When it comes to choosing a program to pursue at college, many students make their decisions from a place of ignorance. This could be ascribed to a lack of career guidance from their teachers and parents, wider economic and political context can also play a role in decision-making, both for institutions and individuals, or rapid changes in the job market and the uncertainty it brings.
However, there are also cases where students delve into an educational journey due to pressure and influence from their parents. In either case, students end up ‘doing’ a course and not ‘studying’ a course, hence obtaining educational qualifications that they neither apply in the real world nor benefit from.
In Rwanda, statistics show that business-related courses: Business Administration, Business Management, Business Information, and Communi – cation Technology, among others, are the most sought-after at the university level. However, when asked what their career goal is, very few students pursuing those particular programs can give a straight answer.
“The biggest challenge we face is that students leave home to come and do business, not to study business,” says Jubilee Leonard Kakwezi, a lecturer of Business Management with a specialisation in Finance and Economics at Mount Kigali University Rwanda (MKUR).
He cited an example of a student who, despite studying Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics at the Secondary level, insisted on enrolling for a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and not Medicine or Nursing because his father, a great businessman, wanted him to follow suit.
Kakwezi states, “Studying and graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management doesn’t make one a businessman/woman,” Instead, as he argues, engaging in business does. In his words, economic wealth creation (profit maximisation) is one of the prime business objectives. Therefore, whoever can utilise the available resources, invest in any venture, and gain from it is a business person.
Nevertheless, he acknowledges that a general understanding of entrepreneurship is crucial for one to succeed in business, hence the existence of business schools and colleges.
“Anyone who would wish to do business needs some business understanding, knowledge, theories and practicals that can help them develop a business from just a small idea to a real-world experience that brings money,” he remarks.
Asked what the eligibility is for one to study a business course, Kakwezi noted that a study background in Economics, Entrepreneurship and Mathematics is crucial.
He, however, stressed that “When I talk of Entrepreneurship, this is general knowledge in terms of somebody being innovative, with an enterprising mind to start up a business in whatever field, but eventually earn from it. Turning an idea into an income-generating reality.”
On how to generate a business plan, he states that business ideas derive from creating solutions to the many challenges people face, underscoring how the endless human wants, needs and desires provide the right pit to channel from. As for capital, the eloquent lecturer, with over 20 years of experience in both industrial and academic fields, emphasized that the substantial capital one could have is a well-articulated business concept.
“If you have an idea that can’t be transformed into a commercial reality, even if they give you money, you can never excel in business,” he stretches, adding that a well-put idea equates to money. “Capital begins with an idea. When an idea is really enterprising, even if one doesn’t have the funds, they can always find partners to mobilise capital and invest in the idea, better yet, approach the bank for funding.”
Business Management as a course
Kakwezi strongly urges those with the required qualifications to pursue a study course in Business Management, underscoring the numerous career opportunities that await students after graduation.
At MKUR, for instance, given the numerous programs offered: specialisation in Accounting, Marketing, Procurement and Logistics Management, and Finance and Banking, Kakwezi says that there is no way one can fail to either create employment or find a job. Because with every specialisation comes a career opportunity to exploit.
Besides imparting students with classroom knowledge, they develop and encourage skills such as business innovation and rational thinking. “One of the major challenges of the world today is unemployment, yet people want to do white-collar jobs. At MKUR, we encourage and develop skills in students to become self-employed through being innovative and identifying business opportunities even with little resources.” he noted.
Moreover, to stay up to date with current trends and developments in the business world, Kawezi says they incorporate empirical knowledge with real-world experiences by discussing scenarios, case studies and business-related documentaries from all over the world with the students to bring their imaginations to reality.
“For example, in Entrepreneurship, when we talk about the latest developed products, we look at both the international and local scene.” Kakwezi explained. Furthermore, the students benefit from industrial visits to different companies and mentorship from field-experienced personnel.
Through continuously offering students career guidance and counselling, Kakwezi affirms that their students can find employment before graduating. Among these is Nwozor Christian Ezugo, a fourth-year student specialising in International Business. The 23-year-old has ventured into multiple business fields, from hawking sweets and biscuits to owning a restaurant, “Queen’s Courtyard”.
According to him, studying business management has played a pivotal role in his career, mainly by broadening his understanding of marketing structures, finance management and human resource management. Christian thus advises students to apply what’s taught in class to the real world but be on the lookout for new opportunities. “The secret to success is trying. Even when you fail, learn from your mistake and try again.” Christian notes.
On the other hand, Patrick, a senior at the same institute, notes that despite having previously studied professional accountancy courses – which led to him working as both an auditor and accountant – his peers in the business world advised him to take up a degree in business management, a thing he accepted.
Patrick states that the program has immensely helped him run his construction business and equipped him with deep knowledge about supplies and finance management.
