What Next After Campus

Uni and College are the best times anyone can ever wish for, 4 years (or 5, 6) of freedom and no responsibilities. The years in Campus allow us to discover who we really are, Campus gives us that opportunity to experiment with new beliefs – I know a number of folks who became atheists in Campus, I started listening to Rock music when in Campus after being introduced.

Other folks get lost in Campus, the fun becomes too much! And at that point, we tend to forget the primary purpose why we joined uni – and that is to study and get that degree.

Another set of folks, are best described by comedian Jalang’o. These are the folks who joined uni with the primary focus in mind and that focus only. Jalang’o says “How can someone come from the village, join uni in Nairobi and then go back to the village after graduation?” he wonders. He goes further to wonder how one is in uni but has never been beyond the university grounds i.e. wewe either uko mess, class ama hostel! Mtu hajawai fika industrial area na ati ako University of Nairobi.

Jalang’o’s puzzle is with the young folks who are not aggressive in terms of connecting and discovering opportunities beyond the degree. Hence the question What next after Campus?

Campus is a great place to connect, to now, the guys I count on most are people I called classmates. Life after campus is highly defined by the life you led in campus, the networks you built, the business you started among others.

Some folks after campus head back to the village with the graduation hat, lots of song and dance, others propel their entrepreneurial idea, others get first-class honours either head out for masters or join the university staff as support or technical teams, others who their parents told them to get the papers head out to the jobs that were waiting for them. Others get a few official clothes, an amazing brown envelope and the hustle begins, others take their degrees home to the parents who forced them into the specific program and start something totally different such as photography. Unfortunately, others drop out of school halfway for various reasons ranging from financial challenges, a number of supplementary exams, and others just get tired of their brains not being well utilized and they try their luck in the KCB Lions’ Den or GSEA while others become the loudest on the New Comrades Forum – a popular Facebook group.

There are a number of pathways to take, and in reality, it gets confusing. To make it easier for the young ones growing; individuals are coming up with seminars to help create awareness and make it easier for them to decide a favourable path.

#HerSeminar

This coming November 8, at the Bazaar Place – American Corner, The Campus Lady Magazine has put together #HerSeminar an ultimate career and entrepreneurial development event for college women and recent graduates starting at 2 PM.

This is the second edition and the theme of this edition is “WHAT NEXT AFTER CAMPUS? The Opportunities and Possibilities for the Campus Lady“.

It will feature an array of career women from across different industries in Kenya with amazing swag, actionable programming and interactive activities. The intention is to give you all the available alternatives that any campus lady can pursue after her undergraduate studies.

The event will feature an array of career women from across different industries in Kenya with amazing swag, actionable programming and interactive activities. The intention is to give you all the available alternatives that any campus lady can pursue after her undergraduate studies.

The keynote will be delivered by Purity Ngina, the youngest PhD holder in Kenya as at yet. Purity’s story is one of triumph as she scored only 235 in KCPE, she’s also a lecturer at Strathmore, and I’m privileged to be speaking next to her. Register for the second edition of #HerSeminar.