 Welcome back, welcome back. Well, we are starting with youth and career before we dive into Matiz politics with Val later on and on career we want to speak on career and the future of work. And for that we are joined by Habat Odiambo who is not only a mentor, but also a teacher and an entrepreneur to guide us through this, through this discussion. Thank you so much. My name is Habat. I'm a teacher. Just as you've said, I'm also an entrepreneur. I'm a dad, I'm a blogger, I'm an author as well. So it's important that we discuss this matter, youth and career. It's important that we talk about youth and career and we get to see how youth can be informed on proper career choices that they make. Okay, amazing. So, especially now that you are a teacher, we want to know how you can, you know, give guidance to the young ones that are yet to choose careers for themselves, those that are in high school, those that have finished, you know, high school in universities, but are still somehow lost and they just want directions. So what would you say is the right guide to use in choosing a career? Okay, thank you so much. You see, every year, every year we pass, as a teacher, every year I see, I see when the results are released, we have almost a million candidates that are passing into the world, to the tertiary institutions and somehow you have roughly 45 to 50% of them proceeding to the tertiary levels without having the knowledge or maybe they don't even know what to expect in terms of their career priorities. So as a teacher, I think I've been able to handle students that, you see, they basically they have no idea what they want, they don't know the approach to give and I also have seen students who are really informed about the choices that they want, whatever the career, the profession they want to pursue and all that, but you see the percentage of the students passing onto the next level without informed decisions, you see it kind of outweighs the informed in terms of the percentage. So as a teacher, I think there are some factors that would really influence the type of a career that a student or an individual might want to pursue. So we must be very clear, we must know these things so that when you're making your decisions, you'll be able to understand the kind of choices you're making. You see initially. What are some of the factors that should be considered the main ones? You see, we have passion and interest. Initially back in the days, our parents, when you talked to them about how they got their job or maybe how they got into the profession, it would be very clear that they found themselves in, probably because during those days, life was about two things, support and supporting others. So job found them, but as we are talking right now, we are dealing with a situation where we are here and this is the future and you have to stand out, you see. So you must be very smart. So we are also at a situation where, you see, you must have that interest if you really want to excel in that profession that you are going to, you see. And I can say that you see we have people that are finding themselves in professions or careers that it's maybe because of their parents, you see. Because I discuss a lot with the students, you will find students will say, a student will say that, you know, I'm only doing this for my parent. I'm being a doctor because my parent wants me to be a doctor. But really my passion is not there. I don't feel like being a doctor, I don't feel like being a lawyer, but I'm doing it because I respect my mom, you see. So they'll get done with the profession, the career, maybe the course, and then they'll bring you back the papers. They'll say, you know, mom, you wanted me to be, you wanted me to be a nurse, you wanted me to be a teacher, then here is my, here is the certificate. Now let me pursue what I want, you see. And what is the importance of moving away from that because, you know, parents, there's a lot of that happening, you know, people starting because they're just starting to give the certificate to their parents because they're paid that fee and you don't have a choice. But what is it important for parents to move away from that and actually hear out what their children want to pursue? Personally, I think that the parents should really take advantage of the institutions and, you know, the teachers, they know the students and a teacher will definitely look at you and say, now this boy from their parents and maybe the performers, this can make a good lawyer, this can make a good nurse, you see. So there are departments in schools that really take care of that. We have the careers department in schools. We have the guidance and counseling that can basically take care of that. So I believe that the parents should take care of that. They should they should raise with the institutions and help in influencing positive, actually, the careers that their sons or daughters would pursue. Yes, so basically that is it. All right. And what's the importance of having a career in mind, you know, pursue? What is the importance of career? You know, you can be doing so many things that you don't even know where when someone asks, what is your career? You're like, well, I'm just somewhere there. But what is the importance of having a career? You see, you see, I read an article. I just don't recall the author. But the research had it that around 50 to 60 percent of people in profession are not happy with their jobs. It's because perhaps they found themselves in that. You see, if you