Do young people entering university really know what they want to become? The answer does not necessarily have to be a specific job title.

Students who transition most confidently into the world of work are not always those who had their careers mapped out from the start.

Jane Mutisya, a career coach, says university students should broaden the question beyond what they want to become.

Jane Mutisya is a career coach.

Photo credit: Pool

“What careers exist around what I am studying? What am I naturally good at? What problems do I enjoy solving? What skills does the market value? What skills am I developing that somebody might actually pay for? Could I monetise any of those skills while I am still studying?” she tells Parenting.

There is another question students should ask themselves: Is my university degree enough on its own, or do I need to complement it with a short professional course, technical certification or practical skill?

This is particularly useful for students pursuing either broad courses or highly specialised programmes. “A student with a broad degree, for instance, may need to think about what would make them more distinctive in the labour market. Would a practical course in data analytics, digital marketing, project management, accounting software or another relevant area give them a clearer professional edge?” she says.

At the same time, she notes a technically strong graduate may still benefit from communication, business, project management, data or digital skills.

“The point is not to assume that every degree requires another certificate. It is to understand how the qualification translates into the labour market,” she says. “Talk to professionals in the field. Ask lecturers and alumni what additional skills have proved useful. Look at 10 or 20 entry-level job advertisements in the area you are interested in. What skills, software and qualifications keep appearing?”

If you study marketing, have you helped someone run a campaign? If you study finance, can you use Excel or help a small business organise its records? If you study IT, what have you built?

Read: Kenyan graduates in the US: It’s harder to get jobs here but…

“That is why short online courses, professional certifications and digital skills can be useful when chosen carefully. The goal should not be to collect certificates simply to make a CV look impressive. It should be to learn something that can actually be demonstrated.”

If you learn Power BI, for example, show a dashboard. If you study digital marketing, show a campaign you supported. If you learn Excel, can you actually analyse data?

She explains that a certificate shows that one has completed a course. What one does shows they acquired the skill.

Still, communication remains an important skill. “Can you write a professional email, explain an idea clearly, participate in a meeting, make a presentation and write a decent report?” she asks, adding that students need to use AI to improve their work while retaining the ability to think, question, verify and produce quality work independently.

“A degree cannot teach you everything you will need for the next 30 years. One of the most useful things a student can learn, therefore, is how to keep learning.”

She shares that any legitimate job can be better than no job, not necessarily because of the money, but because of what it teaches you. Working in a supermarket can teach customer service and stock management, or helping in a family business can teach sales and accountability.

She adds that the job title may not sound impressive, but that does not make the experience worthless. Instead of asking whether the job sounds important, ask, “What am I learning here that I can use later?”

A student can also volunteer with an NGO, church, community organisation or professional association. They can help a small business with social media, bookkeeping, research, administration or customer service, and they can also assist with a university project or create something themselves.

“If you are learning data analytics, analyse publicly available data and build a dashboard. If you study software development, build something.

She suggests professional events can offer another way to learn and meet people. Some students may offer to usher guests at professional conferences or serve as rapporteurs and, in the process, build useful professional networks long before graduation.

“If there is an event you would like to attend, find the convener and write to them. Tell them you are a university student interested in the field and would be happy to volunteer and support the event,” she explains. “You may help with registration, ushering or note-taking and find yourself listening to conversations people have paid thousands of shillings to attend. Go there to serve and learn. Do your work exceptionally well and build relationships naturally.”

Students sometimes say, “I don’t have connections,” but Ms Mutisya says, “Start creating them.”

And those opportunities do not have to be confined to Kenya.

“Students can look for international internships, remote internships, paid or stipend-supported internships, fellowships, exchange programmes, research opportunities, global competitions and online work,” she says.

Instead of searching only for “internships in Kenya”, they can also look for opportunities such as “remote internships for African students”, “international internships with a stipend” or “global undergraduate opportunities”.

Read: Why uni students should trust their passions, not just ‘marketable’ courses

Ms Mutisya notes that online work is not only for highly technical people. There are legitimate opportunities in virtual assistance, online research, customer support, transcription, data annotation, content support and administration that may initially require good literacy, basic computer skills, reliability and attention to detail.

“Imagine graduating and being able to say, “I studied in Kenya but worked remotely with people in other countries.” Such opportunities require caution; however, students should research opportunities carefully and watch out for scams.

What you post, comment online

“If I search your name online today, what will I find?” she asks.

She also cautions that being professional on LinkedIn while behaving completely differently elsewhere online can create a contradiction that is difficult to ignore.

“Students should be conscious of what they post, comment on and share,” she says. “On LinkedIn, creating an account and then disappearing is not enough. Follow professionals and industry experts. Read what they write. Comment thoughtfully when something resonates with you and connect with people you meet.”

Read: How to successfully transition to a new field

Classmates, lecturers, alumni and internship supervisors are also part of your network. It is about building relationships when you do not need anything from people.

“If you consistently follow someone in your profession, engage with their posts and learn from them, over time you stop being a stranger. They may become an online professional friend, adviser or informal mentor,” she says.

