Ugandan tycoon Patrick Bitature in a passionate message on his blog has congratulated students who are poised to graduate from Makerere University and other academic institutions in the country. Makerere students are set to graduate this week.
On his blog Bitature said that the world can be very harsh to everyone regardless whether you were the hottest student in class. “Harsh? Yes! But it’s a truth we need to internalise. You might be the hottest kid in your class, in the country. Regardless, you are entering a stage in life where practical results are everything regardless of what you did at school,” Bitature said.
Bitature , one of the richest Ugandans also advised the fresh graduates to learn continuously as a way of getting ahead, saying the world is an ever changing environment. He went ahead to give his example of beginning as a sugar seller to currently overseeing huge businesses in real estate, hotels and power generation plants among others.
“The world is changing at a faster and faster pace and to keep up or stay one step ahead of these changes your ability to learn continuously will hold you in good stead. As businessman who has started from the ground, I have had to learn to grow from selling sugar as a teenager to currently overseeing businesses that range from retail outlets to power generation plants to hotels to real estate developments.” Bitature he said.
He urged the graduates to celebrate their newly achieved education milestones but not for so long because there is a lot of work to be done. “Congratulations to our graduates. Celebrate your success. But not for too long, because there is work to be done,” he said.
“The graduates have already had a taste of the real life, having finished their studies mid last year and tried to get employed. Many know by now that the world can be harsh and unforgiving. I hope many are tightening their belts in readiness for the struggle ahead. Some may have decided to kick the tin down the road by continuing with school. And others may have given up altogether. My prayer is that there are more of the first and less of the last kind,” he said.
He advised the new entrants into the job market to set up an independent program of learning about the world, especially to know where it is going. “This self-initiated quest for knowledge will come by reading books, exploring the internet and through regular interaction with mentors. The world demands that you become an insatiable knowledge sponge. If this is the only thing you take away from this, my work will have been done,” he said.
The businessman said fresh graduates are and that the world is literally at their feet. “You have the advantage of time. Use it well, make every day count. One important thing you will need to learn is financial literacy. This will not only help you spend your money wisely but will eventually lead to having your money work for you, which is the ultimate goal of financial literacy,” he said.