There was a time I used to think success only wore suits and ties. That if you were not walking into air conditioned offices or tapping away on a laptop in some corporate building you had somehow missed it. But life has a funny way of humbling and teaching you at the same time. And that is how I found agriculture or better still how agriculture found me.
Let us be honest white collar jobs are scarce. Connections speak louder than CVs. You could graduate with a first class and still be roaming the streets with your certificate like an ID card. But rather than fold my hands and complain about the government I decided to put these hands to work. Into the soil.
It started small. A little patch at the back of the house. I planted vegetables ugu scent leaf okra. I watered them every morning weeded them on Saturdays and watched them grow with this strange sense of joy. I did not even need a reminder to wake up early. The soil gave me purpose.
People say farming is stressful dirty and slow. They say it is not classy. But tell me what is more fulfilling than watching life spring from the same earth your feet walk on What is richer than feeding your family with food your own hands produced
There is a kind of peace that comes with agriculture. It is the quiet lessons of patience. It is the reward that comes only when you stay consistent. And when you harvest it is not just crops you are reaping it is confidence pride and self worth.
From gardening I started thinking bigger. Now I am learning poultry exploring fish farming and reading up on compost and natural fertilizers. I follow farmers on YouTube. I join local groups. I ask questions. I sell sometimes. I give out sometimes. But every day I grow.
No white collar job No wahala. I got agriculture.
While some people sit at home waiting for a call from an office they applied to three months ago I am already sweating under the sun and smiling into my evening soup. I have seen that the hands God gave me were not just for typing. They can dig. They can build. They can plant. They can provide.
You see that small garden behind the house That place taught me more about hard work and consistency than any job ever could. That place reminded me that the world does not owe me anything. That food will never go out of style. And that land when respected will always give back.
Some days I still hope for a better job sure. Everyone does. But I am no longer desperate. I am no longer idle. I am no longer ashamed.
Because this is what they do not tell you in school farming is not a last resort. It is not a fallback. It is a real career. It is honorable. It is profitable. It is healing.
If you are young and jobless do not let frustration push you into depression. Look around you. Look at the soil. Look at the empty plots and the forgotten farms. Go back to the land. You will be shocked what your hands can do when you let go of shame and embrace growth.
Today I do not need to wear a tie to feel important. My dignity is not tied to a company’s name. I got soil under my nails and food on my table. I got seeds in my hand and hope in my heart.
No white collar job No problem.
I got agriculture.