Inspiring news I http://www.inspiringnet.com I Monday 11th May 2026
Penelope Brooke Thompson has shared her painful journey from first-class university graduate to unemployed job seeker, exposing the harsh realities many young Africans face after school.
Speaking candidly on the Peswa Podcast, Penelope revealed that despite graduating with first-class honours from KNUST and later becoming valedictorian in her MBA programme, she struggled for one and a half years to secure employment.
“It took me a year and a half to find my first job,” she disclosed. “Any single opportunity that was introduced, I applied. I never got a call.”
According to her, she applied for roles in banks, telcos, leadership programmes, and multinational companies, but repeatedly faced rejection. She even shifted to applying for personal assistant roles after failing to get responses from major corporations.
The breakthrough eventually came through an unexpected source — one of her students at Ashesi University, where she worked as a teaching assistant.
“One of my students came up to me and said there’s a company looking for a project manager,” she recounted. “At the end of the lunch, I was offered the job. My life changed forever.”
That opportunity later opened doors into technology operations, project management, and executive leadership roles in major Ghanaian companies, eventually leading her to launch ACTT.
Penelope believes Africa’s youth need practical skills, industry exposure, and mentorship instead of relying solely on certificates.
“Only 10 to 20 percent of people who graduate from tertiary institutions find jobs within the first three years,” she warned.
Today, she is working to create pathways for thousands of young people to transition directly into employment or entrepreneurship through technical training.
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