BY SYCORAX NDHLOVU –

READING a story on ‘Sex boosters sell like hot cakes’ which appeared on July 7, 2014; page 3 in the Times of Zambia, this writer realised that most career holders including many professionals under-utilise their careers which deprive them of extra incomes and to the disadvantage of many members of the public.

The stated story, it is reported that Zim Zim Zimba, a Forestry Department employee is taking advantage of his long-term experience relating to working with various trees to know which tree is capable of satisfying some people’s social or health needs or challenges.

And if all other workers or professionals in various vocational or fields of study had interest to think further; and assess other opportunities that surround their knowledge from their experiences and skills, they would be astonished to discover that enormous opportunities exist through exploiting their acquired knowledge and experience to earn extra income; through providing similar products or services to communities within and beyond as Mr Zimba is doing.

Don’t limit your vocational or professional knowledge and experience to a monthly salaried office. This is because one author in consultancy said individuals, communities and organisations are hungry and thirsty for goods and services which are either not in supply or are in short supply. And it is up to you and me to identify which goods and or services are in demand; but are not in supply or are in short supply.

Then, supply such goods and services for your extra income and to the benefit of some, if not all community members.

From such an approach to one’s career, one can be a step forward in earning an extra income. Individuals, local communities, organisations, nations and the world at large need entrepreneurs like Mr Zimba to fill in the gaps where others are failing to satisfy such demand of relevant goods and services in families, local communities, organisations and at national and global levels.

Little do most professional know that such entrepreneurial innovations in any career holder would not only increased their incomes but would also contribute remarkably to reducing various community challenges.

Consider health, medical and community development workers, lawyers, economists, bankers, marketing executives, Journalists, Public Relations (PR) practitioners, musicians, dancing queens, artists, clergypersons, civil, mechanical, electrical, building engineers, etc.

If all such career holders expanded their operations to more than what they are doing now, many community problems would have been reduced or wiped out completely.

It is from such narrow and shallow exploitation of our careers that scientific research findings reveal that a human being only uses 10 per cent of his or her brain capacity.

This means that our brains have a bigger capacity than we know and use it to do many other things which can help us develop faster than we do now.

But because we restrict our operations to a narrow and shallow volume, we only end up using only 10 per cent of our brain’s capacity to address our problems and for other people.

To learn that Mr Zimba had hundreds of customers at Copperbelt Agricultural and commercial Show in Kitwe and at Zambia International Trade Fair reminds this writer of what one author on consultancy who wrote that that individuals, communities, organisations and nations are hungry and thirsty for goods and services which are in short supply or are not in supply completely; and are looking for anyone who can supply such goods and services at a price.

Individuals, families, communities, organisations and nations are willing to pay for goods and services which satisfy their respective needs or address their problems.

This is also why some people have argued that the high poverty levels that we usually complain of in this country are self-induced because many opportunities exist in this country which one can exploit to reduce one’s high poverty levels.

Mr Zimba, using his knowledge from working with trees, is demonstrating how to earn an extra income from exploiting one’s career further to the benefit of some community members.

Look at how some families, non-government organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), some churches, some small and medium enterprises (SMEs), how some people are victimized or imprisoned for offences or crimes they didn’t commit and many others are suffering with various challenges.

See how some businesses are struggling to attract their customers or to keep their books of accounts in order. Consider also how many people are negatively affecting their health through unchecked eating habits or through practicing casual or unprotected sex or both.

The list of challenges of individual citizens, families, communities, organisations and nations are facing are too numerous to mention.

All such challenges are sources of income or extra incomes for respective careers holders in helping the affecting people satisfy their needs or solve their problems!

The point is demand for various goods and services is high; but supply is limited because most career holders have restricted their operations to an office with a narrow and shallow job description.

Come on! Use your five senses to extract many other uses of your career for your extra income and to the benefit of local communities and organisations.

For example, how can a pharmacologist work for life without him or her owning a chemistry or a drug store? And although it is a controversial issue, how can a teacher or a lecturer live for many years without offering private tuition in one’s field of expertise?

How can a medical doctor live for many years without lecturing or presenting health related programmes on radio or on television or in a newspaper column or in a magazine at a fee or at small token of appreciation?

How can an accountant be only for a salaried office; and not helping many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and many mushrooming churches with financial accounting related records at a fee or at a token of appreciation?

Opportunities to create jobs for oneself are many if one has adequate professional knowledge, experience and skills like those of Mr Zimba in his forestry duties.

The presence of many professionals in various fields of operations can easily cancel off the existence of many challenges various individuals, families, organisations and nations are facing if each professional or any career holder expanded his or her professional knowledge and experience to address some community or organisational needs.

Thanks to University Teaching Hospital urologist consultant, Francis Manda for his Saturday radio health educational programmes.

Thanks also to other medical doctors for their health articles in newspapers which help many people to know what to do when they see a health challenge or when their health is affected in some way.

Thanks to many organisations such as Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) and Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) and many others for their various articles in newspapers to inform and educate citizens on various challenges such people face or might face.

Therefore, let’s all mobilize our individual career knowledge, experiences and skills for innovative entrepreneurship for more extra incomes to the benefit of our friends, families, local communities, organisations, nation and the world at large like what Mr Zimba and others are doing.

The author is a trainer and career coach.

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0976/0977450151, e-mail:sycoraxndhlovu@yahoo.com