In Africa, it’s normal for any fresh graduate to tarmac before finally landing or scaling the ladder to his or her dream job.
In Kenya this is no different and in Nakuru town, most graduates are forced to do odd jobs to make ends meet.
In today’s world what matters to the graduates is the money and not what they do to make the money.
According to Thomas Mwenda, job agency manager at Nakuru town, today’s graduates are ready to make their hands dirty on anything as long as it gives them money.
Here are the two jobs that fresh Nakuru graduates do to earn a living:
1. Food and fruit hawking.
Walking around Nakuru town you will easily spot young men and women hawking food items and fruits in buckets at major bus stops, shops, streets and other public places. According to Mwenda, the youths have learned to appreciate humble beginnings and that is why they can engage in the hawking business even if they are graduates. “We have many graduates who come asking for any job and many of them are willing to accept being hired as food and fruit hawkers in town because they cant afford to just sit and wait for that white collar job,” said Mwenda.
2. Nail polishing.
Apart from hawking food around town, some Nakuru fresh graduates have found a way of making money by setting up nail polishing kiosks within the CBD where they undoubtedly get so many female customers especially on weekends. Albert Mwangi is nail beautician {not his real profession at Nyayo gardens and he says that on a good weekend, he can make up to Sh300. “I graduated two years ago with a diploma in business administration but getting a job has been challenging that is why I opted to engage in nail polishing after my uncle introduced me to it and am making a living out of it,” said Mwangi.