Population Movement

Mbeya city, Second Middle School.

"Rod, where are you going after graduation?" Hagens asked.

In the blink of an eye, graduation season had arrived. East African middle school graduates would also have to face the question of employment. Of course, the top students could remain in school, but they were only a tiny minority. Most had to decide where to go next.

"Who knows? But judging by my grades and my family's plans, I'll most likely end up working under my father and inheriting the blacksmith shop, or else going to a factory. As for farming, I don't know how to do that!"

"Sigh, that's the advantage of having a trade. Someone like me will most likely have to go back to the village and work on the farm."

"Hehe, I'm only half a bucket myself. My father hasn't systematically taught me blacksmithing yet. After all, the blacksmith shop is dirty and exhausting, and I basically never help with the work when I get home. So even if I inherit his trade, I'll still have to start from scratch. Besides, it also depends on grades. The better your grades, the more paths you have ahead of you. The very best can study abroad, the next best can attend university at home, and those at the top of the class can get assigned good jobs."

"So you're saying I'm a lousy student!" Rod said resentfully.

"You're overthinking it. My grades aren't much better than yours. We're brothers, aren't we? Besides, work in a blacksmith shop might not be much better than working on a farm. Swinging a hammer and forging iron is hard labor too, and there are no days off all year round. Every piece of ironware in the whole village that needs repairing depends on our family alone."

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