When an internship, project or other opportunity comes up later, it is easier for someone to remember a young person they already know than a stranger who suddenly asks, “Please help me get a job.”

Ask someone, “You mentioned data analytics during your presentation. I am studying economics; what would you advise me to learn before I graduate?”

“And students do not have to chase only CEOs or the most senior people in an organisation. Someone five years ahead of you may offer extremely practical guidance because they have only recently navigated the same journey,” she says.

She notes the biggest mistake students make is treating university as though the only objective is to pass examinations and graduate.

Others include waiting until the final year to think about careers, wasting long holidays, dismissing unpaid volunteering, and collecting certificates without developing competence, ignoring networking, completing internships without deliberately learning, limiting opportunities to Kenya and failing to pay attention to your digital footprint.

“Use university as your laboratory. Two students can graduate with the same degree and still enter the job market with very different experiences,” she adds.

The transition from high school to university is not simply a change of schools. It is a significant transition in a young person’s life, and with it can come fear, anxiety and uncertainty.

Withstand pressure, remain flexible

Counselling psychologist Isaac Maweu.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Counselling psychologist Isaac Maweu, who also works with children in schools, says transitions at every stage of life can be challenging. There may be questions about whether one will settle in, fit in and succeed.

“A young person entering university needs to learn how to withstand pressure and remain flexible enough to adjust to a new environment. University brings freedoms that many students did not have in high school, but those freedoms also require them to make decisions for themselves,” he says.

Time management is equally important. He notes that students need to learn how to organise their time while allowing themselves room to make mistakes and learn from them.

“For a parent, watching a child leave home and enter university can bring its own anxieties. Will they cope? Did I prepare them well enough? Will they make good decisions when I am no longer there to guide them?”

Mr Maweu says young people need to develop independence and self-discipline without becoming overwhelmed by the freedom that university offers. “This starts with developing a willingness to learn and adjusting to change. Reflection can also help. When the excitement of university freedom sets in, students need to remind themselves that freedom comes with responsibility.”

He advises that students can seek guidance from people who are ahead of them, whether an older sibling, someone they trust at university or another person who has already navigated a similar experience.

“Parents can create a system of checking in with their children, particularly when they are studying far from home or even outside the country. The aim is to remain connected without taking away the young person's growing independence.”

Self-discipline, he notes, is particularly important when it comes to phones and other distractions. “A student who has spent years in an environment with strict rules may suddenly have unrestricted access to their phone and their own time. Can they recognise that it is time for class, put aside distractions and focus?”

Today, many universities and colleges have counsellors who can provide support. Learning to seek help is itself an important life skill. Mr Maweu encourages young people to identify ‘safe strangers’, people such as lecturers or fellow students whom they can reasonably trust and approach when they need help.

What problems do people face?

One important habit he encourages is continuous learning. “Learning should not stop at acquiring knowledge. Students should also learn to apply what they know,” he says. “The old idea was that one goes to school, graduates and gets a good job. Today, young people are increasingly encouraged to identify problems in society and think about how they can contribute to solving them.”

“What needs exist around you? What problems do people face? What can you do about them?”

University is also a place to learn how to work with others. Students will encounter group assignments and other situations where they have to work towards a common goal.

Learning how to communicate, cooperate and work with other people is a skill that will remain useful long after graduation.

At the same time, he warns students need to be careful about comparing their lives with those of others. “Social media can make comparison particularly difficult. One student may appear to be travelling, another may seem to have more money, while someone else may appear to be progressing faster.”

Mr Maweu advises young people to understand their limits and develop their own principles.

“You can control your attitude towards class, life and other people. You cannot control another person's attitude towards you. You can choose the people you spend time with, but you cannot choose everyone you encounter.”

He notes poor grades, failed attempts and even wrong academic or career choices do not have to define a young person. The greater danger is refusing to try because of the fear of failure.

“You may fail on the way to success, but if you never try, you may never discover what you are capable of achieving.”

Mr Maweu says many young people enter university without having had professional career counselling. A career counsellor can help a student understand their personality, academic performance and interests, as well as consider market trends, through tools such as psychometric assessments.

“This can help a young person make more informed choices rather than spending years, money and other resources pursuing a course or career they eventually abandon. A student can graduate with first-class honours and still struggle to apply what they have learnt or work effectively with other people,” he says.

He also points out that students can also use university as an opportunity to explore small business ideas, provided they can balance them with their studies. “A student could buy a small quantity and sell it to fellow students over the weekend. The point is not simply to make money. It is also to learn how to identify an opportunity, manage money and take responsibility while studying.”

He cautions against relationships where there are significant differences in age and power, such as becoming involved with much older students.

Some young people may also be introduced to sexual behaviours or groups that expose them to risks they had not anticipated. Pregnancy, for instance, can bring challenges that affect a student's ability to concentrate on their studies.

The question to ask oneself is, “Am I in a relationship?” but also, “What is this relationship doing to me? Is it healthy or unhealthy?”

Mr Maweu says that the brain continues developing between the ages of 23 and 25 years, including the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in areas such as decision-making and abstract thinking.

“Every choice has a consequence, and students need to think about those consequences before making decisions.”

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eintabo@ke.nationmedia.com