Careers in Africa

[Carol]

I'm African but been in the Uk for 6 years now. Graduated with honours but I'm working as an Admin Assistant... Am I better off going back home because someone told me that I'm never going to progress if I don't go back to work in Africa!!!! It's all so confusing because apparently There are no Jobs in Africa!

[Timothy Ogene]

"someone told me that I'm never going to progress if I don't go back to work in Africa"

 Before i offer my advice or express what i think, i want to know what you thought about that statement and if you believed it.

"There are no Jobs in Africa"


Are you sure there are no jobs in Africa or you just don't know where the jobs are.

I am trying to get your question into perspective so we know were to begin...and i hope my advice works.

[Careers]

Although it's not easy there are jobs to be found both in the UK and in Africa.  A big factor is where you are looking and how you are going about it....and do you know what job you would really want? 

[Eddington]

I think you owe it to yourself to explore some other avenues. I think it really depends on what you want out of life yourself. To answer your question, I think there are jobs in Africa if you want one and in most cases if you are qualified as you are, I usually recommend going back because you are needed there to make a difference, with the experience and knowledge you have acquired over the years, it will be great to do so.

However, I would like to challenge you to think out of the box and consider personal development, which is a subject not taught in traditional education, I am sure it will change your thinking. You see you are working as an admin assistant because traditional education has programmed you to do so.

That's the world system for you, now, with personal development, you will have the opportunity to unlock the potential within YOU as it teaches some practical life skills.

I think what we need is success, and you don't get that by working a 9 to 5 job. Once we are successful I am sure we will be able to take our knowledge and skills to Africa and make a real difference.

So think about you going to create employment for others there and not you going to look just for a job! You can do it, you can do so much more than just working.

It will be nice if we could somehow hook up and share and swap ideas. I could go on and on here, but let me stop here.

Best regards.
Eddington

[ada]

AFRICA is a Continent of opportunities. YOU just have to FIND, EXPLORE, CREATE and BUILD ON THE OPPORTUNITIES around you.

True, Africa has its own challenges....as with EVERY other Continent. BUT, UNLESS and UNTIL, we as Africans begin to have a more positive mindset of, about  and towards Africa, we will never see the opportunities that are starring us in the face.

They are there......yes, they are......!! We don't see them because we choose to think, assume and internalise that nothing good can come out of Africa. We choose to 'celebrate' the negatives!! YET, Africa is the only Continent in the world, where there are so many opportunities.

We sit and wait for the Europeans, Americans and very recently, the Chinese to come and 'discover' those opportunities, and sadly, employ us to fester the same opportunities that have always been with us.

We would rather go to Europe or America to take up jobs as road sweepers, security men, train/subway attendants, garbage collectors, funeral home attendants, nannies and such low-esteem jobs. WHY? Because we look at the foreign exchange value of the money from those jobs and allow it to dent our pride. We 'sell' our pride and souls, and pocket our hard-earned degrees for a 'mess of pottage' (literally), rather than use them to develop Africa.

And WHY? Because we fail to see THE GOOD OF, IN AND ABOUT AFRICA. We see other places as being better!!

UNLESS and UNTIL, we as Africans begin to have a more positive mindset of, about and towards Africa, we will never see the opportunities that are starring us in the face. No one can do it for us. WE have to do it ourselves.

THAT, is the sad truth.....

[Eddington]

Read Acres of Diamonds? What you said is the sadest truth, I too really think we need to rise up and unite. I think we are divided big time, and when a situation is like that, outsiders are able to see it they simply take advantage of it.

One would have thought its time our eyes are open. Look at how we are scattered all over the world, continuing to develop the developed. All the highly skilled are gone and we seem comfortable with it.

We seem to be just talking and no action really, I do not know I might wrong as everyone has their own view, but thats as I see it.

[ada]

No, Eddington, you're not wrong. The real issue about our dear Continent - AFRICA - is the disunity among us. We only think of SELF.....not our countries, not our regions and worst still not about the continent as a whole. Several years ago, the late Reggae crooner, Bob Marley sang,' AFRICA UNITE.' Typically, most people chose not to see the message in the music. Rather, we chose to 'celebrate' the rhythm and the voice, whist dancing away the lyrics.....the true meaning.

So where are today? Still dancing away the real truth! Still in our state of disunity! Still on our trail of SELF, rather than COLLECTIVE propagation! Still nurturing the mindset that there is nothing good about Africa.

It is this erroneous mindset that convinces us that it is better to go to foreign lands and inadvertently channel our energies towards 'developing the developed' (to borrow a phrase from you).

Look at how many Africans are in the diaspora? Some never remember home. Some pretend they were never Africans. They spend the time seeking after opportunities that are not there. YET, those same opportunities are there back home. And really, their lives would have been better, had they believed....had they tried!!

We accept, there are challenges in Africa. I can list a few, as i'm sure others can. Indeed, we cannot deny that fact. BUT we must RISE ABOVE, WALK and WORK around those challenges to make something happen. It is interesting that we have so many Africans in the diaspora teaching people how to overcome challenges, improve themselves and their environment (again developing the developed), but they never think of doing the same thing for those 'back home.'

AFRICA cannot develop itself.....the Europeans, the Americans, not even the Chinese can develop Africa. WE, AFRICANS are the only ones who can develop Africa

And how? By coming together - UNIFYING - to change our mindset, think positively about Africa, speak positively about Africa. Most of all, by BELIEVING in Africa and the opportunities that abound in Africa.

