Looking for a Job Q: What type of job are you looking for? A: Basically, I am a trained teacher and lecturer and my areas of specialization and competence are Research Methods and Religious Studies.Currently, I am a lecturer in the mentioned fields at Copperstone University in Kitwe, Zambia. However, I wish to change my career and venture into social work, especially in the areas of Research and project planning.My experience in teaching Research Methods, coupled with my pastoral experience, makes me the right candidate for social work. Q: What field do you currently work in? A: Currently, I am a lecturer at Copperstone University in Research Methods and Religious Studies.I teach both Post graduates and Undergraduates in Research Methods. Q: What qualifications do you hold? A: I am the holder of Master of Education in Religious Studies from the University of Zambia, a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Urbanian University, Rome, Italy, and a Diploma in Philosophy and Religious Studies from St Augustine's Major Seminary in Kabwe, Zambia. Q: Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? A: Possession of both formal education and skills is an advantage.These two complement each other to such an extent that one who possesses both will be more valuable than the one who only have one. The reason is simple: the one equiped with formal knowledge may just be efficient in intellectual issues and is most likely to labour in practical issues.The same applies with one who only has skills; he will labour when it comes to articulating intellectual issues. Therefore, to possess both will be an advantage in terms of efficiency, and less costly in terms of labour, because an institution would only need one person instead of two. Q: Describe the benefits of working with others A: From my experience, working with others has more advantages than alone.As the saying goes, "two brains are better than one." When you work with others, you are likely to learn from the experiences of others, hence consolidating your own experience.The other advantage is that each member of the group will apply his/her unique skills, making it easier to accomplish a given task, and this will cut down on the costs in terms of time because the work which was supposed to be done, for example in two hours, by one person may be done in less than this period by a group. Q: What was your worst working experience? A: My worst working experience has been when I had to teach Research Methods course for more than five hours per day for more than three months.During this period, two other lecturers in the same course had left for "greener" pastures, abandoning thirty seven students, who were in their final semester.Apart from teaching, I had to supervisor and mark their research projects.This was a very labourious exercise, especially that I also had another course, Religious Studies, to offer to other students who were also in their final semester. One lesson I learnt from this experience is that with determination, hardwork and good planning, I can over ride any form of academic pressure, no matter how insurmountable it appears to be. Q: What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? A: Throughout my career, I have come to learn that people are the most important.Without people, my teaching career would be useless and meaningless.Because of this realization, I have learnt to respect my follow workmates and students, and especially those who seem to be below my academic, social and economic status.Every person at the place of work, has a great contribution to make towards the welfare of others and the institution.Because of this understanding, I have come to appreciate and love every person regardless of his/her status at my place of work or society. Q: What unique skills do you have? A: I have the ability in the following areas: -to design a research project, analyse data and write a comprehensive report; -to design modules for educational courses; -to work under extreme pressure and meet deadline; -to work with others as a team and easily relate and get along with others, and understand and respect differences in other people and their opinions; -to help people in need especially the vulnerable ones, and I remain flexible when need arises.I recognise people, especially the disability, as individuals who need love and ought to be respected with dignity; -I am an advocate for environment protection, HIV and AIDS counsellor; -last, but not the least, I am a good listener, organised, motivated, reliable, honest, hardworking, dependable and not only an academician but also a practical person. | 
