Accounting and Finance are courses which are marketable in the current job market, but an individual must be careful on how to select the right combination between either of the two courses with a professional certificate.
These courses keep on attracting students, which have led to over saturation of the market.
Today, in every 3 students in any university one must be a finance, accounting or CPA student; which is strange.
As universities continue churning out graduates, companies have become more sensitive and innovative. Nowadays, almost every company consider talent, as opposed to excellent academic papers. In addition, on top of a basic degree, an individual must be in possession of professional qualifications.
Most human resource professionals are aware that many lazy students try to avoid professional courses as they employ short cuts. They know professional courses are hard to pursue. Since HR officers are aware of this, they have ‘silently’ decided not to employ any graduate without a professional course such as CIFA, CFA, ACCA or CPA, locking out a lazy group.
It is now obvious unemployment is real, according to statistics from ministry of labour. For every 5 fresh graduates, 3 are assured of remaining jobless for at least one year after graduation, which is shocking.
In order for Finance or Accounting graduate to remain relevant and marketable in the modern Kenya, he has to pursue a relevant professional course. He should also struggle to score at least Upper Second division in college. These two things will enable him be more competitive and also secure opportunities such as graduate trainee, which are mostly reserved for fresh graduates.
To be honest, business graduates used to earn decent salaries 20 years ago, since then employers have become so mean that even paying Sh 30,000 comes after a long negotiation.
Since the employers know that many graduates are jobless, they are willing to pay peanuts to see quality work from graduates, and if you try to threaten leaving the company, they don’t hesitate to release you since they know there is someone who can accept even less than what you are paid.
Even though most of the business graduates are not paid well, there are companies, especially Insurance, audit and Telecommunication sectors, which pay fresh graduates salaries in the tune of Ksh150, 000.
As I conclude, I warn you not to pursue any business course without combining it with a professional course, unless you intend to be self-employed.
