Before joining Inspire Her Afrika, Nokwanda Rutendo B Nkala carried a question she rarely said out loud: Did I choose the right career?
As a
civil and water engineering student and a leader in Tribe Ewa, she had every reason to feel certain about
her path. Yet, beneath the textbooks and conversations about the future, she
found herself wondering whether she had chosen engineering for the right
reasons and what it would take to discover the purpose behind her career. Through
mentorship, Nokwanda has not necessarily found all the answers. Instead, she
has learned to ask better questions, take the next step even when she is
afraid, and trust that clarity can come with the journey.
Before joining IHA, what career question were
you struggling with?
Before I
joined Inspire Her Afrika, I carried a question I rarely said out loud: Did
I choose the right career? On paper, I had every reason to be certain. I am
a civil and water engineering student, a field that builds bridges, brings
clean water to communities, and shapes the very ground people walk on. It is
noble work. And yet, over my textbooks, I would quietly wonder whether I had
chosen it for the right reasons, or simply because it was the answer expected
of me. The questions multiplied. How do I choose an area of specialisation when
I do not yet know who I am becoming? How do I discover my God-given purpose
when it does not come with a label? What do you do when you are not passionate
about anything? And the heaviest of all was: Why does it seem like everyone
around me has figured it out except me?
In
lecture halls and group projects, my colleagues spoke about their futures with
a confidence that left me breathless. Their dream companies, their five-year
plans, their decided specialisations. I sat among them feeling like the only
one still standing at the crossroads.
Has mentorship given you an answer, or has it
helped you ask better questions?
Then I
met my mentor, Mary Nwanua, and everything began to shift. Mary told me
something I have held onto ever since: “Do things even when you are afraid.”
She encouraged me to reach out to people already far ahead in the engineering
sector and ask them how they made it, what mistakes they made, how they
overcame them, and whether they, too, had ever felt like they did not know what
they wanted. Well, even the most established engineers had once stood where I
stand. Certainty, it turns out, is not a prerequisite for a meaningful career.
In one of
our meetings, the topic was discovering your purpose. Mary advised me to pray
and ask God to show me, and to pay attention to what my heart is drawn to, what
breaks my heart, and what fills me with excitement and fulfilment. She told me
to look at my own experiences. What are the things I have endured that I would
never want someone else to endure? Which group of people am I drawn to? I
learned that purpose is not only found in what you love. Sometimes, it is found
in what you have suffered and now long to heal in others. And, most
importantly, I learned to trust that God guides me.
What has surprised you most about figuring
out your career?
One
session challenged me deeply. We were asked to draw a career map. At first, it
felt almost impossible. How do you map a route when you do not know your
destination?
But I
chose to focus on becoming a water and irrigation engineer, not to close myself
off already, but simply to begin somewhere. I am still discovering which area I
want to specialise in, and I have made peace with that. Through the programme,
I have learned to set short-term and long-term career goals, craft a CV and
application materials that will speak for me when I graduate, and, most
importantly, build a personal and professional brand that is consistent and
will represent me well in the years ahead. These are not small things. They are
tools I will carry for a lifetime.
Have you changed your career plans since
joining the programme?
I have
not yet changed my plans or goals. I am still the same civil and water
engineering student, grateful for the path I walk. But in a deeper sense,
everything has shifted. I no longer believe I must have my specialisation
decided by tomorrow. I no longer measure my worth against the confident
speeches of my peers. I stopped asking, “Why don’t I have it all figured
out?” and started asking, “What is the next faithful step right in front
of me?” Clarity will come as I walk this journey.
What would you say to another young woman who
feels like everyone else has figured out their career except her?
To the
young woman who feels like everyone else has figured out their career except
her, and I know she is out there, because she was me, I want to say this: You
are not behind. Comparison is a thief that steals the joy of your own
unfolding. The colleagues who seem so certain are often just better at hiding
their questions. Your winding road is not a flaw. It is your story being
written in real time. Do not rush to answer a question God is still allowing
you to live.
So, what is the career question you are still
figuring out?
I am no longer afraid of it. I hold it
with open hands, choosing my specialisation when the time is right, chasing
passion that grows rather than arrives, building my brand one faithful step at
a time, and trusting that the One who gave me my purpose is in no hurry to hide
it from me. I am still figuring it out,
and perhaps that is the
point.
Things We Wish Someone Had Told Us Earlier
There are some lessons we only learn with time, and sometimes, we wish someone had given us the heads-up sooner. In the latest episode of the Inspire Her Afrika Podcast, members of Tribe Thando and Tribe Adese come together for an honest, relatable conversation about the things they wish someone had told them earlier. The conversation explores life, career decisions, self-discovery, expectations, growth, and the realities of navigating your 20s as a young African woman.
Watch the full episode on YouTube: Watch the full episode on YouTube
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