BEING UNEMPLOYED : IS IT A CURSE OR A BLESSING?

 It is said by leading scholars that our attitude determines our altitude. It is also a fact that life is tough. There is no difficult scenario for a university student who toiled up to graduation and they fail to get a decent job. This is the common song in society. Youth unemployment is real. Some of the socioeconomic challenges that society is witnessing are due to unemployment of the youths. Just this year a youth was killed by a mob for killing a prominent businessman in the city. There is an increase in crime especially at night where unemployed goons attack people to steal their property. Not good signs in the Pearl of Africa.


So the question is, is unemployment a curse or a blessing? It goes back to attitude. There are countless stories of imaginative and innovative youths who have used their pressing challenge of lack of decent jobs to create companies. There is no limit to human potential. In his book, Think And Grow Rich : A black Choice, Dr. Dennis Kimbro cites examples of so many black Americans who were born in massive poverty but this did not deter them from progressing in life. These include Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Washington Carver. It is an indicator that regardless of one's past or present situation they can become a national asset. Today we have youths who have given up on life. The other day I saw a group of able bodied youths who wanted to beat up staff of a betting company because they had not been paid their "return on investment"

Some youths are invited for skilling or capacity building programs and in most cases for free and some do not turn up yet these are meant to prepare them for success. No one can succeed with the same level of thinking that they previously had. People who have shaped the world are always curious and ready to challenge the status quo. Professor Yunus Muhammad formed the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh out of curiosity and compassion for the poor. He used very little capital and today the bank is a model across the world for microfinance.

One of the biggest dilemmas that youths face is that they prefer instant success or already made jobs. This leads to disillusionment in case such opportunities do not exist. We need to reorient our youths so that instead of seeing problems such as potholes they can scan for opportunities in society.

So instead of cursing  unemployment it can act as a springboard for national development or transformation if the youths embrace critical thinking at an early age.


HOW TO MAKE UGANDA'S YOUTHS PRODUCTIVE

1. Right mentorship and career guidance

2.Creation of community libraries

3.Enabling youths to form groups

4.Values education is key

5.Embracing continuous learning

6. Encouraging vocational and technical education


Unemployment: is it a curse or a blessing? It depends on power of choice and attitude at an individual level as discussed above.

Phillip Kiryowa

Finance and Leadership Coach

+256752615916

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