I’m by the names of Kwiocwiny Gloria, a finalist student from Kyambogo University offering Bachelor of Arts in social sciences. some people comment that I’m doing the wrong course because my love for art keeps me talking more often about it. Here is where the story began
My mother is a decorator and growing up seeing her do a lot of creative work made me enthusiastic into learning more about art. So, in my S.6 vacation she gave me a chance to learn beading using some leftover beads, using tutorials from you tube I was able to make a beautiful piece of earing and necklace. I auction it out during the end of year party for Koch Awinga child development center and it was taken by the guest of honor that’s the councilor for Jupangira at 30,000 Ugandan shillings. This was a stepping stone into beading and I later started crocheting bathing sponge too using nylon yarn, it sells out.
During my second year at campus, I decided to venture fully into beading as a side hustle at campus. Using part of my upkeep I bought the necessary materials needed and started making earrings, necklaces, branded bracelets, waist beads, key holders. I decided to use the remaining nylon yarn for sponge to crochet earrings.
I sold these products to my friends, classmates, family members, church members especially the women. Via social media I was able to market my products through advertising on my Facebook page and different WhatsApp groups. Also, my customers referred their friends to me as well; for instance, the greatest sale I ever made was of an artist who ordered fifty bracelets branded in his stage name for his funs and he was referred to me by a friend. The challenges I faced during marketing and sale were of some customers that came up with their own price to buy my products and also friends always wanted to take these products on credit and paying back was a tag of war.
Many of us students when we join higher institutions of learning we always look for ways of hustling alongside studies. One of the best ways to hustle at campus is through handiwork. There a lot of handiworks that you can engage in apart from the ones mentioned above, such as crocheting, liquid soap making, plaiting hair plus others. Also, you can hustle in other areas like bakery, selling clothes and cosmetics as these require little startup capital just like I started with a capital of 30,000Ugshs. Self-employment at campus enables an individual to strike a balance between studies and books unlike being an employer that may cause conflicting loyalty.
Lastly, I encourage us to embrace social media platforms to learn skills that will enable us to earn a living and become self-employed such as handiwork, social media marketing, graphic design, E-commerce and online selling, photography and videography, content creation. The world we are in now needs people who are creative for instance I didn’t know anything about beading but through watching tutorials on you tube I was able to learn a lot on beading and other art work such as making flower pots for both interior and exterior design, wall hangings, bridal funs and so on which I plan to embark on after campus beside other works that God will bless me with.
NUSDA AT HEART, DIKIRI PI DONGO NGOM MWA.