would make a proper career choice at this particular point in time, one, you'd really pursue other alternatives or other. You'd really want to pursue growth. You see, you'd be more productive because you're doing what you enjoy. And I also know that you'll also be out for, you see, when you're doing something you enjoy, something you like, it's like you want to be pushed around to do it. You see, it will be flowing from the inside. All right. What about people who are not satisfied with their careers, like you've said? So how do they move on from that? Are they just trapped in the career that they are in, or can they go back and do something about it? I believe we normally have the room for change. And I also believe that it's not all about, you know, the moment you're stuck in something, you can't enjoy it. You see, there are other alternatives. You look at the definition of a career. You see, careers are different things that somebody can do. It's not basically one, though the term profession and career is used as one. But when you look deep, you'll get to see that career. You can be a teacher. At the same time, you can do business. You can have your business. At the same time, you can be a blogger. You can do other things, you see, that are of essence that can help you grow, you see. So I think when you have that, when you're in that state where you're not happy with your career, then you should start looking for an alternative. Basically, maybe an area that you felt, you see, you needed to invest much of your time in. And I also think that that can also help you grow or overcome that kind of a setting where you think you're trapped. Okay. Would you say that the current education system is helping in any way, helping us as a society, moving away from the way we see career to how we're now seeing it? You look at the market currently and you see a lot of graduates, jobless. That indicates one thing. Perhaps there's a problem somewhere. There might be, you see, when we need statistics, we must know the market. What is it that the market demands, you see. I'm scared of the future because we are going to land, we are going to head somewhere, or we are headed to a dead end where people will be passing through the education system as a process, as a ritual, you see. You pass through the system, get out into the world, there's no job, you see. I think the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics should of course take their time and give us what the market demands, what the market requires. For example, you can say in the next few years, in the next six years, for example, how many lawyers do the market need? You see. In the next four years, how many teachers do we need? So that when we have the intake, when we have the intake, the universities or the tertiary institutions, they can make their judgments based on the statistics that are there, you see. So I think that when we have the facts in place and we know what the market demands, then it would be very easy to go about this. We will not be having students passing through the system, somebody having a degree course, then coming out with it in the market and there's no job. You start from the grass again to somewhere, you see. So we must be informed and we must be very clear about these things because there's no point of admitting 6,000 students to have a course in education, for example, when the market is flooded. So maybe you can have two or three or even 10 or 100 that you'll be very sure when they're done with their studies, they'll get something in the market. So education should not be a ritual, just a process where people pass. You know, I have to go to school because it's a routine, you see. Okay. And do you think that, you know, the grading system also has been a lot of pressure with it, especially with the 804 system. So when you get an A, you're almost expected to go and, you know, be a doctor. Do you think it has contributed to the fact that people are doing courses that they don't like? Just because you have an A, you are supposed to be an engineer, yet you want it to be, you know, do a simple course because I don't think there's others that are way here than others because at the end of the day, it's a system you're all helping each other. But the fact that you've done, you get a good grade, you're expected to do a certain course. So do you think that has contributed to people doing courses that they don't really like? I think grading, per se, is just okay. And I think the aspect of grading will influence positively when you have something, you have a target to work towards, you see. But I think idolizing a grade, idolizing that system or having it in the place of other things would not really work for good because you will find a system where people want A's, students want, they want A's. So they'll do anything it takes to get that A, you see. But in the long run, you'll find a student who maybe is drilled for that A. He'll get his A, then go out to the market, or maybe whichever means possible that he can do to get that grade. And then he ends up in a world that is so competitive with the A. Yeah, so I think apart from just having your grades, I said I'm an entrepreneur. Other than grades, there are other things that I really look at for the first time I was subjected to an interview, I was being interviewed. And then a second time, now I was the person interviewing the other person, you see, the interview. So there are other things I was seeing when I was the interviewer, apart from the other, you