Ain’t worth that

The preamble

I will not say I know the unemployment rate in Uganda, but it is pretty high. Every year thousands graduate across the country. The number is so high but the jobs....well are not seen. When I was growing up I always told myself and people around me that I can never be unemployed. This was much courage that carried. Why I said that was because I knew I was going to be a doctor and jobs are very available. Slowly this began to glide away.

I have had opportunities to get jobs but I have suffered a few setbacks, most of them beyond my own making. Journalism is tough but fun. The first time I got to practice serious journalism was in the western part of Uganda, It was for a radio station. It was pretty easy, but that wasn’t the key issue. There was just too much I learnt. The journalists I met had amazing stories most of which were around sex. Or even the time I went to the high court and found this registrar who wanted to pay me to talk about a case. I was rookie so most of these things were new to me. In my internship, the owner of the radio station was so tough that one day he decided I work at the reception desk. Not cool at all.

Then one day I came with a “hot” story. That is what I thought. It was about a very powerful man in the area, who is alleged to have sacrificed an old woman at the foundation of his posh hospital. It was to be a powerful a story, then I was only disappointed when I was told by the “station owner,” that we couldn’t use the story. I was shocked, but not for long, I got to learn that these two were friends and.

Journalism has taught me many things, including how to survive around. I got to do my second internship at a business paper and this taught me how to live a life working hard, adding value and all you get is a thank you. Though I think my chance to be big is still available. The stories I always hear from some PR firms, is that journalists love money. Well, have they ever asked themselves why some of these journalists ask them for money? That I honestly don’t know.

Dinning with people from the corporate world has kept my eyes wide open. Getting close to the bigshots and asking them questions makes me proud. Any journalist will tell how good they felt each time they saw their by-line. I have always known journalism and writing is a passion. Am very passionate when I am doing my work but of-late I am beginning to lose it. Slowly the interest is going. So much effort I put in and what I gain is less. Last week I was given an offer, but I turned it down. I refused the offer because it wasn’t worth it. The offer would increase my workload yet the pay is worse. My boss always tells me that writing is passion no matter the pay. Blogging would best fit in his argument, but then investing my time, money, airtime and freedom for peanuts ain’t worth it.

An apology.

Now I would like to apologise the bloggers at BHH, the reason I missed is because I got a phone call from my boss to go attend a function, he wanted the story by 8am the next day. I was standing at jumbo plaza opposite nandos when I got the phone call.