The journey after graduation: a travel advisory

Prof Fortunate Silinda, Chair of Unisa's Department of Psychology

At a graduation ceremony in April, Professor Fortunate Silinda delivered the Chancellor's address to graduates on behalf of the College of Human Sciences.

In her address, Silinda focused on three things she thought will be of value and that will assist graduates with life after university.

Always be grateful

According to Silinda, we never make it alone. “I remind you to always be grateful to the higher power and all those people who were a part of your academic journey,” she said. “Also, be grateful for those unpleasant moments that you experienced, because those moments contributed to shaping them into the people you are today. An anonymous author once said ‘gratitude turns what we have into enough’. Remembering how my family used to travel all the way from Bushbuckridge to see her graduate in Pretoria made me relate to this quote."

Reflecting on the current global challenges, Silinda highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Despite these things, we are surviving,” she said. “You can congratulate yourselves for staying the course and finishing your qualification despite these events.”

Dream big and do not be afraid of starting small

"A short decade ago, I was graduating with my first degree in psychology,” continued Silinda. “I was inspired by the doctoral graduates on stage and I said to myself that, one day, I'll be on stage with my red gown. And that dream materialised in 2018."

In 2012, Prof Silinda graduated with her honours in psychology, and at the graduation ceremony Professor Lindiwe Zungu, who had recently been appointed as associate professor, delivered the Chancellor's address. “This inspired me to the point where I promised myself that I would one day join the ranks of the likes of Professor Zungu,” said Silinda.

Now, a brief decade later, Silinda serves as the Chair of the Department of Psychology.

Silinda proceeded to share an account of her predecessor as Chair of the Department of Psychology, who started several decades ago as a secretary in the department and was previously appointed as the Acting Deputy Executive Dean of the College of Human Sciences. “I shared this with you to emphasise that it is possible to reach for your dreams when you keep your focus and are consistent,” she said.

Silinda clarified to the graduates that at the time when she was having all these dreams, she did not know what it took to be an associate professor. She sought information and asked colleagues who had acquired their professorships to share their journeys to help her channel her goals.

As someone who initially did not have any teaching or research experience, Silinda encouraged the graduates to have that big dream and to work towards achieving it. “Ensure that you have conversations with people who already are where you see yourself in the long term, ask them how they got to where they are, and use the lessons they share with you to achieve your goals,” she said.

Knowledge is power

Silinda stated that the world of work is changing as a result of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). “Universities and governments have to catch up, because they have been teaching their students dated content that does not adequately prepare them for the jobs they will occupy,” she commented.

She encouraged graduates to use their majors to craft a vision for themselves and the skills they seek to acquire in the next five years. “This means that you should be able to adapt to the knowledge of the ecosystem you are working in,” she added.

Silinda reflected on the 2008 financial crisis in the United States. “When master's and PhD graduates from Ivy League universities occupied Wall Street, it was because they studied to get jobs and they were discouraged when they could not find these jobs,” she said. “As such, I encourage you to start thinking in terms of work and not jobs; to use your university education to design skills that will apply to the economy.”

Silinda urged the humanities graduates to not underestimate themselves. “You are very important in our society,” she said. “The moral reasoning required to balance the sciences, engineering and technology will come from the human sciences. This is because the human sciences can build the whole person whose knowledge and skills are applied in managing technology and the economy.”

Giving an example of the hype around the 4IR, Silinda asserted that the 4IR project cannot succeed from one discipline's perspective without involving the human sciences. “This is because we run the risk of experiencing a ‘revolution of algorithms’, where emotionless sequences of computer codes control the most intimate parts of our lives,” she explained. “The humanities have an important role to play in steering us away from the worst-case scenarios that may come with the 4IR, and in guiding us in the current situation in which we find ourselves as a country.

Silinda pointed out to the graduates that the question they need to ask themselves to move away from thinking about a job is "what problem do I want to solve in my community?" She believes this will steer them in the direction to make a professional contribution they will be paid for.

Silinda told the graduates that they are teachers to the university and that once they leave Unisa, the university would like to keep in touch with them. “The university values your feedback on what works and does not work, which we use to help design a curriculum that is in line with your realities,” she said.

In closing, Silinda reminded the graduates to identify the skills they have learned while studying to help them prepare for today's economy. "A job is related to the previous three industrial revolutions; however, work is when you use the skills you've gained through knowledge to be relevant to the economy" she said.

* By Katlego B Pilane, Unisa Department of Psychology