see, when I was the one being interviewed, the other things I was not seeing, I wasn't able to see. But now, when I became the interviewer, now there are things other than the grade that I started seeing, like I wanted a character that is teachable, I wanted a person that would take instructions, you see, just somebody that is flexible for the job. So these are things that just grades cannot give you, you see. So I think just apart from the issue of grades, you need to add on other hands-on experiences you need to have, you see. So that you have a good career, something that you like, for you to learn that your dream job, you see. There are other skills that you must have, not basically grades, you see. Sometime back I was joking with my students, I was telling them that a friend of mine cheated his way in an exam, got a good A, went for medicine, and then by that time he had a neighbor, his deski, who would see him do all this, and then this guy goes for medicine and is there, and then ten years down the line, the same deski has a sick son, goes to see a doctor, and finds the same person that cheated in exam, that is tolerated, you see. So how do you do about that, you see. So that's what I'm saying, it's not all about grades, we must have character. Character is very important. So how do you assess character? Will the CBC help you in getting that? You see with the CBC, I can say that it's more of competency-based, you see, it brings out the real you, you see. You'll see an engineer from an early age, see your son trying to fix wires and everything, you know the direction his life is taking, you see. You know this one is tuned in engineering. You see some of us, some of us like, we stepped into the university without having a clear knowledge of what to do, because back at home your mom will tell you, hey, in this house there must be a lawyer. Your dad would say, no, you know I'm an engineer, so there must be an engineer here. So you know like it's all, it's all for you, you're automatically an engineer. So I think when we have this kind of the competency-based system, the kid would grow up knowing what to expect, you see. Even the parent can help in aiding the process, because you see your daughter loves kitchen, you know what is good at, what she's good at, you see. When you see your son likes arguing too much, you know the direction his life is likely to take, you see. So I think I strongly believe that we need to allow that experience to come out. What about the system only mostly focusing on employment? What about those that are businessmen, you were in the Kronua, apart from being a teacher and all that, what about those that fully just want to venture into entrepreneurship? Into entrepreneurship. I think it all goes back to passion. What are you passionate about? There's some people that never works well when there is pressure and then there are people that really, they are comfortable in that environment where they can be productive, where they are monitored and all that. So I think if you want to go for entrepreneurship as a career, again you need to do your thorough market study. The world is competitive, very, very competitive. And I know there are stories of people who started from scratch, from grass to grass. But we must not forget that you need to do your thorough research about the market. I think let me just tag this along with the aspect of entrepreneurship. We have youths that are so anxious and zealous about money. They want quick cash, quick money. So they'll go for automatically things that will give them that quick cash. Yes, even careers when they do a collection like that. A doctor is paid more. Though that is a good pay, but not a quick one. So that takes time, that takes patience. Entrepreneurship for you to invest and have things working. Maybe you want to start a media company. It will really take you patience because you have to work with different personalities. You just have to be patient for you to have what you want. But now when we talk about quick cash, you'll see like I'll just try to be controversial today. I'll do something funny and then I make it trend. I get my quick cash. But now in the long run, in the long run, how sustainable is this? You've talked about that and I'm thinking about content creators in Kenya and that's the career path. I think in my line of teaching as well, I've also seen students who would want to drop out of school to pursue maybe content creation or perhaps maybe to go for other things, music, drama, acting, you see. And you see the market as well is also very competitive and things are changing. If for example, I would have used some examples here, but you know that would sound very nice. But now there are people that found themselves maybe in the limelight through dancing. Now my question is if they didn't go through the traditional way, at least to help in sustaining and now they grow old, what is it? You see things are changing. Like you'll find a season where now it's Roomba and it's Ganga Town and it's days and that. So again, when age catches up with you, there are some dances, there are some moves you can't bring in. And again, maybe if it's comedy, you'll find every day people are evolving. You find somebody coming up with new things, you see. So what would you do at that particular point in time? So I would advise that young men should have that traditional path. Yes, though you might want to be a footballer. We have footballers that have professions, but so that football adds to the table, you see. It's