…I believe true love must be shown every single moment because the truth is the next minute is not guaranteed…

The most irritating aspect is when people make this day all about themselves…that is what they will get out of it and not what they will give out. For instance, many people have purposed in their heart that Val’s day is when they will go out there, grab one dude and have sex with….in order to celebrate ‘love’. I really do not know when love was or became equated to sex….(the world’s definition of love). I heard once that on a particular Valentine’s Day in Ghana, condoms became scarce at a particular point in time. Then I ask myself…for what reason?

Because people do not understand what love means, they end up doing ‘foolish’ things on Valentine’s day and then regretting it later. And even for those who understand it, they end up probably making that one person feel special just on 14th February.

My point is, when you really love somebody, you want to show them at every given opportunity, every moment you have the chance to and not just on a particular date. What if the person is no more, or what if your relationship collapsed prior to that day. Just because tomorrow is not guaranteed, it is very important that we show love to everyone we can ALWAYS, so that we don’t regret later.

And to those who take advantage of this day to exploit their sexual fantasies…maybe retrace your steps and consider the consequences before taking certain actions. Don’t be fooled into making harsh decisions which will satisfy your fantasies for a moment but greater consequences later. You don’t need to have a better half before celebrating Val’s Day, you could go out and help in a charity, an orphanage home, give money to a homeless man on the street, call a friend you are probably having issues with, bury the hatchet and move on….The little things matter. Do those things that matter to you and not those things that seem to matter.

Have a lovely Valentine’s Day, Keeping in Mind the Definition of Love as according to the Bible…Love is patient, Love is Kind, Love does not keep a record of wrongs etc… (I Corinthians 13: 1- 8). Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! May the Love of Christ in our Hearts cause us to show genuine love as much and as far as we can. I love you all and I pray you all experience God’s love in one way or the other.