Juggle now, reap rewards later

Isdor Aluteni Kamati, 20, is a Library and Information Science student at Unam, a librarian assistant at the Namibia Scientific Society Library and a part-time radio presenter at Unam Radio. Kamati explained to The Zone that it is pivotal for students to not only focus on obtaining their qualifications, but also making an effort to gain work experience in their respective fields during their study periods. “A qualification alone is not enough, employers want people with enough work experience too,” said Kamati.Kamati describes himself as a person who likes books, appreciates art, and enjoys sports. “Essentially, I am an ever-cheerful person and always eager to support positive causes,” Kamati said. He was born in Outapi, right in the heart of Omusati. He moved to Windhoek when he was a toddler, and that is where he grew up. “To be precise, I grew up in Soweto in Katutura and that place for me means a lot because it has taught me valuable life lessons,” he said. Among the life lessons Soweto taught Kamati, he prides himself in the fact that his upbringing in Soweto has taught him to be grounded and having pride in where he is from. “Another lesson that the streets of Soweto taught me is to always bring out the best in people and lastly, to always look on the bright side of life,” he said proudly.Kamati shared that he spends his days at work and he goes straight to school after that. Lucky for him, his radio show is on Sundays. “It's not easy being a student and also having a job but I manage doing it by being at work (library) from 08:00-16:00 and thereafter, I attend classes at Unam,” he said. Kamati added that with radio presenting, he considers himself fortunate to be given a late Sunday afternoon show. “All it takes is just for one to have passion for what they do and to prioritise.”Just like many in his shoes, Kamati said that juggling two jobs and being a student has not always been a walk in the park. He explained that before he was hired at the Namibia Scientific Society Library he used to read news on Unam Radio and also had morning classes. “Being a news reader on campus radio and attending classes was not much of a challenge. The real challenge came when I got the library job and sometimes it required me to be at two places at the same time,” Kamati shared. He overcame this challenge by completing the morning lectures in the first semester and requested to be relieved from reading news to hosting a weekend show. Even after being put on a weekend slot for his radio commitments challenges still prevailed as all his three commitments; being a student, a radio presenter and the library job were equally demanding. “But everything became less challenging as I obtained more experience from the work I did,” he said.Kamati explained that the importance of gaining work experience as a student is that he gets to instantly turn his theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge, especially because he is employed in the industry that is aligned to his field of study. He stresses that work experience awareness is critical because there are students who forget most of what they learn before they are afforded the opportunity to even apply this knowledge in a particular trade. “Above everything, work experience is very important because many employers require experience when recruiting,” said Kamati. Kamati's recipe to maintaining a healthy balance between being a student and having a full-time job is by investing adequate time in all of his obligations. He maintains that he is fortunate enough to be afforded the time to also study and do his academic work during his working hours and he is certain that his lecturers understand whenever he is unable to attend classes due to work commitments.He shared that as an aspiring librarian, he is inspired by Dr Ranganathan, an Indian library science pioneer. As a radio personality, Kamati is inspired by the likes of DJ Cheeze and DJ Jossy Joss. “DJ Cheeze and DJ Jossy Joss have a unique way of presenting that will make you tune into their shows until the show ends. I aspire to be like them one day,” said Kamati.He says the most satisfying thing about his job at the library is when the information needs of library users are fulfilled. For the young librarian, Kamati maintains that it is really a priceless moment to see the looks on the faces of library users after finding the information they have been searching for. Kamati revealed that as a radio presenter, the most satisfying thing for him is being able to be one of the gatekeepers who helps give upcoming artists adequate airplay. “It is also rewarding when my listeners reach out to me to tell me that they enjoy my show,” said Kamati.Kamati points out his mom and Frans Aupa Indongo as sources of his inspiration. He shared that being raised by a single mother; his mom has instilled great values of kindness and selflessness. “I also look up to Frans Aupa Indongo because as a young person I have learned greatly from his humility, generosity, strong work ethic and general drive for success,” said Kamati about his role model.Kamati used to volunteer at the Windhoek Public Library and it was during that time of his life where he started to become fond of being a librarian. As for his radio desires he was inspired by a local breakfast show to also want to be in the radio sphere. “I remember listening to the morning show on one of the local radio stations and the humour, enthusiasm, as well as the impeccable presentation style of that show's host struck me,” said Kamati. He then decided that he would like to join the world of radio and make his mark. “I then started with my radio journey by joining Unam Radio last year.”With all this relevant work experience he is gaining during his student years, Kamati is positive that he will have all the components that employers seek when recruiting. Kamati concluded by saying that the importance of work experience can never be over-emphasised as it is one of the qualities that can guarantee one a job after graduation. “It also helps the students gain valuable experience which is only obtainable through working. At times even if it is unpaid work, because the experience you will gain will pay off one day,” concluded Kamati.MICHAEL KAYUNDE

Juggle now, reap rewards later

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-17

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Juggle now, reap rewards later

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-17

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