I decided to start looking for a job last month. Ofcourse that was only because I went through alot of hassle getting my certificate and transcripts from the university an notarizing them; you don't even want to know and I won't even know where to begin explaining. In the end the important thing is I finally got what I worked very hard for for the past five years.
Had I known the hassle of looking for a job in this country was going to be even greater I wouldn't have bothered getting my papers in the first place. Basically, no one cares if you're carrying a First or Third Class degree, you will get hired on the spot depending on the level of your wasta.
For those of you who don't know, a wasta is the Arabic name for "mediator" i.e. someone you are acquainted with or related to who works as a minister, ambassador, general manager or could be anything. This person will make life so easy for you that all you have to do is give him a copy of your papers and tell him where you would like to work and what position you desire. You will subsequently get a magical phone call from the manager of that very place asking you to come in for an interview where you get asked questions as silly as "what color is this stapler?" Sometimes you don't even need to go in for an interview, you are just simply hired. It all comes down to the professional position of your wasta.
When I think of how eager I was to apply for jobs and go in for interviews and find a job where I could be of use, I just laugh because it seems so ridiculous now. Ofcourse you can't just apply to any job, well you can but your wasta has to make a phone call first before you send in your papers. This is the protocol of the hiring process in this country.
How are people with no wasta's supposed to get jobs? They often don't and work as cab or amjad drivers, keeping their law degrees at home for decoration. It's too damn frustrating. To think that I went to school for five years for nothing is just too unbearable... Please tell me it doesn't have to be this way!
Well I did my part and applied here and there, even went to a recruitment agency. Despite the barriers of not having a wasta, or rather not wanting to use one, finding a suitable job is hard work. At this point I am feeling so desperate to find any job at all.
How frustrating.
at least you female engineers don't have to go through all the bullshit of "khidma watanya" that males have to go through. Heck, for us Sudanese nationals who studied abroad, even some international companies do not hire us until we go back to Sudan and complete our khidma watanya, even though we didn't pursue our degrees in Sudan.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, congrats on graduating and this great achievement, and good luck job hunting! :P
Actually female engineers along with a whole bunch of other majors are required to serve a whole year of national service, the one that pays 50 SDGs per month and sometimes nothing at all. This was decided by the government late in 2007, so we are all on the same boat :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely wishes Amjad.
Then my sister must be lucky since she graduated pre-2007 and didn't have to do her national service.
ReplyDeleteThis whole national service thing is really frustrating and very stinky. I would be more than proud to faithfully serve my nation, but I didn't invest all this money on my education to get paid 50 SDG per month or nothing at all, for a whole year under this national service thing. That's just disgusting. But then again, if you have wasta in Sudan, you don't even need to do your national service.
Anyways, good luck once again!
Don't get me started with the uselessness of this so-called national service. I decided a while ago that I needed to do it, despite the fact that I didn't like it, because others had done it and I am in fact no different than everyone else. So I applied somewhere, a governmental sector ofcourse (a university) and I was eager to start working despite the unbelievably low salary. So I spent the entire first month staring at the walls of the office waiting to be assigned something to do. A few days later I told them to call me if they ever needed me, because I had no intention of wasting a whole year of my life doing this. And surprisingly they agreed and I went home and started applying for some real jobs.
ReplyDeleteYou see Amjad, this is what everyone is doing now.. It honestly came unintentionally to me, but these days graduates apply for national service and show up a year later to get their release, never bothering to show up during that whole year simply because there is no work; the government wants us to work for free and yet there is nothing there for us to do. Either that, or they pay off a guy 1,500 SDG or 2,000 SDG and get their national service release i.e. they BUY it.
This government has no consideration for your social status whatsoever. If you're the eldest in your family and you only went to school to be able to provide for your family they don't care. That measley 50 pounds you get every month (46 after tax) doesn't even pay off your transportation. And you have to tolerate that for a whole year!
There are rumors circulating about increasing the duration of the NS from 1 year to 2 for guys and 1.5 for girls. That's just messed up in sooo many ways.
HOLY CRAP!!!! Instead of canceling the whole thing they might even increase its duration to 2 years? That's madness!
ReplyDeleteHey Mimz!
ReplyDeleteI read your blog from time to time and I recently read your very old post about getting a job. I am a PhD student, studying how people get jobs in Sudan and if you have found a job/are still looking, it would be great to interview you!
Please get in contact with me! I have a blog of my own and my comments are moderated, so if you send me your email address here, it won't get published.
http://lauramann.blogspot.com/
Please be in contact!
Many thanks!
Laura