Are you excited about life post-graduation or nervous about transitioning into the corporate world? At Café Construct (CaCo), we relate to how exciting yet nerve-wrecking it can be wondering what life looks like for you after College.
Will you get a good employer? How easy or not will this process be? How much will you earn right out of the gate? Will it mean moving in back with the folks or immediate solo-life and adulting? Are you good at what you do to be assured of a smooth transition into the team taking you on?
So much to unpack, for sure, and this article seeks to get into some of these concerns, so let’s get right to it...
You know nothing!
I know this sounds harsh but it’s the truth. The reality after graduation is that you know nothing! College is packed with 90% theoretical knowledge- which is still important -but in Practise you will get involved in REAL projects involving REAL money and REAL consequences to your actions or inactions.
As rightfully pointed out by our anonymous guests in Season 02 Episode 03- Degree Aside, making errors at work as a graduate Quantity Surveyor has serious repercussions. The millions represented on a worksheet are not arbitrary figures but actual money invested in an actual project by a real client.
Right after graduation only about 40% of the lot will get a job immediately, Out of the remaining, 20% will go on to get jobs later on with a bit of struggle. Still, quite a number will move on to different related and unrelated fields...happily so.
Your First Class Honours does not guarantee you a job post-graduation. Having stepped out earlier, we all know quite a number of former classmates who struggled to find a job, leave alone a well-paying job even with exemplary performance in University. Best not to expect everything to fall into place magically.
Instead, there’s a high level of initiative involved in getting your first job as deeply discussed by the Café Construct team in Season 01 Episode 18- Getting Our First Jobs. In the episode, CaCo team member, Brenda Amondi highlights how aggressively sending out CVs to office email addresses does not mean they are received by the relevant hiring parties. More often than not these are general office emails shared and accessed by several team members, a majority of whom are not responsible for hiring and firing to consider your application to join their ‘esteemed company’. This is the virtual bin that your CVs end up in. Another reality.
To avoid falling into this trap, several tips are shared within the episode on actively building and leveraging your networks and also seeking internship opportunities to transition smoothly from school to employment. Sending out CVs digitally from your bed or couch, unfortunately, is no longer enough.
Who will employ you?
For years, graduate Quantity Surveyors have been absorbed by private firms, which is still an option but one that has seen a major decline over the recent years. As an intern, expect to earn between kes.15,000 and kes. 30,000. Under contract as a fresh graduate, one can expect to earn a net salary of between kes. 45,000 and kes. 60,000. at the time of this publication.
Private firms run with only a couple of QSs in their team hence the decline in their uptake of graduates. With this, the graduate QS has to think of alternative employers.
Contractors are currently a popular employer for graduate Quantity Surveyors in Kenya.
Contractors can in some instances be quite difficult employers and may pay less to the graduate compared to private practices, but they offer a great much-needed site experience. Do not be surprised if required to make site visits over the weekends!
Other potential employers for the graduate Quantity Surveyor include the local government, development firms and financial institutions- banking and non-banking.
The nature of projects you will handle are also diverse as highlighted in Season 02 Episode 03- Degree Aside. Think beyond working on traditional architectural projects; civil projects should not be under-estimated. With the current influx of mega civil projects in Kenya, the graduate QS can be involved in roads, bridges, dams and power plants as well.
All in all, having great site experience will put you at a better place not only during registration examinations but also offer great exposure for your career as a whole.
The journey to a Registered Quantity Surveyor...
As highlighted above, experience should be your main agenda after graduation; money should come second, not the other way around.
If anything, take this from us... As a graduate do not make the mistake of underestimating the value of good experience that comes with joining a good firm as highlighted in Season 01, Episode 13-Coming into your Own. Unfortunately as students we chase the prestige and luxury that comes with a good salary right after College. Money comes with time...and experience.
Do not rush to sit for your registration examinations exactly two years post graduation to follow your classmates sitting for it at the same time, instead own your personal journey. Said journey might involve taking your exams a year or two later than your graduating class or even more drastically involve a detour to a field that may or may not be directly related to Quantity Surveying. Listen to Season 01, Episode 07- The Signs Were There, to appreciate the reward and joy of taking an alternative path to the traditional.
Failing the exams on your first or even second try is a reality and not a sign that you are a failure. In the same breath, passing them and getting registered is not a night-and- day transformation. It is more like an accomplishment and the beginning of a new phase of your career. This means that registration might not always translate to an immediate pay increase by your company( it should but doesn’t always). It also does not translate to suddenly receiving independent projects and commissions as a registered QS or your own clients outside those of your company.
All in all, we at Café Construct, encourage you to embrace your unique journey and tame any and all thoughts that lead to comparisons with your seemingly more successful classmates.
Own your path.
Own your story.
EPISODES REFERENCED
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