Nothing Comes on a Silver Platter

As graduation season approaches in Namibia, we pause to acknowledge the sleepless nights, the taxis hailed, the battles fought and the sheer relentlessness it takes to walk across that stage and collect a degree. It is no small thing. However, as the applause fades and the venue empties out, a sobering reality sets in for a significant number of graduates: they will walk from the ceremony straight into unemployment. I say this as a first-year university student, someone who has only just begun this journey. Sometimes, clarity comes precisely because you are standing at the starting line, not the end.

Namibia’s youth unemployment rate is not a secret. Yes, the government may not have done enough and perhaps the private sector is small. This is fair and well-deserved criticism but if we are being honest: we as the youth also have to look inward because alongside the structural failures, there is a cultural one. We have not done enough to build in ourselves or encourage others to build a genuine spirit of proactiveness. Many young people do the basics. They attend lectures, they pass their modules, they graduate and then they wait. They wait for a job to find them and when it doesn’t, the government becomes the only explanation. However, a degree, as valuable as it is, was never a guarantee, especially in today’s world. It is a foundation. What you build on top of it is your own responsibility.

The people who tend to find their footing are not always the most brilliant in the room, or those who graduate cum laude. They are the ones who sought out internships – paid or not, because they understood that experience is the currency. They are the ones who reached out to professionals in their fields, who networked before they had anything obvious to offer, who were willing to be the youngest person in the room and learn anyway. Some of them started this in their second year of university, while others did so in their first year or even high school.

Proactiveness is not a personality trait you have or don’t have. It is a decision you can make right now, whether you are in your first year or your final year. Beyond employment, there is also the question of creation. We talk constantly about job shortages, but far less about job creation. Collaboration, entrepreneurship and building something with the people around you – your fellow peers and friends. These are not idealistic suggestions, they are practical paths that too many young Namibians dismiss before they even try. Namibia’s institutions must do more. That remains true but the responsibility to stand out, to grow, and to create opportunity does not begin after graduation. It begins now.

• Symon Itenge is a first-year law student at the University of Namibia.

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