Will I Ever Look The Other Way?
In this article I explore the reflections of crossing over to the middle class in these first few months of what has been 17 years of learning dedicated to achieving financial independence.
I’ve recently completed my degree at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and started my career as a Software Engineer I in one of SA’s biggest and growing e-commerce platform.
Life Background
A little background on myself, I am first generation university graduate and was born just before the 2000’s. I grew up with a lovely and very support mother who engineered most of my life, my extended family, siblings, cousins, my father and those who are now late formed a community that propelled into a brighter future.
Growing up I was always aware of what was happening around me. I was aware there were things we can and cannot afford and would make peace over the things we couldn’t afford. The warmth and love that family has overshadowed most of the problems we were facing during those times, and that was important for my growth and belief that one day I could potentially change fortunes.
Career Focus
Initially the plan was to become a doctor, an inspiration I took largely from my grandmother’s fight with medical conditions. But when my Matric results fell just below par of requirements at UCT I turned to Computer Science, which unbeknown to me was a seed planted in me by my father when he gifted me an old PC in the year 2012. The experience I needed to gain confidence to do things with a computer and be comfortable enough to pursue a career in Software Engineering.
Crossing Over
I am now a full-time junior Software Engineer based in Cape Town. And whilst there is reason to celebrate and speak all about how amazing I’ve been to have made it this far. I’m rather disappointed at what it took for me to get here and what this means for the majority that are coming after me.
Rear View: The Schooling System
Things seem to have been made inherently difficult for black people to achieve success. For starters, township schools aren’t well equipped with the right resources to achieve positive results with minimum effort. Imagine how shocked I was when I got into university and realized that the most difficult part wasn’t getting access to resources but rather engaging fully with the resources you are provided with. There were so many gaps in my knowledge that were largely due to not having had access to resources prior.
Headlights On: Life Post University
Cape Town is both a dream and nightmare city to live in depending on how much money you have or earn. Stay in the city and you have some sense of security and will enjoy most of what Cape Town has to offer. But as soon as you turn on the news headlines of what is happening around townships in Cape Town you then start to realize what living in privilege looks like from the other side if you were previously disadvantaged like me.
T-Junction: The Middle View
The reality is that whilst we are seeing a lot of young black professional coming into different spaces that they were previously denied access to, there is a larger number of young black people falling through the cracks of the schooling system and either becoming victims or perpetrators of crime. How do I live in a city where if I choose to look in one way I can live in privilege and complain only about internet speeds, and when I look the other way communities are living in very unfavorable conditions that are riddled with crime and so much social inequality?
Is there reason to feel guilty about celebrating my success when I see how little it has done in eradicating the social injustices that continue to happen around us? Why does is honestly take so much courage and effort for a black person to afford himself a life worth relaxation and the freedom to explore life in a creative sense?
I don’t have the answers to these questions nor do I have good solutions in mind for the problems I have highlighted, but these are just some of things that stop me from looking the other way.