I recently watched an interesting documentary on the near extinction of the Alcon Blue Butterfly. One of the critical components of its survival in the wild is dependant on it adapting to its surrounds, and genuinely “reskill” the ants which will draws them under their wing and protects them. You see, the caterpillar produce a pheromone exactly like that of a young ant in the ant’s colony nursery, they are treated like a young ant even though they are bigger and a different colour to a young ant. The caterpillar makes the sounds of a young ant when they are hungry, therefore the ants attend to them as they would one of their own.
Flip 2 years, out of the ant’s nests emerges a magnificent butterfly!
Babalwa Mbolekwa, Cohort 22 alumna and now “former” Junior Edtech Platform Developer at Umuzi, upskilled and updated her LinkedIn profile to be headhunted for an awesome opportunity as a Frontend Developer at ClearScore, a multinational FinTech company with offices in Mzantsi and oorkant.
Kaleem Mohammad, Cohort 21 WebDev alumnus and former Junior Tech Facilitator also was headhunted by 2U - an employer partner of Umuzi with quite a number of recruits who were sponsored by them - and landed an irresistible contract as Front End Developer.
The upskilling as well as the work experience both Babalwa and Kaleem got at Umuzi lined them up well for their new roles. Just like the “butterfly” which spent some time with it’s head down for 2 years before coming up to shine, it is clear that continuous learning and upskilling is critical to keep climbing up the ladder.
We will be launching x2 new opportunities in June for upskilling - one from a global tech giant, and another from an international targeting the entrepreneurs amongst us., so please keep your eye locked on your inbox
We also caught up with 2 other alumni, Tsholofelo Radebe (CH10) and Tsholofelo Mautjana (CH13) who have been upskilling and making waves.
Radical Alumni
Each month we are going to profile some radical Alumni, what they are doing, where they are working and some interesting BTS of their journey.
Alumni profile:
Tsholofelo Bhungane Radebe - Cohort 10 UX Strategist
Current Position: Senior Human (user) Experience @Miprint Consulting with ABSA
When not opening an international line-up tech conference with his poetry, Tsholofelo is designing solutions which ‘puts humans ahead of tech’.
Tsholofelo Mautjana - Cohort 13 Data Science
Current Position: AWS re/Start Cloud Practitioner | Technical Support
Tsholofelo has been working on automation solutions both locally and abroad through her various employer partners, finding solutions for retailers and farmers alike.
Wait for it…she is currently upskilling to become a fully certified AWS certified cloud practitioner!
Movers & Shakers
Have you been promoted? Or changed jobs recently? Congrats if you have. You join these amazing Alumni who have moved on up in their careers. Every month we will be profiling Umuzi Alumni movers and shakers. Please let us know below if you are one of those amazing humans who's doing great things.
Where are you in the world?
We want to know how things are going with you. Employers often reach out to Umuzi to ask if we can connect them with experienced talent. That could be your next break. We have built a system that helps us keep track of all the amazing things that you are up to. It's a self-service platform that allows you to update your professional profile, as well as let us know if you are looking for a job opportunity. If that's you and you're interested in your next step - we can help you find it.
Alumni Events
If you are hosting an interesting event (or exhibition, product launch or hackathon) or participating in one, let us know and we will blast it out to our community here.
Opportunity Alert
This month we’ve launched a new Professional certificate from Grow with Google. The Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate. “Throughout this program, you will gain in-demand skills that prepare you for an entry-level job and learn how to use tools and platforms like Canva, Constant Contact, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Shopify, and Twitter. You will learn from subject-matter experts at Google and have a chance to build your own portfolio with projects like customer personas and social media calendars to show to potential employers.”
If you haven't heard by now, we have partnered with the European Business University. Simply put, this means we have an exciting learning opportunity for our community!
If you are an entrepreneur or simply have a neck for it but haven't done anything about it? This call is for you!
LOOK OUT FOR SIGN UP DETAILS NEXT WEEK.
Knowledge for our Community
Many would have heard Andrew speak about the power of “social capital” - knowing and being known by the right people who can work together with you to open a door or two.
Here are a few tips to consider when networking for your next job:
Get face-to-face.
Offer help.
Fight your fear.
Be patient and make time.
Focus on the relationship, not your resume.
Use social networks and online resources.
Follow up.
Read more about how to land that next interview which will lead to a great career path.
Recommended Reading: How Big Companies Kill Ideas – and How to Fight Back, With Tony Fadell
Great ideas being stifled by big companies. Lessons and lessons from his new book, Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
Recommended Listening: Thabo Makubela (Ch8) aka Dankie Sthibo’s album, Jozi Kings is out and hot! You will have “White Church” on repeat because those bars are just lit!!!
Recommended Listening: Rhema Socika’s signing with an international label, Paradise Sound System. Here some of Namkua Star as she’s known.
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