Bricky @bricky16 - Twitter Profile

To guys who are applying for university, or going to university - especially those from poor backgrounds, like us; who will not experience career guidance, like we didn't; to whom education is everything, like it was for us, here is a tailored treatise for you. 1. Do not pick a degree course with your stomach in mind I know how tempting it is, because hunger is all you've known, to choose a degree course on its perceived prestige/marketability or its attendant pay scale in the career market. Because you want a career that will help you pull your parents out of poverty. There is not a bad degree. Be it education, range management, or gender studies. If your heart is in it, go forth and seize it. You'll need the motivation when all else is drained. I could have done much more in life with a Bachelor's in Literature than I have, or ever will, with a Bachelor's in Economics. 2. Prioritize notable learning institutions/universities/colleges For undergraduates, I went to a university whose name I cannot mention in an interview without being asked for clarification. While it was not necessarily my doing, I could have done more to fight my situation. People say institutions don't matter, but they do. The network you make at the University of Nairobi is not the network you will make at Kirinyaga University. Same with opportunities at the institutions. It will also be critical when you want to advance your education or career outside the country. A distinction from UoN trumps a distinction from Pwani University any day. 3. Focus on your studies I know you are hungry. I know you want to also earn money on the side. Focus on your studies! Especially, in Africa. The only sustainable/scalable investment for an African child without wealthy parents is education. The rest will come. Old money can risk it, you can't. Think long-term. There are gigs right now: you can write articles, you can code some, you can be an influencer: but please don't let it be at the expense of your studies. 4. Your grades matter! Especially, in sourcing scholarships later. No one will understand that you had to look after your mother that's why you couldn't attend classes. No one will understand the Ds & the supplementaries in your transcript. It doesn't matter that you scored A in high school, poor grades in campus lock you out of the door. You won't get time to explain. It's not so hard to score a 2nd upper class in campus. It takes a half of what you gave in high school. Your grades matter. Make sacrifices. Tell your parents you can't send them money just yet. Unless, what you intend to venture in is solid, don't risk your studies for pocket change. 5. You see that awkward, determined boy or girl in your class, he/she is your network. In the outside world, the cool boys - unless by a stroke of luck, esoteric talent, or family connections - do not make CEOs. On sheer effort alone, and grit unchained, the awkward boy beats the cool boy 10-nil in the career world. Have cool boys as friends, but respect the awkward guy. He is the one who's going to point you to oppportunities when you are out of school. 6. Enjoyment is not free Have fun responsibily. I have seen pregnancies completely change the trajectory of classmates' lives. It will affect you! Especially the girls. For the boy, you do not need the pressure, trust me on this! I know sex in campus is probably as sweet as a cold mango juice in Sahara desert, but every time you consume it unprotected, you risk an entirely new landscape to your life. Nothing is new. Smoke responsibly. Drink responsibly. Weed & liqor did not start yesterday, and will not end tomorrow. A lot of times, it comes down to peer pressure. Learn to say no. Every time you say no to something, you teach your friends not to invade your space. I know a certain wonderful course mate, who despite his friends being pathological drunkards, never indulged once. It is possible to have resolve. It is necessary! Lastly, I want you to know that nothing is guaranteed. Some of your course mates will be brighter than you. They will be more successful than you after college. It won't matter much if you know, deep down, you gave your best. And if it fails, understand that it was just another shot in the dark. And for you to even get to that level, with all the adversity in your path, is a miracle on its own. So go forth! Carpe diem!

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