While in school, one yearns to get done with school so that they can join the job market and make an impact on the society.
You make gigantic plans of how you’ll drive a prestigious vehicle but wait until you get to the outside world as it is commonly called. You realise that things are totally opposite to your expectations.
For the first month, you rest at home and you are fed well with not so many duties. By the second month, you start becoming a liability. Even if no one tells you, you realise that you can no longer ask for money as you did while in college but some audacious parents and guardians will tell you that you are supposed to be independent as if you don't know it. Some will literary deny you pocket money so that you can learn how to dig your own gold.
At some point, your eyes open and you realise you badly need a job. This is now the tricky stage in life and ironically, job hunting requires starting capital just like any other business.
If you are the casual type, woe unto you as you'll need more capital to buy some official clothes so that you make a good first impression which will probably land you a job that all you mates will envy. You also need cash for bus fare and also photocopying your documents. If you never saved a penny from your HELB and your guardian has nothing to offer, it's really unfortunate.
The real job begins when you begin knocking office doors. You go all smiles only to meet an unpleasant person who is not willing to talk to you. You greet them but they can't even raise their heads because they are too busy on their phones. In other places, the security at the door will not even let you in. They tell you that there are no vacancies and you are left wondering if they are part of the human resource team.
After spending a week sending applications, your money runs out and it's now time to go home and wait to get a call to attend an interview. Three months down the line, no call, no sms or email. You start recollecting yourself all over again so that you resume sending application letters again. For the stronger ones, the job hunting process goes on until they finally land a job. The faint hearted give up in the first few months and opt to have a sponsor while others seek for marriage as if it's meant to end their problems.
Growing up is really just a whole journey and not an easy one at that. It needs more patience and persistence especially in these times when what matters most is who you know.