South Africa's eTV-channel, recently had a thought provoking segment on the program 3rd Degree regarding young South African adults and their disillusionment with the "Rainbow Nation." You can watch part of it in the YouTube-video below -- it is only around five minutes.
The frustrations are real. I am in part living abroad because of this issue. I'm not completely convinced that I would not have been able to find a job in South Africa, but it would probably not have been what I wanted to do.
Just before I accepted this job offer in Korea I was looking at vacancies in South Africa at tertiary institutions. This is what I want to do (at least for the next couple of years) -- I want to be a tertiary level educator; I want to work at a university. However, during my search for jobs at South African universities and colleges one variable came up on numerous times; practically all jobs were so called “portfolio positions.” In other words, each department has to fill their faculty positions with a colour spectrum, favouring black people first, then coloured and Asian people, and lastly white people, and in the bracketing of white people, women get privileged over men. As a young white man that clearly puts me at a disadvantage.
I realised that the only way to ensure my own “marketability” is to increase my work experience as a university lecturer and to increase my education level; i.e. get my Ph.D. I could either stay in South Africa and continue to do the part time lecturing work that I was doing, hardly getting by from month to month, or I could go abroad and gain teaching experience while making a descent living. The rest is history. I’m yet to get my Ph.D, though. While I’m definitely gaining a tremendous amount of work experience, I’m also quite busy and I’m therefore unfortunately not progressing much on my goal towards attaining a Ph.D.
As I mentioned earlier, I did not leave South Africa because I could not get a job. I’m sure if I tried hard enough I could have found a job in some other field. Apart from my degrees in Language & Literature and Creative Writing, I also have a double major in Business Communication and Graphic Design. I’m sure I could have gotten a job as a graphic designer or marketer or I could have attempted to start up something of my own, but that is not what I want to do (now). Unfortunately, in South Africa beggars cannot be choosers. At this time in my life I do not wish to be a full time graphic designer (I still do a little of it on the sideline). I see myself as a university lecturer and that is what I am doing and enjoying at present. My working and living conditions are quite pleasant. While the salary is not that much better that what I would have received were I able to find a junior lecturer or full time lecturer position in South Africa, there are many benefits that I currently enjoy that make it actually more profitable.
Will I return to South Africa? Most probably. I did not immigrate. Nor did I flee for fear of violence, although that is a concern. Korea is just one of many steps in the ladder which is my life. But I have to emphasize with the two young South Africans on 3rd Degree. Both of them have master’s degrees like myself, but find themselves jobless. If my future in South Africa is a jobless one, I would be a fool to return with no prospective in mind.
I understand. I feel sorry for the South Africans I come across here who want to go home and can't go because there is no work for them, or nothing they want to do.
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa does have lots to offer: good scenery, rich cultures, etc.
Discrimination is never good, but then when people do things like affirmative action to get rid of it, it is a sort of reverse-discrimination.
I do suggest that you stay abroad as long as there is nothing for you back at home that you want to do.
Within a few years you should move on as not to get too comfortable here. If nothing in SA, then try a new country. There must be a good job for you somewhere, like Europe, the Middle East, or North America.
As for what to do, keep doing what you are best at and love the most.
This is the story of Luciano Pavarotti: He wasn't sure if he wanted to be a teacher or a singer. An advisor told him "if you try to sit between two chairs, you will fall between them". He chose singing and he became a great singer. If he chose both, he wouldn't have developed either talent well enough. It's great to have many interests and talents, but we must choose those we like best to sharpen the most.
Thank you for the advice.
ReplyDeleteI've been keeping Europe in mind, although I think I'll have to wait a bit before going there. Europe's financial crisis is only just beginning.
I like the analogy of the two chairs. I have a couple of chairs tempting me . . . that's the problem.