Degree no guarantee of job

Think of your degree, certificates and diplomas as something akin to a passport, which will allow you access to bigger opportunities, but is no ironclad guarantee for employment.

This was the advice President Paula-Mae Weekes shared in a feature address last Friday at UWI, St Augustine for the graduation of 523 Roytec students.

Punctuality, respect for authority, willingness to go the extra mile, attire and self-discipline are key to enter and thrive in the world of work, she said.

The president invited the graduates to put on their “rose-tinted spectacles,” but said they should know when to store them away and be realistic about life.

“Be a realist, see challenges and obstacles for what they are. Be a pragmatist, adopt a practical approach to problem-solving and overcoming obstacles. But never let go of that pair of rose-tinted specs.”

She said it was ok for graduates to be ecstatic and blissful about their accomplishments. It is also reasonable for students to be confident that their new qualifications, coupled with their enthusiasm, will increase their opportunities in the world of work.

However, Weekes said these are only a pass to confirm you are fit. She said being prepared “is half the victory” and it will take more than a piece of paper to guarantee successful employment.

Degrees will “allow you to knock on many doors previously inaccessible, but do not guarantee the door will be opened or that you will be invited in,” she said.

With the increase in tertiary-education qualifications, Weekes said it is important for jobseekers “to distinguish yourselves over and above mere paper qualification.” She said having a degree is the key to opening doors of opportunity but it was up to the jobseeker to enter.

“Let’s be real. To those who are now seeking employment, the experience might be difficult, exasperating and a cause for despair. You may get your hopes up, only to have them dashed, and will have to figure out how to steer the course without losing the gusto that you possess today.”

Weekes, serving a dose of reality, said the attitude and appetite to work is as important as the degree and the same effort put into building an academic portfolio must be put into in strengthening one’s character.

“One of my unhappy observations, particularly since becoming President, is that we are a people who want to enjoy the benefits and advantages of good order, but are often unwilling to regulate ourselves or have order imposed on us.”

She called on all to introspect to “identify our unsavoury habits and practices, acknowledge that they contribute to the disorder which we loathe and easy to say but hard to do. Change our behaviour.

“We raise judgemental human cry of the conduct of other persons, but omit and in some cases downright refuse to engage in the introspection necessary to bring our behaviour in line with a desirable mood.

“As a people, we are, sad to say ill-disciplined and will not arrive or even approach the utopian model unless each of us is willing to look inward.” She encouraged the graduates to remain hopeful, confident in their abilities, choose the right people to be around and focus more on providing the best service and not on the reward.