You Are Special...

YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL...

Everyone really is special because no two people are exactly the same. You have your own experiences, ideas, abilities, interests and dreams. You may not yet know what you can do best. Keep learning, trying and discovering. Somewhere inside you are abilities that can grow into something valuable and useful.

Always remember that dreams and ideas are very important because they help you imagine a better future. Give yourself time to think about what you would like to learn, do, create or become. Look around for problems you could solve and opportunities you could use. Dream freely, ask questions, explore new ideas, and then choose one small step that can move you forward.

You may have spent many years in school. You may have been in school for only a few years. Perhaps you never had the opportunity to go to school at all. Your parents may not have gone to school. Your family may have very little money.

None of these things means that you cannot learn, improve your skills, earn income, and build a better life.

Life can be difficult. Jobs may be hard to find. Even when you find work, it may not provide stable income every week or every month. You may sometimes feel that other people have opportunities that you do not have.

But opportunities are not only jobs advertised by companies or governments.

An opportunity can be a problem that somebody needs you to solve.

Look around your community. People need bicycles and motorcycles repaired. They need clothes made and repaired. They need plumbing fixed. They need electrical work, phone repairs, solar equipment, farming, food preparation, building repairs, hair care, cleaning, transport and many other services.

Every need can become an opportunity for someone with the right skill.

Choose one useful skill.

Perhaps you already know how to repair bicycles. Improve that skill. Perhaps you can sew but need more practice. Learn better techniques. Perhaps you know nothing about solar equipment but see that solar lights are becoming common in your area. Start learning.

You can also learn skills that help almost every kind of work: communicating clearly, keeping simple records, calculating costs, treating customers well, using a smartphone, finding information online and using artificial intelligence.

Start small. If you do not have expensive tools, begin with the tools you can find. If you cannot afford a formal training course, look for free ways to learn. Watch demonstrations. Read simple instructions. Ask experienced people questions. Practise whenever possible.

Learning does not end when you leave school.

Train yourself to notice what is happening around you.

Ask simple questions:

• What do people need?
• What are people paying for?
• What is difficult to find in my community?
• What equipment keeps breaking?
• What services could be improved?
• What new technology is appearing?
• What could I learn to do?

Then ask the most important question:

What skill could help me take advantage of this opportunity?

You may not succeed immediately. You will make mistakes. Sometimes something you try will not work. That is normal. Learn from it and try again.

Do not measure yourself only by how much schooling you received, how much money your family has, or whether you already have a good job.

Measure yourself by what you are learning and what you are doing. 

One new skill can lead to your first customer. One customer can lead to another. A small repair service can become a business. A small garden can produce food to sell. Learning to use a smartphone effectively can help you find information, customers, training and opportunities.

Your starting point does not have to determine where you finish.

Keep looking. Keep learning. Keep practising. Keep improving.

Your country needs skilled people who can solve everyday problems. You can become one of them.

Africa Skills Hub is completely FREE. On Facebook visit Africa Skills Hub, Africa Opportunities and Africa Women’s Skills Hub pages for new skills and ideas. Join the WhatsApp Africa Opportunities channel, watch Africa Opportunities on YouTube, and visit AfricaSkillsHub.org on any internet-connected device.

Find an opportunity. Learn a skill. Improve that skill. Use it. Then keep going.