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When I was younger, the importance of education was stressed to me a lot.

I was told that in order to do well in life, I must go to college, get a degree, get good grades, and then I would be in a position to get a high-paying job in the private sector.

Therefore, I studied like a fanatic. I started college when I was 17. I graduated in three-and-a-half years instead of four. If that was not enough, I graduated at age 20 from Oakwood College (now Oakwood University). I was probably the youngest person to graduate in the Class of 2004. I graduated with honours.

I then did my MBA at American Intercontinental University. I graduated with my MBA at age 22 in May, 2006. Well, I am sure many of you would think that I had it made. I did too until I graduated.

The truth is I was about to get a major wake-up call about how cruel and corrupt the capitalistic system in which I was forced to live can be.

A few weeks before I graduated, one of my business professors told me what to really expect. He said if your MBA is from Harvard, Yale, or Princeton (the Good Boys Network), you would start out at $100,000 a year with no experience. However, since my MBA was not from these schools he said I would be lucky to make $50,000 a year fresh out of school with no experience.

Well he was right. For a while I was looking in the private sector for a job.

Interview after interview I was told, "You have the education but not the experience, therefore, we can't hire you. You're overqualified." I started to get angry and disgusted at the private sector.

It turns out employers wanted experience first and education second. It was sad this was not stressed in my college and university education. I was misled over and over again by teachers who did not teach about the real world.

It was then I turned to the public sector for help. In April, I was told about the 'JumpStart Programme' in the Bermuda Government. It was designed for people who had graduated in the last two years or less. I applied and came for the interview in June. On August 4, my career was jump started.

In total, there are six interns. There are different projects that we work on.  However, we all are willing to help each other out if need be. Every Friday, we have weekly meetings where we gather and speak about the weekly progress of our workloads.  These sessions allow us to give input on our colleagues' work after they give their weekly reports.

I am enjoying how my career has been jump-started. I am now moving ahead after all the time and energy I put into trying to start my career in the private sector and got no return on investment.

I work on Sustainable Development which is the study of economic, social, and environmental factors of society working together for the present needs of the people without compromising the next generation. 

I would encourage other young professionals to look at a career in the public sector. If the private sector disappoints you as it has done so many people, including me, I would suggest thinking outside the box. There are other options. For me, at age 25, the public sector has proven to be a good alternative option.

For more information on the JumpStart programme, call the Cabinet Office on 292-5501.[[In-content Ad]]

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