Every year around this time thousands of recent graduates develop anxiety attacks as they await the release of the postings for that particular year of service. It was no different this time around, and being a member of this year’s class of personnel made me experience this phenomenon all the more vividly.
The National Service Scheme posts these graduates to different sectors of the job world for a year’s service to the nation, during which they would receive a small allowance in return for their service. It’s a fairly common practice the world over, and it is aside the concept of apprenticeship another way of equipping students with the necessary job experience for their foray into the job world.
As a concept it sounds okay, but in practice the scheme is fraught with difficulties. I mentioned feelings of anxiety in graduates when waiting for the postings and it’s mainly because of some of these difficulties. Already we are seeing the complaints coming in from disillusioned students over their place of posting.
The reason why such an exciting event rather evokes feelings of such dread is due to two problems with the postings, one with geography and the other with expertise.
The first relates to how sometime people are posted into far off places from their home regions, an event which presents logistical challenges like you would not believe. This is the biggest fear, as though sometimes going away from home to new environs can be exciting, being sent too far away brings too many challenges that overpower any feelings of thrill you get from your exciting new adventure.
Financially it can be a drag, particularly getting through the registration process which can involve trips to and fro between your new district and your home district. Add in accommodation, transportation, and other intangibles and you get why it’s one of the biggest fears of would be service personnel.
The other fear, relates to getting posted into a field outside your area of expertise, which could lose you a year of your life and in the end fail to achieve one of the core objectives of the service scheme.
Getting posted to a place of work within your expertise whilst offering you much needed experience, also doubles as a chance to impress and get a permanent position after your service is over- in this current economic climate this chance is nothing to scoff at. You do not have that chance when you are sent outside your comfort zone, which is what happens to so many people year in, year out.
Already the stories are circulating, with the one of a business graduate being sent to work in a mortuary the top of the pack. Considering all these, you would understand why some of my colleagues stayed up late into the night the day postings was released, to find out their fate and get the anxiety out of their system, one way or another.
The scheme has it merits, especially if you’re a big picture kind of person. It provides much needed work experience, irrespective of whether it’s in your field or otherwise. In this country a fair number of graduates have never really worked before, and the one year service is the chance to get the corporate feel before you enter the work environment proper.
The scheme is also used to prop up the shortfall in the teaching sector, and as I mentioned earlier if you see the big picture you would realise it’s kind of a necessary evil. You can be a graduate posted to teach in some little known village far from your hometown, be furious at your posting but also realise someone had to be sent to do that job.
Finally as it is national service, it is a chance to serve your nation in whatever capacity you’re put in for a year, so you can see it as a patriotic duty. Frankly I’m not big on that concept, but to each their own. No one seems to be in any hurry to be patriotic, especially those who are actually receiving huge sums at the taxpayer’s expense to do so.
I had a posting in my home region, in my area of expertise, so I have little complaints. But there are thousands out there who are just at the beginning of their nightmare, so honestly as a scheme there are several improvements to be done, so that sometime in the future graduates can have a good night’s sleep even a day before their postings come out.