Many times, students in universities or colleges are ingrained with the expectation of getting an amazing job soon after graduating.
While this becomes a reality for some, it is not the case for others.
Mike Mbewe, proprietor of Mbeka Trust School located in 6 Miles, Lusaka, advises recent graduates from different universities not to be overwhelmed by the reality of life when their expectations are not met.
He encourages them to make use of every job opportunity that comes their way.
Born in Mazabuka, Mr. Mbewe is the second-to-last born in a family of 15 children.
He started his education at Luona Primary School and completed his secondary education at Anoya Zulu Secondary School in Eastern Province.
After completing his secondary education, he proceeded to Nkana College of Applied Sciences and Education in Copperbelt for his teaching program, where he graduated in 2016.
Mr. Mbewe, who is a husband and father of three, started a tuition center in 2017 while applying for a teaching job in Government. However, he has not been recruited to date.
This delay led him to open Mbeka Trust School.He also reveales that one of the major factors that contributed to him starting his own school was the realization that he already had the necessary skills and qualifications from college.
This became the foundation of his journey.Mr. Mbewe describes the genesis of the school as ‘stormy and thorny’.
“I began the school with my three children as pupils and my wife as a colleague,” he says.
“This came with a lot of negativity from society, as it looked like a joke, but that encouraged my wife and me to work even harder,” he adds.
Mr. Mbewe recalls reporting to school every day an hour before time just to teach his three pupils (his children).
He also recalls being encouraged by his wife’s positive attitude towards the humble school when he saw her zealously teaching the children.
Despite the challenges of life threatening to choke him, he believed that “When you know where you are going, you will not mind what you are going through.”
Within a span of twelve months, the school grew in number and now has more than 30 pupils, plus externals whom he tutors.
Mike says he is an advocate for women’s education, which is why he is sponsoring his wife, Florence Chibeka, who is pursuing a teaching program and is in her final year at Nkana College of Applied Sciences and Education.
Having gone through the harsh reality of life after graduation, Mr. Mbewe’s utilization of the teaching skills he earned in college has shaped his perspective, motivating him to leave a good legacy.
This perspective drives him to give his all in his endeavors.
Mbeka Trust School is slowly making its mark in its location, but Mr. Mbewe envisions a university that will guide many in their career paths.
Mr. Mbewe advises individuals who have graduated from different universities and faculties to use the skills they earned from school and take advantage of every job opportunity around them.
“Don’t look at what you are doing, but what you will gain from what you are doing because what you do does not change your status of being a graduate,” he says.
He also advises graduates who upgraded their qualifications in hopes of being promoted in their field of work not to focus on that, but rather to see it as an upgrade of their mind.