Yaounde: Author urges youth to create own opportunities.

During the event, she shared with young Cameroonians her personal experiences, ideas and what pushed her to write the book.

Speaking to the young people who gathered to tap from her rich reservoir of self-help and personal development, Nicky Verd revealed that she wrote the book for people who are tired of waiting for a job, waiting for someone to give them an opportunity and people who want to do something for themselves.

“This book is for people who have a mindset that their lives can only change if they have a job. I want them to disrupt that thinking and start asking questions like what else can I do, to improve my own life? I want young people to embrace the idea of entrepreneurship and use the necessary resources around them like technology, to start something for themselves and create their own economy,” Nicky Verd stated.

Embrace technology 

The author pointed out that as a Digital Futurist, her work is about bridging the gap between people and technology. 

She said when people hear about technology today, they think it is only for IT guys, tech experts and so on, but today, people have to become comfortable with technology, because it has become inherent in daily activities. 

“The message in my book is clear, disrupt yourself or be disrupted, because we are living in a digital age and the world is changing so fast. If you are not disrupting yourself, getting out of routine and adapting to new changes, then you will be left behind and you will become obsolete,” she said.

Nicky Verd further called on young people to adopt a forward thinking mindset, and adapt to the changes Artificial Intelligence is imposing on their different professional paths lest they be rendered jobless.

“I used to work in the corporate world and I got laid off. I thought I was secured with a job and someone took it from me just like that. I had to learn new skills and evolve from there,” she mentioned.

Enter participants 

Participants, who took part in the reading and discussions, all expressed satisfaction with the wealth of knowledge they acquired.

According to Dr Sih Blessing, one of the participants, she learned one important thing which is the need for her to move from her comfort zone.

“The comfort zone is a complicated place to be in where you think and believe you already have everything you need and then one day you realise the world has evolved and left you behind and you are no longer productive and useful to society,” Dr Sih said.

On his part, author, Adelbert-courage Anyele, described the reading as mind-blowing. He said he is ready to take the challenge and disrupt some stereotypes he has so as to make impactful change for himself and his community.

“It’s time to scale fences, unlearn and relearn to make change. Personally I know there are no limits and I am not afraid to dare, shake walls and try new things,” Anyele declared.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3150 of Wednesday June 26, 2024