WHERE DO I START?

Where do I start? Where is my life headed? What will I do? where will I get a job? How will I earn money? Who will offer me a job, a good job with a big salary? Will I ever drive my car? When will I be able to afford those designer clothes and shoes, I saw that celebrity wear in the music video? Will I ever be able to build my own house? That rich friend we went to school with has a car. The other friend was shipped to America or Australia. They are now in Canada earning dollars. What will happen to me? Will I be able to get out of the block? When? How? What is my future?

Questions. They keep increasing. More questions than answers. How come I see others succeed yet I seem to get nowhere. I just graduated from college; I just received my bachelor's degree from university. I am excited about finally graduating. All the hard work I put in, the countless hours studying, preparing for Continuous Assessment Tests, absorbing all the information given to us by the lecturers to pass the examinations. Pass I have. My efforts have been fruitful. My comrades and I have been rewarded with certificates bearing our names, announcing to the world we are now a qualified this or the other profession. We are excited about the future. We look toward it with hope and faith. Yes, we did it. What now?

Looking out, we meet people that were ahead of us in school and in campus. They graduated from college and university some 3 or 4 years ago. With the same eagerness and anticipation for a bright future in the careers and professions. Hope of a nice fat salary, maybe settle down and find a worthy spouse and make a small beautiful family 5 years down the line. This is a beautiful dream. It is what we dreamt and hoped for too as we received our certificates, firmly shaking the hand of the dean, before the Don in his speech wished us well, good luck in our endeavors and a charge to keep the fire burning! Go out and take on the world! 'Do not be afraid,' he says, 'build the country!'

Then the realization sets in. The realization that school does not end when we complete university or college education. What we do is enter the new school. The school of life. A brutal and merciless school. A school that does the exact opposite of what is done in the conventional education system. Instead of teaching first and then testing to gauge the level of understanding, this school of life first tests the individual before administering the lesson. The tests and lessons range from mild to heartbreaking, heart wrenching and debilitating. Mostly it is a test of the character of the individual. The school does not care for the individual's tribe, social background, political inclination or family ties. It treats one and all, all the same. All have to enter this school as we enter the conventional school; from them nursery. Some are fortunate to have able teachers and mentors to hold their hands, to guide them through. This may be in the form of a boss or employer, a role model, speaker etc. What is more is that there is no manual or text book to refer to in times of trouble. Or is there?

Now, these individuals that have entered this school before us, tell us 'Freshers' of the school of life, "it is hard out here! There are no jobs, the economy is bad." Some, in a short amount of time, after a few hard knocks from events in life, completely lose themselves and their wits, enter into abuse. Abuse of drugs, alcohol, sex and such. All that is unholy. A slippery slope. A hole that only gets deeper. A life so miserable. A life without hope, a life of mere existence. Not a good life. The bright dreams are darkened, the hope for the future dimmed, what remains is to live day by day, maybe get an odd job here and there to sustain survival. Pay rent if they are domiciled in the city or town and buy food. The major highlight of the day becomes the half bottle of hard liquor bought by another to drown the sorrows of a failed and miserable life, or the 'sherehe', party, the person is invited to where there was free liquor. This liquor is drunk to the point of obliteration, to the numbness of any senses in the person. No judgement. Increasingly it becomes bleak. No joy, no more hope for a good future, life seems to lose all meaning. What is life, this is asked. There seems to be no way out. Or is there?

For a few of the lucky ones that do land on a job, life seems to be on to a good start. Despite the long hours, the heavy and demanding work load, the terrible boss and the uncooperative co-workers, hope still lives. Prospects of a promotion and an increase in salary live on. This means a loan can be taken out from the bank for the purchase of a nice car, to live in a nice neighborhood though a bit overpriced, the kids can go to a nice albeit expensive private school. More debt has to be taken to sustain this but it is workable. This is hope for the future. The appearance of being squared away, of having life in order. Of having mastered life and what it is all about. They seem to be doing as well as could be expected in this school of life. Is this the truth? Is this all there is to life? We ask.

Now, here is the conundrum. There are more qualified people, whatever qualified means, whether it is having graduated the best colleges and universities in the country, or having actual experience in the profession, than there are jobs available. Most of the small number of jobs available require 6 years' experience for one to be eligible. We have just graduated so no experience whatsoever do we have. Our parents expect us to earn and support ourselves, they have spent what they could on our education up to this point with the hope and foresight that we will be gainfully employed, support ourselves, support our siblings in their education and support them also. And so, we are lost. What do we do, what is our next move? More questions. So the search for answers begin?