Interview with Humanities Graduate, Masters Candidate & Portfolio Manager Senzo Hlophe
Tell us a little about yourself
I am a Masters of Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration
candidate at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and a former Portfolio Manager
at the DG Murray Trust now an Innovation Manager for the said company. I grew up in a small town in KwaZulu-Natal
called Port Shepstone, only moved to Cape Town in 2010 to further my
post-school studies.
What does a Portfolio Manager do?
In a more familiar cases, a Portfolio Manager (PM) is a finance
designation for a person responsible for making investment decisions using
other people’s money placed under the control of the PM within a financial
institution. In my case I work for a grant making organization, instead of dealing
with people’s investment I have to make decision of whether or not to support
organizations. This involves grant process management: overseeing grant
applications, from reviewing applications to conducting site visits. A lot of
meetings and travelling around the country. Sending and receiving tons of
emails. Also involves strategic project management of more than 25 projects
currently. It is a night-fun-mare
.
.
What did you study at university and why?
I only applied to UCT for Bachelor of Laws, I ended up enrolling for
Bachelor of Social Science in Political Science and Public Policy &
Administration (PPA). The flipping decision was made after counselling with an
amazing curriculum advisor I had at UCT, Jessica Tiffany. I have always been passionate about people, I
love working with people simultaneously I love politics, engaging on issues
governance and so forth. PPA is about human development and empowerment through
effective policy planning and rigorous interaction between different interest
groups. I love that! I chose UCT because during a career expo back home, the
UCT stall had no one while UKZN, UNISA, UJ, WITS and other had long queues and
the representatives were nice.
What were your main challenges during your studies?
Low grades were the biggest challenge, I almost got excluded in
first year, can you believe it? Finding balance between extracurricular
activities and academics was another, for me lectures and tutorials were not
the beginning and the end of my varsity experience and I did so much, sometimes
to the detriment of the reason I came to varsity. Language was another one, dude in high school
I did Maths, English, business studies and IsiZulu amongst many others in Zulu.
So English was a big jump for me and couldn’t relate to most people since most
of my peers came from affluent schools and backgrounds and they spoke Her
Majesty’s English. Language for me is
also coupled with culture shock. But any who I survived to MA level.
After graduation what happens? How did you manage to find a job that suites your interests (highlight the challenges if any and how you overcame them)
The plan was to do undergrad and leave for work, but in my final one
of my lecturers saw a potential in me and convinced me to pursue postgrad
studies of which I did and I enrolled for an Honours in PPA and my research
focused on the then emerging National Health Insurance policy. Honours was so
thought provoking coupled with anxiety of what happened after varsity and a
lack of response from potential employers, I enrolled for a 2 year Masters
progamme in 2014. I did Masters, after first semester I hated it and endued the
torture of second semester and I took a leave of absence and still pondering
about going back and finishing but I wanna change my programme. Early 2015 through a friend I was introduced
to some people at the City if Cape Town and I ended up doing an internship
there and 3 months into it I hate it, I lasted for 5 months and I got a job at
the DG Murray Trust as a Portfolio Manager. At the City I was paid extremely
low stipend and could not afford accommodation and basic necessities. That
motivated to continue looking.
What advice do you have for anyone currently studying towards a degree in the humanities and recent graduates still searching for a job?
Your degree and transcript won't cut it fam. You can't say you are a
multitasker having completed 20 courses to qualify for a degree ONLY! Do
something that you love and passionate about and be willing to differ from
friends, don't just be part of a herd, have a purpose.
Lecturers are there for a purpose beyond teaching, use them. Get
closer ask silly questions, go to consultations ask them about how they ended
up in academia, find out what else is out there for you. This will come in
handy when you need a reference letter. The moment your relationship reaches
first name basis, go and drink on it, you've earned yourself a letter, don’t
forget to remain a pretending diligent student to your lecturer. FYI: Your
degree is not the definition of your career or job designation. I did
Humanities, but my job requires me to analyze Annual Financial Statements,
assess if organizations are financially sound and determine budget allocations
and stuff, nowhere in my curricular was any of this covered and I love it!
To new graduates who have this thing that annoys the hell out of
professionals and take it from me who has been at both side of the table, STOP
IT! Acting like you know it all and have answers for everything during the
interviews and always wanting to dominate in conversations and teamwork. Be
humble and be open to learn and be open to be challenged both your thinking and
everything under the sun. It will be difficult after graduation to get a job if
you have not secured one by October/November.
Hang in there, you will lose some good friends who know you at worst, it
all part of the process, family will come down on you, things will fall apart
to an extent but it will come together at the end. I haven't figured anything
much either.
Here are some helpful resources for those of you still on the job hunt:
Activate leadership Program
http://www.ngopulse.org/vacancies
http://jobstarter.co.za/
You may also be interested in reading our previous interview with occupational therapist Mapitso Thaisi
If you enjoyed reading this article please share it on your favourite social media channel, be it twitter or FB or G+. Please subscribe to Sa Varsity Student via email and like us on Facebook to catch out latest informative and motivational posts. We have more interesting interviews lined up or you so you better subscribe!
Here are some helpful resources for those of you still on the job hunt:
Activate leadership Program
http://www.ngopulse.org/vacancies
http://jobstarter.co.za/
You may also be interested in reading our previous interview with occupational therapist Mapitso Thaisi
If you enjoyed reading this article please share it on your favourite social media channel, be it twitter or FB or G+. Please subscribe to Sa Varsity Student via email and like us on Facebook to catch out latest informative and motivational posts. We have more interesting interviews lined up or you so you better subscribe!