This is my submission!

[Joyce]

The real issue about our dear Continent - AFRICA - is the disunity among us. We only think of SELF.....not our countries, not our regions and worst still not about the continent as a whole. Several years ago, the late Reggae crooner, Bob Marley sang,' AFRICA UNITE.' Typically, most people chose not to see the message in the music. Rather, we chose to 'celebrate' the rhythm and the voice, whist dancing away the lyrics.....the true meaning.

So where are today? Still dancing away the real truth! Still in our state of disunity! Still on our trail of SELF, rather than COLLECTIVE propagation! Still nurturing the mindset that there is nothing good about Africa.

It is this erroneous mindset that convinces us that it is better to go to foreign lands and inadvertently channel our energies towards 'developing the developed' (to borrow a phrase from you).

Look at how many Africans are in the diaspora? Some never remember home. Some pretend they were never Africans. They spend the time seeking after opportunities that are not there. YET, those same opportunities are there back home. And really, their lives would have been better, had they believed....had they tried!!

We accept, there are challenges in Africa. I can list a few, as i'm sure others can. Indeed, we cannot deny that fact. BUT we must RISE ABOVE, WALK and WORK around those challenges to make something happen. It is interesting that we have so many Africans in the diaspora teaching people how to overcome challenges, improve themselves and their environment (again developing the developed), but they never think of doing the same thing for those 'back home.'

AFRICA cannot develop itself.....the Europeans, the Americans, not even the Chinese can develop Africa. WE, AFRICANS are the only ones who can develop Africa

And how? By coming together - UNIFYING - to change our mindset, think positively about Africa, speak positively about Africa. Most of all, by BELIEVING in Africa and the opportunities that abound in Africa.

This is my submission!

Very true.

[Bluehue]

I think what you really must do aside from all the advice you ahve been given is to scour the net for the sort of job you are qualified for and start sending out your CV.

there are loads of highly qualified Africans in Europe doing menial jobs probably because they do not know where to start from or also because they think that there is a "whom you know" practice going on and as they have no connetions they will be given or offered any jobs.

Please target the country, the job, and in the same way you found a job here you may also get a job in the African country you want to live in.

Good Luck!

[richard]

i too would be interested in a career in Africa without going through the 'who you know' scneario. is there anyone/organisation that could mentor me through teh job search and relocation?

[Idris Titus]

@Ada, The reason for Africa' Disunity is because there are fewer developed opportunities than the souls chasing them. Poverty rules supreme here and with that kind of situation, everyone will scramble for fewer available solutions. Its the survival of the fittest in this kingdom! This is responsible for corruption in Africa.

@Carol, there's a lot you can do the attain success and uncommon wealth in Africa. all you need do as earlier advised by someone in the thread is to think out of the box and be ready to make the 180 degree turn. Here in Africa, you work for your money without having to pay so many of those excruciating taxes you pay in the UK. And you live freely as a first class citizen. With fewer things competeing for your hard earned money, you are on your way to abundant wealth.

The best places to make it in life lies in places where opportunities abound. Opportunities in developing economies such as that in Africa far outways those in developed and saturated economies of the west. it only takes the shrewd visioner to spot them.

Cheers

[richard]

@ idris for those of us that dont have business savvy i.e. runing your own business or creating a new business.  do you have any examples of what outside the box we might do in Africa?  In UK there are plenty of other things you can get into, but without the right infrastructure in Africa I see it as an uphill battle. I could however be wrong

[Ade Fashade]

I think you need to consider exploring volunteering opportunities that are becoming increasingly popu;ar, as a way of furthering one's career here in the UK. You can do a one-evening a week volunteering in an area of interest or your area of study with a charity or as an intern. You can even volunteer abroad. As a trustee of an iverseas development agency, we are currently working with VSO to encourage diaspora volunteering amongst Africans in the UK. Check our charity website, Development Impact for Nigeria www.difn.org.uk. You can come back to me, through this forum if you want more info....

[richard]

thanks ade. volunteering here is easier when you have a job, but when you are making the transition to africa and you do not have any support then volunteering is near impossible. that aside though the wealth you get from volunteering can not be measured in monetary terms

[Grace Nakate]

Positive practical advice ppl!  Unlike the original person who posted this thread - I am a very mature person who has been working in the UK for what appears to a decade!  The challenge I've met on looking to relocate to use my skills in Africa are mostly down to paper qualifications - if one choses to go down the root of not utilising the "who you know" route.

This brings me back to Eddington's suggestion -create my own business, thinking outside the box (which by the way, is the only way forward, so i'm in no way knocking it) etc...Here I've found I've had to "grease some" parts of the transitional journey in order to approve the business - kinda like paying security/protection to not only get it up and running but also to sustain it. Also learnt that guys in Africa may lack the "techno-how", but they sure make up for it being sharp and will out manouvre you ten-fold if you blink!

Bottom line is - you wanna a job in Africa - take it in bite-size.  Go visit the country in question first, research as much as you can beforehand on lifestyle, work ethics - generally all that you can. Go in with a view to intergrate, an open mind and plenty of humour is a positive start, as opposed to asserting learnt practices from here.

2cents worth - BTW Eddington & Idris, thanks.