The Catholic Educator

I have seen some young people who are studying at university & are meeting huddles of paying for tuition. Their parent’s & benefactors can’t continue paying for different reasons. The question is, should they request for a dead year(s) till they get money? Here is my quick advice. Don’t quit, get stressed, or make mistakes such as committing crime. You can do the following 1. Some universities have some work for struggling students. Find out from the university about this. You can work while you study. The university will post your salary/wage on your account & you look for the balance. 2. You can agree with some entities such as farms, schools(teaching or laboratory assistant), construction sites etc to offer labor during holidays. They can meet your tuition requirements & you work later in your semester holidays. 3. If you have ancestral land, you can plant quick yielding crops such as vegetables; carrots, onions, tomatoes, cabbages, beans etc which you can sell in local markets & earn good money. 4. You can also raise quick maturing animals & birds at home. Sheep for example, can produce twice in a year & in doubles. 5 mature ewes can easily be 20 in a year. Then poultry & piggery can also knock in profits. 5. Sell some mobile money at your hostel if you can. This needs monitoring or if you can do it yourself. 6. You can even work on construction sites in your holidays. Those who read Chosen, you know I did it together with being a DJ. There’s a musician in Mbarara called Geoni who worked in town restaurants to make ends meet after S6. Why not you? You can even be a taxi tout! Why not? 7. Lastly, look around you. There’s something you can do that I haven’t mentioned. However demeaning you think it is, as long as it pays, grab the opportunity. For example, you can be a night guard with a private security company. Some of us players in that field pay good money. If you’re talented in playing instruments, you can play a guitar or piano in your local church or band. These can knock in some money. Don’t shelve that medicine, law, engineering etc course. Scratch some money plus what friends, parents, relatives can augment & dust your course.