RESPECT THE HUSTLE

 

 

 

 By Chloe Odhiambo.

“Mandazi 5 Chapo 10...” That is what will wake up a comrade from their beauty sleep. Some will use that as their alarm to remind them to get up and start their day. Doors banging left and right as people want to catch the attention of the sellers. I can only imagine what the student who woke up to make those mandazis in their bedsitter went through. The nice aroma and stuffiness all in the same room.

Deciding on a business as a student is as problematic as it sounds. Thinking of a niche and how you’ll manage to sell as you’re studying, needs one with multiple thought streams. The lecturer might be speaking but that one comrade is thinking of how much profit will be made from selling just five of their products. Having a name on the streets of the university and outside about the business also counts. It’s never the same struggle for everyone in this race.

The HELB loan given to students has many uses. From the minute it lands in the students’ mpesa and respective bank accounts, it’s already over as they speak. An upcoming entrepreneur has already thought of investing and others will save and wait for accumulation to start their own ‘empires’. I can’t really say they enjoy it as their fellows

There are also the silent freelancers. Those who work online remotely earning their own income without anyone having to know about their sources. It’s not as easy as it sounds as well. Lacking sleep to make sure an international agent gets his work on time and in perfect condition, is not a walk in the park. That dollar earned goes a long way.

The high cost of living that is spiraling unusually is giving students sleepless nights compelling them to be lucrative by any means possible. It reaches a certain age where one can’t be asking for money from their parents. Modern day adulting. Mboka ni mboka is the defense statement used by those who get caught by the law for doing illegal works in the name of getting cash. Worst of all as a student. The hard-earned earned money will be the one used to bail you out.

Backgrounds are never similar. Any student trying to make ends meet must never forget their core business that brought them to university. With money comes great power that requires knowledge to keep it and make it multiply, as once professed. To anyone in school and still making a living, the pressure is real but always worth it. Respect the hustle!