I write this article with mixed feelings regarding how African youths have embraced digitalization and are taking advantage of it. On one part, I congratulate all the youths who have begun exploiting various opportunities in the digital world to better the lives of humanity be it through social media, websites, mobile apps, SMS, among other ways. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that while unemployment has become a new song all over the world, many fellow youths are doing little or no effort to grab a place in the vast field of unexploited opportunities in the digital technology industry.
About a week ago, I posted a job offer on Facebook to hire someone skilled in JavaScript, PHP coding, Bootstrap, and WordPress. We are working on an online service and needed someone to join our team to facilitate the work. Surprisingly, only one person showed interest but didn’t meet the job specifications.
This is just an indication of a major syndrome plaguing the African youths which I call “LACK OF SPECIALISED SKILLS SYNDROME”. Unfortunately, our educational system mostly builds people up with basic general knowledge which often time is lacking in practical application. But what the job market is seeking is SPECIALISED SKILLS THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO SOLVE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS. Even computer graduates from some institutions seem to be suffering from this very syndrome, as what they learned in school was just some haphazard pieces of content in computer science and technology which is often lacking in practical application to solve real problems. I have spoken with several youths who have studied computer science in school and they have no clue as to how they can turn their knowledge acquired into a career or business.
On analyzing the whole situation, I discovered where this deficiency is coming from, which is: People acquiring knowledge without having a clear goal in mind that the knowledge will help them accomplish. In order words, they begin without having the end in mind, and that is why upon graduation, many youths experience a lot of frustration.
The proven approach that I am bringing to the table is this: You should acquire knowledge on any subject after you must have defined exactly what you will do with the knowledge when you leave school. This is even more true in the ever-evolving digital technology field. Before enrolling into a computer science institution, you must define exactly what the knowledge acquired will help you accomplish. Below, I list 7 key fields which you can consider as you embark on your computer science course:
1) Graphic Design
2) Digital Marketing
3) Web Design/Development
4) Mobile App Development
5) Windows, Mac or Linux software development
6) Data Science
7) Artificial Intelligence
just to name a few. The above are broad fields that can be further divided into subfields.
The interesting thing about it is that you don’t even need a computer science degree to become a digital tech entrepreneur. The digital tech industry rewards skills and expertise, far more than certificates. If you want to go to college, you must first get guidance to clarify your goals, so that you don’t get confused and frustrated at the end of your studies. This will help you be able to immediately implement your knowledge on defined goals to achieve results.
Being a self-taught tech entrepreneur, I know what it feels like to be able to find direction and a sense of purpose in your quest to take advantage of the opportunities in the digital technology sector. As with all matters of life, it will require time, hard work, persistence, patience and investment to achieve something great, but it doesn’t have to be difficult work. Through learning by experience and practically applying acquired knowledge, I know what it takes to turn your idea or dream into a thriving business or career in the digital technology world.
You should know that technology is just beginning, the unexploited opportunities are still massive and open for anyone who is interested.
I am launching the ShowMeHow Coaching program to help youths gain clarity and direction on what path to follow to achieve the results they want through result oriented and focused coaching. This will help them acquire practical knowledge that can be applied to solve societal problems. This applies to you who want to learn a digital technology skill on your own as well as you who want to enroll in college to learn it.
Grab an opportunity to talk with me on a free 15 minutes video call strategy session to help you bring your digital technology dreams to life.
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