I hear you got the job?

I am currently a student doing my final year studying copywriting, I love what I'm doing and so far I'm happy with my decision to pursue a career in advertising, even though some idiot in power (whom I’m not going to mention) has decided to ban alcohol advertising in South Africa which will result in 12 000 job losses, thus making it difficult for me to get a job in an advertising agency. Still, writing advertisement is something I feel I should be doing.

The other day I was recording my radio advertisement and I was happy with what I had come up with, I was also very impressed by the professionals who acted out my radio script, but what ruined my day was the other copywriters who decided for some reason to talk about our chances of getting a job in the work environment. They brought up some interesting points about how they fear it will be hard for them to get a job once they have finished their studies.

Actually they only brought up one point, which is “It will be hard for me to get a job next year because my skin is not the right colour.” Granted you are white, and being white in an African country governed by black people can be unsettling.

The one thing that we as a nation have to be wary about is where we come from. I’m not talking about apartheid, I’m talking about our financial background and our education or how we got our education. Most black people in South Africa have to learn a language that their parents are not very well at communicating with, thus the child when they learn something they have to translate it into their language in order to understand what they are being taught; this however takes time and practice to master. On the other hand some of the kids that are taught in their mother tongue understand what they are being taught immediately because they are very familiar with the language.

In studio where we recorded our radio ads, I was the only black student thus everybody assumed I was guaranteed a job next year. We as a class compete amongst each other. Two times now I've been the only black student who has recorded two radio ads, while competing with my fellow classmates (both black and white).

I hate how my classmates assume I'm going to get whatever job I want next year because of my skin colour. I put in the work that perhaps others would rather not, I know where I come from and I know where I’m going and I’m not getting there because of the colour of my skin, I'm getting there because of my determination and hard work. I have no parents to count on if I don’t succeed in what I'm doing, I've got my inheritance that has put me through school, paid for my accommodation and the food that I eat. If this runs out and I don’t have a way of supporting myself, I’m fucked!

So the next time you see me and say “I heard you got the job”  don't raise your nose at me and look down on me and assume I got the job because of my skin colour. I made no excuses, I worked hard for what I got… what did you do?

Here is a testimonial that could give you an idea what some of the black South Africans have to deal with: http://khayadlanga.com/2013/08/21/dear-south-african-education/