I am a graduate of Ashesi University in Ghana. I studied Business Administration and graduated in 2019. I had the privilege to do my national service in the same university as a teaching assistant same year.
Looking back, I think I had a great experience in Ashesi. This was because I was working in an environment I was very familiar with. I had built relationships with faculty, staff and students of the university so it was not difficult blending in as compared to someone who was new. The only new thing was that my status had changed from being a student to becoming a staff of the university.
I had a lot of amazing experiences which have made me a better person. First of all, applying to be a Teaching Assistant at Ashesi was a challenge I gave myself. I am a shy person and that student in class who knows the answer to a question but will never raise her hands to answer unless chosen by the lecturer to answer. This was a challenge for me because my role as a teaching assistant required that I had to lecture every Friday and during other days where the Faculty I was assisting could not make it to class, I had to step in and make sure that everything went on well. It was very hard at the beginning but along the line, I was improving and what warmed my heart the most was when I received good feedback or reports from the end of semester evaluations from the students I tutored.
I even realized that some of my students joined classes because they knew I was going to be a part of other semesters just because of the fact that I did my work well. The Faculty I worked with was very pleased with me to the extent that she wanted to work with me after my service had ended. Due to this, I was maintained and worked for an additional one year until I got a new opportunity.
My national service has influenced my career path in one way or the other. I studied business administration in university but during my national service, I taught courses related to Humanities and Social Sciences and I really enjoyed them. I would say I found a new love apart from Business. In furthering my education, I would not mind doing my masters in international development or any social science related course.
My advice to fresh graduates about to start their national service is, in everything determination is key. Having a teachable attitude also helps you in your line of work and give your superiors the free will to train you on the job. Also learn to relate well with people because you do not know where you will meet them in the future.
Exactly, you may never know where your next help will come from? Why don’t you sign up on Jobberman and get connected with your next job today. It’s time to level up on Jobberman here.
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Author: Christiana Mawuena Amehia, HR Associate, Jobberman Ghana
