Diaspora Advice – This article was published by a “repat” in the blog
Diaspora Advice – This article was published by a “repat” in the blog africanamazone.com and is still relevant. We can feel the author’s attachement to Africa from the very first lines where he shares his insight on a subject at the heart of the concerns of the African diaspora: the return to Africa. Through the article, Africanamazone was able to ask the right questions about how to carry out a project of return to Africa. By africanamazone
BACK TO AFRICA: HOW TO PLAN MY PROFESSIONAL PROJECT? This is it, the desire to go back to Africa will not leave you , your life is about to change, you are going back home …
Yet you know how much Africa has changed since you left !! You are wondering how you are going to readjust, what guarantees to take ? However, your professional life remains an important topic in this project of return and you wonder how to guarantee your financial security? Even if you know that your family (or your family home) is waiting for you to welcome you again, you no longer accept to depend on anyone. You took your independence a long time ago and you have been counting, mostly, on yourself, so asking your parents anything is out of the question , and you know all too well what it means for you: To be accountable! Whether your parents are opened to it or no, you want to earn their respect !! Your final return, even if it’s sometimes good news for the parents and the whole family who are looking forward to seeing you and having you closed to them, is however the subject to debate because their eternal concern is: CAN HE OR HER ADJUST TO OUR REALITIES?
AND YES ! You have been so far away from the daily realities of your country that even your regular 2 to 3 weeks per year could not be enough to prepare you for your new life in Africa. It is a fact ! So, before deciding to buy your “RETURN” ticket, you first need to evaluate your professional life !! Returning to Africa remains a radical change for you, even if that’s where you come from, so take into consideration that a change like this need to be rational! Going back without any plan of professional prospects, could, in the end, not only make you waste a lot of time but also make you lose all the enthusiasm you had at the beginning!money is the root of all evil, we do not deny it, and even if you have some savings, it is not going to last forver, and you will quickly spend everything, because do not get me wrong, the standard of living in Africa is almost as high as in Europe. Then several situations can arise:
Situation 1: You freshly graduated, and you have done odd jobs without finding any stability or success in your career.
If you want a guarranted income and a certain stability without making big changes in your professional status then I am sorry to tell you that there is no big miracle!
The job market in Africa certainly generates some great career opportunities, but few are the companies that really create a corporate culture. Therefor, you must not expect to always have the same working conditions or standards as in Europe or America! Regarding large companies or large international branches that offer everything that an employee could dream of, their recruitment is essentially based on qualifications, years of experience and how you could be a asset for the company! Basically the same criteria as the place you came from! Finding THE perfect opportunity is a challenge wherever you are. Family connections can open some doors for you, but no one would bet on someone who does not have the minimum qualification and does not stand out! If you have a school diploma but zero experience, internships will be the only options you have! The goal here is not to discourage you but to make you understand that we do not solve problems without dealing with the real problems, especially knowing that you just want to change your life for the better! You need a minimum of balance and assets from the get go! Also, you need consistent experiences that you can use to sell yourself. You will have to be humble and ready to start a career with any opportunity that will be offered to you, as minimal as it could be and work your way through it with hard work and dedication! It will take a lot of patience, perseverance, and a clear carreer goal.
If you have a project and you have faith in yourself and want to take the risk of starting your own business: Then I ENCOURAGE YOU …
… because the African market is full of opportunities and is less competitive than any other market elsewhere! However you might have obstacles along your way that can sometimes crush your enthusiasm like the financing part, for example! So, it is better to be cautious and make sure that your project is well though of and adapted to the targeted market, by doing a preliminary field study! Internet is never enough! You will have to see for yourself the best ways to properly direct your ideas! More importanly: you need to arrange auditions to find your best partner!
Situation 2: You have stability in your profession, you earn a good living, and you want to return to Africa.
I would say that these are the best predispositions to comfort your idea of going back home, because for someone who has experience, the challenge is even greater and this new life could only have good outcomes. If you plan your return well, there is a good chance that you have great opportunities because you have all the assets a recruiter is looking for! Young, dynamic, experienced, but if the adventure tempts you to create your own business or to be freelance via a status of consultant (quite trendy this days), then and I highly recommend you to do it, however you will need to be even more careful and make sure you are prepared !! Connections are VERY IMPORTANT as you know it so use them as much as you can! Especially since Africa is vast and the opportunities are not limited to the borders of your country! English-speaking countries have good growth rates, but you will need determination and real goals !! The more competitive is a market, the stronger you will have to be! Bu hey this is nothing new to you: Who said that working on your own was easy?y
Situation 3: You have no degree, apart from the BAC, a high school diploma or a university level, but a minimum of professional experience, after having going from one odd job to the others (Macdonnalds, cashier, teaching assistant, telemarketer …) and you want your carreer to grow but without resuming your studies.
