Sunday, August 23, 2015

#EmpoweringYouth Conventional Resume versus Digital Resume

On Friday 21st August 2015, it was a great pleasure sharing with Nairobits Students (Digital Garage Course) from Maji Mazuri and FHOK. The main points of discussion were;
  1. Preparing for the Job Market: Self Employed Vs. Employed
  2. Types of CV's ( conventional resume vs. Digital resume)The Birth of an Entrepreneur (Starting a business) etc.



The session started with everyone writing their own job descriptions which later we had a chance to sample a few. I urged the students to work toward creating their dream jobs by learning an extra skill in readiness for the same and on the other hand, if they are targeting employment after school they should do more research on the requirements and start learning today.

So where can we learn how to improve on our CV / Resume?

  1. Google, for example, of CV /Resume in your field. This isn’t to copy and paste, but to get an insight on what you need to have and how it is structured etc.
  2. At least not more than 2-3 pages and tailor your CV to the job you are applying for!
  3. Make one today and send to a mentor, a friend or coach for comments and suggestions.
  4. Do your research: There’s no generic (One fits it all) CV/resume or a standard way of doing it. Even though there are components that are must have. I advise the youth to have both the conventional CV and the digital resume; there are great free on-line platforms, for example www.linkedin.com, http://resumup.com http://vizualize.me among others, don't forget to also improve your other social media presence like twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. It is not a must to be in all but it is paramount to have a strategy because the content creation calls for a lot of time, skills, knowledge and commitment.

“Building your CV/Resume is a lifetime journey, start today and spread your wings to fly” Wilson Masaka

How to leverage on the available resources; 

Network Marketing
Social Media
Brand Ambassador’s
Partnerships
Distribution channels
Ask why are you doing it? Tapping on the need

The Philosophy: Build on your general knowledge base, acquire the relevant skills, learn the right tools, and join a progressive team of shared values and never stop learning… You will never be the same again.

Further Reading;

Reference for CV/ Resume writing http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv.htm
BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS AND BUSINESS PLAN

Google for more!


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

KICK START YOUR SELF TO THE MASTERY LEVEL

I was born not knowing everything. My parents only could wish that I would grow up in a safe environment, get a good education, get a job, be a responsible citizen and later in life help our family.

This is the same wish list most parents have for their children. Only through guidance, mentor-ship, coaching and good role modeling are all those aspects very possible. I’m very grateful for the fact that my parents supported my journey to the best of their ability, and that has been a great pivot to my self-mastery.  

There’s nothing that comes easy. Self-mastery is the most ignored part of personal development as we are largely driven by peer pressure and living in the shadow of others. There is nothing like automatic lifestyle to any ideas that you may have, you have to work day and night to give your ideas some life and that is part of self-mastery; driving through the tunnels of dream land to living the dream.



We are made of many layers of things from experiences, skills, values, success stories, etc. This diagram doesn't represent the full cycle of everyone, but it acknowledges the fact in our journey's we start from somewhere which I call the core foundation which constitutes;
  1. Find your voice
  2. Turning Points
  3. Inside Out Values
  4. Kick Starting Your Journey (Action) 
My self-mastery journey started way back in primary school, having been born in a football-playing family. I came to love sport as one of the greatest vehicles to staying away from all negative distractions in my community. I have built on many opportunities from the core interest of football. For example through football I traveled to Norway and the Netherlands in 1997, 1998 and 1999 respectively.

 I later join the tech world in 2000 as a designer and web developer which enabled me to work for many foundations, the latest being the Kilimanjaro Film Institute in Arusha Tanzania as a Hub in Arusha Tanzania where I was a Hub Manager for the Moving Tanzania project.  

So what is the secret to Self Mastery? The first principle is doing what you love and loving what you do while referring to the core, which is what you, loved doing when there was no pressure for money. Through intrinsic values there is great purpose and passion to progress and make an impact out of the uncharted waters. Secondly, before we get to know what exactly we want in life we are always confronted by many things, despite everyone wanting good life and to be successful. The problem comes where you apply too many shortcuts that you lose who you are, and who you want to become in future.

Growing up on the Eastlands side of Nairobi, I faced many challenges that made me who I am today by shaping my destiny although my next step in life is always shaped by the choices I make. I juggled many things before knowing exactly what I wanted from playing football such as volunteering and attending youth workshops. All this is a real sample of a young person living in Africa. Especially in the informal settlement, many young people find themselves squeezed in a box not knowing how to get out and build their brands.

We do more than one thing for survival and to find our own identity in the hidden puzzle of life because the foundation of the family structures is not stable enough to support living of your dream. This isn’t not to say there is no one who hasn’t achieved their big dreams coming from this area despite their circumstances and the painted picture of disappointment and despair. Lastly, I have always built my foundation on the principle of dreams, dedication and determination. This foundation kick started my self-mastery journey.

All I can say is the sky is the stepping stone to my next level. Kickstart journey Kick starting SELF journey calls for a lot of preparedness, awareness, patience among other great values, to propel you to mastery levels in your life cycle.

Money isn’t everything in your journey, but passion and purpose are two great pivots you can’t miss. In a situation of disappointment, burn-out and creative block I always go back to the core of my journey to refuel energy that restarts the open mind, creative and critical thinking approach to the situation at hand. The inside out approach value approach has always kept my dreams alive and I urge every young person to go back to the basics and retrace the source of energy, creativity and innovation that they never recognized or dropped in their pursuit of extrinsic values like money and, fame. If you believe in what you do and write it down it will eventually happen.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Koch Festival 2015

Thanks Fredrick for capturing the moment! I had a great deal of learning, interaction, sharing etc.

I Love Photography - Visual Communication Design

A great photographer is the one who captures the unique moments as visualized in their photographic brain, not the one with the latest gadgets.

Use available resources to capture the great moment, gadgets will only amplify what you have in your visual brain. I would love to share one of my great moment as captured using a mobile phone during my stay in Arusha , Tanzania when I was cooking and the light went off for more than 3 hrs and I decided to get a candle for at least some light and there is when I captured the moment...

Think about this and share your best moment as captured.


  “The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson, 20th century French photographer

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Talking Pictures








Good Music - Poster

‪#‎GoodMusicSunday‬

What is Good Music? As for me, if it can ring a bell, make me remember, dance, relate, think, empathise etc. Provided it is good content and if my son grabs the headphone from me I have no problem for him to listen and dance to the music no matter how old he is!

Have a lovely Sunday full of good music!

 ‪#‎WhenDad‬&Son decide to listen to music — feeling excited.



Self Mastery Life Cycle

We are made of many layers of things from experiences, skills, values, success stories, etc. This diagram doesn't represent the full cycle of everyone, but it acknowledges the fact in our journey's we start from somewhere which I call the core foundation which constitutes;
1. Find your voice
2. Turning Points
3. Inside Out Values
4. Kick Starting Your Journey (Action)

And many more...

Come mid August in my monthly article on the bits and pieces blog, I will be sharing part of my journey which I hope will trigger a ripple effect to many young people to start mastering their own journeys rather than live in the shadow of their peers.


Monday, August 3, 2015

Kick Start Your Journey

‪#‎FoodForThought‬. If you have great TALENT & SKILL you need to learn how to manage it and monetize it. If you have an IDEA you need to take it to action plan and look for the required RESOURCES don't forget human capital.

If you have the resources you need to have a great idea that addresses the needs in the society. @Wilsen initiative step by step! Join me for a session on how to kick start your journey. I'm available on Public holidays, Saturday's or Sunday's to interact with your youth group. Only through sharing and learning will be able to mentor the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, responsible citizens etc.