like a side gig, you see. So basically, I think... All right. That's it, okay. So education is important, regardless of what you want to do. Regardless of what you want to do, at least have some papers, you see. At least have some papers because you never know. Life happens and when life happens, what will you have? If there's something you can fall back on. Okay. What about qualifications in job hunting? Some people, you know, you have studied, let's say journalism, you've studied, let's say whatever career it is. And then you have not had the opportunity to practice, to gain experience from it. But, you know, in the job application, they require three years of experience. Oh, yes. So, you know, and this is the career path that you want it to go with. So how do you, how do you, you know, hack it? When you talk about career, the process of growth normally starts at the point when somebody enters the, let me, for now, let me say the university or a teacher institution. You have a lot of opportunities of internship. You have a lot of opportunities to volunteer. Some of these things, we might overlook them as early as now. But, you see, later on, when you're out there for a job hunt, they'll ask you, maybe you are fresh from campus. You've just graduated and you have your one-page CV there. But there are other things that you might have done previously. Maybe you might have volunteered. Perhaps you might have gone through the process of internship that will help build your CV. For now, I believe that if you want to, if you don't want to struggle a lot and you have the opportunity, you're just enrolling, you know, you see, maybe you are university or college. You need to go for those short courses. You need to do more of volunteering. You need to go for the internships. They'll help you build your CV. And if you haven't, at least do so. There's a time we were looking for some job and we had, it was an international school, and they were asking that you must have at least an experience. Either way, it might not be a paid experience, but you should have an experience. Okay. Yeah. That will make you competitive. I might have my clean A first class, but now the problem is I don't have an experience. I would not want that as an employer. At least I need something. I need an experience, you see. Okay. All right. What about as we almost wind up, what about you are in a career and you want career progression? So is it good to apply for job applications that, you know, to do job applications that you have not really met the qualifications for, but you just want to try it out either way? Is it okay to try it out, even if you have not met the standard? Yeah. Of course, it is okay to try out. I think it will stretch you. It will help you grow. It will help you know how far you should move. Yeah. So I think, basically, it's just important that you do so. You just try it. You know, there's no harm in trying. There's no harm in trying. Yeah. There's no harm in trying. You should just try, send your CVs, see the qualifications, check on what they need, you see. Okay. Finally, before you give us the final say on this, speak about having a competitive edge over the still and career progression. A competitive edge. Now, we might come for an interview and we all have clean A's. I have my A plane. You have your A. I have my first-class owners. You have your first-class owners. Okay. But now, I'm not communicative, but you are. I mean, I'm an introvert, but you're an extrovert, you see. I'm an introvert, you are an extrovert, you see. I'm teachable, I'm teachable, but you're meek, you see. Basically, when we start before the panel, you'll be more advantaged because you have other hands on, you see. It's like an advantage to your side. You don't just have the basic. You have something extra. You must have something extra. Okay. Yeah. Amazing. Sometimes, you might not have the extra courses, but your personality in itself can be an extra advantage. Yeah. Yeah. And then again, the world is changing so fast, and I believe that the market will require people that are compliant. You see, you get to know how the trends are going and you're compliant. Okay. You're moving on the changing times. All right. Amazing. So how about, what would you, from all that you've said, what is it that you would want to stick with a viewer for all of the speaking letters, youth, and career? This is your camera, and there's also clothes. You can tell us where we can find you on the social media handles for those that would want to have you as a mentor or look for you. Okay. Thank you. Closing this, the market is becoming very competitive, and we need something extra. It's not just about grades. It's not about your documents and papers. You need to do something extra to help you be competitive as well. You need to be compliant to the changing trends, and basically just that. My name is Habat. If you want to know more, to interact more, you can always search that on Facebook. Habat of Yambu. Okay. Amazing. Thank you very much, Habat, for the amazing insights that you shared with us. That has been Habat of Yambu, who's a teacher, an entrepreneur, but for this particular interview, he's wearing the hat of a mentor, and he's been speaking to us about career and the future of work. So I hope you've taken something from it. This has been youth and career. We now take a short break, and then Val will be back with youth and politics. State of the nation is a topic that they'll be handling, so don't go too far. This is why in the morning.