The only “realistic” option that is availabe to you is to create your own business . Otherwise you will not be able to guarantee a miraculous salary. But even in this case, you have to know that Africa is very attached to its stripes! You will have to turn to less demanding sectors such as trade, agriculture or agri-food! All you need is to find something interesting to sell or an useful project and thats it, you win the lottery ticket! So gather your savings and plan an innovative project but not too ambitious, because it would end up being too expensive and go for it !! Something good can certainly come out of it! You also have beautiful examples of local success! Otherwise, you have “politics” (also in vogue) and in this case I have unfortunately no relevant advice to give you … because it is simply not a profession in itself, even if were able find wealth through that channel! To conclude !!! to Each his own vocation!
and is still relevant. We can feel the author’s attachement to Africa from the very first lines where he shares his insight on a subject at the heart of the concerns of the African diaspora: the return to Africa. Through the article, Africanamazone was able to ask the right questions about how to carry out a project of return to Africa. By africanamazone
BACK TO AFRICA: HOW TO PLAN MY PROFESSIONAL PROJECT? This is it, the desire to go back to Africa will not leave you , your life is about to change, you are going back home …
Yet you know how much Africa has changed since you left !! You are wondering how you are going to readjust, what guarantees to take ? However, your professional life remains an important topic in this project of return and you wonder how to guarantee your financial security? Even if you know that your family (or your family home) is waiting for you to welcome you again, you no longer accept to depend on anyone. You took your independence a long time ago and you have been counting, mostly, on yourself, so asking your parents anything is out of the question , and you know all too well what it means for you: To be accountable! Whether your parents are opened to it or no, you want to earn their respect !! Your final return, even if it’s sometimes good news for the parents and the whole family who are looking forward to seeing you and having you closed to them, is however the subject to debate because their eternal concern is: CAN HE OR HER ADJUST TO OUR REALITIES?
AND YES ! You have been so far away from the daily realities of your country that even your regular 2 to 3 weeks per year could not be enough to prepare you for your new life in Africa. It is a fact ! So, before deciding to buy your “RETURN” ticket, you first need to evaluate your professional life !! Returning to Africa remains a radical change for you, even if that’s where you come from, so take into consideration that a change like this need to be rational! Going back without any plan of professional prospects, could, in the end, not only make you waste a lot of time but also make you lose all the enthusiasm you had at the beginning!money is the root of all evil, we do not deny it, and even if you have some savings, it is not going to last forver, and you will quickly spend everything, because do not get me wrong, the standard of living in Africa is almost as high as in Europe. Then several situations can arise:
Situation 1: You freshly graduated, and you have done odd jobs without finding any stability or success in your carreer.
If you want a guarranted income and a certain stability without making big changes in your professional status then I am sorry to tell you that there is no big miracle!
The job market in Africa certainly generates some great career opportunities, but few are the companies that really create a corporate culture. Therefor, you must not expect to always have the same working conditions or standards as in Europe or America! Regarding large companies or large international branches that offer everything that an employee could dream of, their recruitment is essentially based on qualifications, years of experience and how you could be a asset for the company! Basically the same criteria as the place you came from! Finding THE perfect opportunity is a challenge wherever you are. Family connections can open some doors for you, but no one would bet on someone who does not have the minimum qualification and does not stand out! If you have a school diploma but zero experience, internships will be the only options you have! The goal here is not to discourage you but to make you understand that we do not solve problems without dealing with the real problems, especially knowing that you just want to change your life for the better! You need a minimum of balance and assets from the get go! Also, you need consistent experiences that you can use to sell yourself. You will have to be humble and ready to start a career with any opportunity that will be offered to you, as minimal as it could be and work your way through it with hard work and dedication! It will take a lot of patience, perseverance, and a clear carreer goal.
If you have a project and you have faith in yourself and want to take the risk of starting your own business: Then I ENCOURAGE YOU …
… because the African market is a market full of opportunities and less competitive than anywhere else! However you might have obstacles along your way that can sometimes crush your enthusiasm like the financing part, for example! So, it is better to be cautious and make sure that your project is well though of and adapted to the targeted market by doing a preliminary field study! Internet is never enough! You will have to see for yourself the best ways to properly direct your
ideas! More importanly: you need to arrange auditions to find your best partner!
Situation 2: You have stability in your profession, you earn a good living, and you want to return to Africa.
I would say that these are the best predispositions to comfort your idea of t going back home, because for someone who has experience, the challenge is even greater and this new life could only have good outcomes. If you plan your return well, there is a good chance that you have great opportunities because you have all the assets a recruiter is looking for! Young, dynamic, experienced, but if the adventure
tempts you to create your own business or to be freelance via a status of consultant (quite trendy this days), then and I highly recommend you to do it, however you will need to be even more careful and make sure you are prepared!! Connections are VERY IMPORTANT as you know it so use them as much as you can! Especially since Africa is vast and the opportunities are not limited to the borders of your country! English-speaking countries have good growth rates, but you will need determination and real goals!! The more competitive is a market, the stronger you will have to be! Bu hey this is nothing new to you: Who said that working on your own was easy?
Situation 3: You have no degree, apart from the BAC, a high school diploma or a university level, but a minimum of professional experience, after going from one odd job to the others (Macdonnalds, cashier, teaching assistant, telemarketer…) and you want your career to grow but without resuming your studies.
Otherwise you will not be able to guarantee a miraculous salary. But even in this case, you have to know that Africa is very attached to its stripes! You will have to turn to less demanding sectors such as trade, agriculture or agri-food! All you need is to find something interesting to sell or an useful project and thats it, you win the lottery ticket! So gather your savings and plan an innovative project but not too ambitious, because it would end up being too expensive and go for it !! Something good can certainly come out of it! You also have beautiful examples of local success! Otherwise, you have “politics” (also trendy ) and in this case I have unfortunately no relevant advice to give you … because it is simply not a profession in itself, even if were able find wealth through that channel! To conclude !!! To each his own vocation!
You can also read Tips for “Repat”: How to Plan my Professional Return Project ?