Before the Covid 19 pandemic exploded to the entire world, particularly here in Uganda; many people were dependant on one income source. Many survived on teaching, tax driving, and boda boda riding. There are other people who were surviving on working as cooks in institutions of learning, and housemaids.
Out of the blue, most of these people were kicked out from working; this happened when all institutions of learning were closed, this meant that all teachers, and cooks among others, stopped earning monthly as they were getting their salaries in normal situations.
Taxi drivers and boda boda riders were too stalled from their daily routine. This meant that their survival was impended. Besides the few mentioned people, almost everyone was caught unaware due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
This compelled many of them to have loans, and sell their property to overcome the pandemic strain. Parents and guardians were to work tooth and nail to find the basic needs for their families; it means this work was to be agriculture which was less affected. Children having been sent from schools, parents were now obliged to find enough food which could push them through.
Apart from the challenges which were brought by the pandemic, nevertheless, we shouldn’t depend on one income-generating work. Putting aside the inconveniences which resulted from the abrupt outbreak of Covid 19, for instance, teachers, and those who were affected by the outbreak, and were depending on monthly salaries should look forward to seeing how they can diverfy their earnings. This will capacitate them in maintaining their income during holidays, and in case there is another disaster.
Therefore, this will call upon everyone to learn the art of saving; it can be by banks, group savings, and more so, expanding their sources of income. A teacher, for instance, can do teaching and supplement it with agriculture, business to mention a few. This will not only raise his income but also enable him to spend his holidays profitably than if he was only teaching.
People are also advised to learn skills; it can be any activity that one can earn from beside his career. Talk of carpentry, building, plumbing, tailoring, weaving, and other hands-on works. These are some of the activities which were not tampered. This will not only help the monthly earners but will also equip students with side professions. This will in addition keep students busy during holidays; many students were redundant because they had nothing to keep them busy.
As a result, schools are therefore prompted to give career guidance to their students; this will acquaint students with ways of choosing careers, how they can diversify their career, and what they can do in their career. This has been a big problem to many students where when still enrolling for secondary, especially advanced level: he or she doesn’t know which subjects, in other words, combination to offer for a certain career he intends to persue for further studies at the university, or any other higher institutions of learning. And so, this has limited many students to only one career which he or she chooses in accord with the results. Sometimes, many just choose a course without knowing what it deals with: thus bringing insecurities in the employment sector.
This has had a negative impact on the diversification of income. Here, many people do not want to go beyond their field. For instance, one knows he is a teacher, a nurse from after his graduation till death. Something outside teaching, nursing, it’s non of his business. He believes that his survival is only from teaching. Therefore, they are compelled not only to remain confined in one field, but also go on and do something outside that field.
From the pandemic experience we all had , and are still having. Can we think of something, besides our profession, to diversify our earning. Bearing in mind the saying ‘ use one stone to kill two birds’.
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