Mavin Mootseng

After 5 years of study, the big audit firms wouldn't take me. With a newborn at home, I started on an N$1,000 internship. Now kids aged 9-15 in Windhoek will strip and rebuild a real go-kart. Please back them 👇 Mechanic or driver? 🔧🏁 @UnicefNamibia @StellenboschUni

Register your interest and add your town (2 minutes, no commitment): form.jotform.com/26288435140…

Does your child take things apart just to see what's inside? Good. We're planning a go-kart take-apart-and-rebuild pilot in Windhoek: ages 9–15, 10 places, 29 Apr–31 May 2027. Every town welcome to register interest. Places not guaranteed. Fixer or breaker? One word.

The struggle to get that first foot in the door is real. After my degree, the big audit firms wouldn't take me even for free. What finally worked was a small bookkeeping firm that paid me N$1,000 as an intern. Small practices are worth knocking on.

Where you studied matters less than what you do with it. Every graduate gets tested at the first job anyway. Studying through distance learning, often while working, already shows the discipline employers say they can't find.

Huge congratulations to Siza. One thing I learnt the hard way: I left studying to the last minute and barely qualified for UNAM. The habits that earn distinctions matter even more in first year, when nobody is checking on you. Keep them going.

Register your interest (2 minutes, no commitment): form.jotform.com/26288435140…

Your child has never held a spanner. By May they could know how a go-kart works, bolt by bolt. Planned: 10 places in Windhoek, 29 Apr to 31 May 2027, ages 9 to 15, open to every town. Places not guaranteed. Spanner or steering wheel? One word.

True, it's tough out there. I'd add: whatever you study, build practical skills alongside it. After 5 years of study the big audit firms still turned me down. Hands-on experience at a small firm is what opened my first door.

Five years of study taught me exam season is a marathon, not a sprint. To students feeling the strain: eat properly, protect your sleep and talk to campus support early, not after things fall apart. Asking for help is part of getting through.

Tip for anyone applying: put your PSIRA grade and registration number at the top of your CV and make sure it's current. When an advert lists clear requirements, show each one plainly so the recruiter doesn't have to hunt for it.

Needed this. After 5 years of study the big audit firms turned me down, and I had a newborn at the time, so I know that worthless feeling. A small bookkeeping firm finally gave me a start. Keep building a skill while you wait, so you're ready when your turn comes.

Great resource. Tip for matrics: don't just read the guide, use it to answer past questions under timed conditions and mark yourself honestly. I was a top performer in high school and still barely qualified for UNAM, so practise like it's the real exam.

Thank you! One more small tip: write the corrected answer out by hand rather than just reading the memo. It sticks much better. Wishing the Class of 2026 well.

True. Even when I offered to work for free, firms still turned me down. A small bookkeeping firm finally gave me that first chance. If more small businesses took on even one graduate a year, it would change a lot. Did you get your first break, or are you still pushing?

Survey: alueducation.com/alu-2025-af… Photo: Martin Hipangwa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ha, glad to hear it, and I believe you 😄 Hungry, stressed and overworked is a tough mix in exam season. Get a proper meal in before your next paper, and lean on campus support if money gets tight. Rooting for you.

Get The Graduate: Kindle: amazon.com/dp/B082S7TK99 Paperback: a.co/d/0bYFf71r Source: 71% of employers across nine African countries, including South Africa, are more likely to hire a graduate with practical work experience (ALU 2025 Africa Workforce Readiness Survey): alueducation.com/alu-2025-af… Photo: Martin Hipangwa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons (cropped): commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F…

University gave you 3 to 6 months of internship and called you work-ready. That was never enough. In The Graduate I say you need more than those few months. Test the textbook. Learn by doing, and start earlier. Watch or build? One word.

Namibian graduates, apply even if you don't tick every box. I was a top performer in high school, then barely qualified for UNAM. Grades go up and down; what you've actually done carries weight. Ask someone to read your motivation letter before you submit.

Get The Graduate: Kindle: amazon.com/dp/B082S7TK99 Paperback: a.co/d/0bYFf71r Source: Namibia's graduate employment rate fell from 83% in 2017 to 65% in 2024 (National Council for Higher Education figures, reported by New Era, 9 July 2026): neweralive.na/graduate-jobs-… Photo: Martin Hipangwa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons (cropped): commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F…