Zimbabweans dedicate the bulk of their time on the computer to doing.
But Doctor Maxwell Ngwenya has chosen a different route, placing himself in a rare breed of those who make it possible for computer users to work.
“I realised that most people took their time complaining about technical problems both at work and in internet cafes, so I decided to be one of those who put smiles back in the faces of clients,” said the 41-year-old computer technician.
“For computer users to work effectively there should be someone who gets the machines updated in various ways. I have also always wanted to be different from the rest of the world, hence the satisfaction of being able solve problems that affect most of us today.”
Diagnosing and solving computer problems was not a boyhood dream for the Plumtree-born Ngwenya. “I did various jobs when I arrived here in Johannesburg soon after finishing high school in 1989,” he explained.
“I first worked as a petrol attendant at a BP garage, briefly joined the construction industry as a painter and later became a security guard. At that time very few people dedicated their time to computers, which were reserved for the workplace.”
The turn of the millennium created a new era, with the computer age arriving in Africa. “In 2003, I enrolled for various computer courses. Each quarter provided fresh challenges and the need to study even higher, to the degree that I now have,” said Ngwenya, who has worked for Johannesburg-based Internet Solutions as a computer technician for the past seven years.
“I would like to urge more and more Zimbabweans to study computers because they now control the world we live in. During my spare time, I give advice to those willing to take up this trade, which I think is meant for unique individuals. That is why you find very few delving there.
“I am now more passionate about computers than anything else and even studying them further. I know it can be very expensive at times, but people should consider the rich rewards afterwards. I am also planning on opening a computer-servicing company in my home town, which will hopefully spread to Bulawayo and other parts of the country at a later stage,” said Ngwenya.
He advises fellow Zimbabweans to strive to overcome fear, which he said had caused many to fail to pursue paths that could later prove rewarding for them.
“I think I am a good example of what could happen if you throw fear out of your mind. Many people would only do something because many of their friends are doing it, without realising that at the end of the day, the path that everyone is trudging is always overcrowded,” he said.
“That is why some of us have certificates that only serve to decorate our walls because the job market cannot take them. Look at me, a rural boy who decided to venture into a field that even the so-called urban boys had not thought about.”
To fellow Zimbabweans suffering in the Diaspora, where the job market continues to shrink by the day, his recipe was to “strike anything that comes along” while still searching.
“People must not be too embarrassed to do menial jobs just because they are qualified in a certain field. The menial job offer you turn down today could open a bigger opportunity for you tomorrow. We need connections to make it in life and who knows – those connections could come through taking up a menial job offer.”
Post published in: News