From the get go I knew that this book was going to drag me. Disclaimer; it begins, “This is not a self-help book to help you find an easy way out”. Well hey, there goes my miracle solution.
So long have we been drunk on the ideal that is going to school and immediately getting your dream job after graduating or completing your education. When you are a child you are told to go to school and get good grades so that you may have a good job. They didn’t lie, they just omitted the excruciating job hunting process, and the reality that is unemployment among the youth in Namibia. This book is so clever that it is a practical guide with humorous undertones.
To its core, The Graduates Holy Grail is about unlocking your thought process and applying different approaches to employment. It is brutally honest and genuine so much that specifically Case Study 3 of Chapter 2 stood out for me. The author discusses how his attitude towards some lecturers affected his interest in the courses they were teaching and inevitably his grades. This is a lesson in how we can be detrimental to our own success. I was once this kind of student, had I read this book at 21 I would have handled being in a challenging situation better than dropping out of a class simply because “the lecturer has a terrible attitude”. I appreciate that at the end of this case study and many others in the book, is a self-help exercise for guidance and is applicable in resolving other challenges.
In Chapters 3 and 4 it yanked me out of the traditional way of job hunting. These two chapters were my favourite, they direct you through a path of taking charge of one’s career by use of a method the author labelled “The black sheep series of getting a job”. By the time you finish reading this book, you will find yourself wanting to be bold and unapologetic in your boldness, whilst constantly keeping your pride in check in order to be realistic with your goals.
Those that know me, know that I am not big on self-help books. I am a fiction girl, I love to imagine worlds other than my own. However, I am also a big Namibian literature enthusiast. I love the fact that a young Namibian authored this book to relate his journey at a time like this. It is relevant, empowering, relatable, well written, and practical. It definitely isn’t a self-help book, it’s the HOLY GRAIL!