She Quit Her Career In Banking To Pursue Her Dream - Mwende’s Journey To The Top.
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| Faith Mwende, the C.E.O. Trident Colleges. |
But that is exactly the situation Faith Mwende, the C.E.O. Trident Colleges, found herself in when she
opted to resign her job as a banker, fifteen years into it.
“I joined the university clueless and with no proper career
guidance on what courses to take or what to pursue and I eventually did the ‘wrong
career’ in banking. It was not before my third year that I realised that
banking was not my passion. So, when I joined the job market, I felt lost in
the job even though it was well paying. I felt as though my body was trapped in
the wrong destiny,” says Mwende.
For fifteen years, Mwende’s body kept on screaming at her
until she was eventually forced to listen. It was then she decided to take that
bold move of quitting her job and venturing into a field that she knew very
little about but yet so determined to succeed an area of her passion. She was
determined to follow a new path, a bigger vision and a dream that had been
eluding her for all that time.
“Life can indeed be unfair and the farthest cry away from
ideal but it also gives you a chance towards personal realisation, fulfillment
and the attainment of some of the dearest dreams you have imagined. And in
shunning a well-paying legal job, the very life my parents had designed and
spent a fortune trying to build for me, I decided to pursue something I was
passionate about, the very stuff that made up my dreams,” she points out.
Mwende’s Journey To ‘Freedom’.
Mwende’s story is that of a lady who chose to walk out into
the sea without much as a life jacket, but still managed to swim against the
tide. Creativity, serving others and making a difference in the society has
always been a theme in her life. So, when she started she started this journey 5
years ago she was fulfilled in many ways. Now she earns better than she used
to, only this time, doing a job she loves.
Before she quit, she took her time to consider more than
just her own professional future but also that of her family. She reckons that
if one puts God first in all they do, nothing ever goes wrong. So, with that in
mind, she planned well for her exit by making the appropriate shifts, both
financially and emotionally. Thereafter, she partnered with others to come up
with Trident Colleges, initially just as a school of medical science and health
technology,
“We identified a gap in medical schools in terms of
nutritionists, social workers, environmental science, and applied biology and
so on. So when we sat down with the rest of my partners, we decided to start a
school that could accommodate every sphere of this field.”
The journey to success has not been an easy road as Mwende
explains. Among the challenges that they have encountered as an institution
include breaking through into the market, considering the fact that as new entrants
(barely 2 years old), competing with the legendary and more established
entities has been a tall order though with time people have started realising
the value of working with Trident Colleges. The cost of advertisements too have
skyrocketed and at times very unaffordable.
It has also been a challenge for parents to raise fees for
their students considering the financial situation of majority of them. Otherwise,
Mwende says that they have been able to work out various programmes with the
parents and other stakeholders to ensure that their students are retained in
school.
Achievements.
She believes that one of her greatest achievement in life
was to do what she likes most in life and actually earn from the same. This has
made her enjoy more of what she is doing and relate well with others and her
family.
“I get so much satisfaction when I guide a child through
education and they are able to get a proper job or start their own businesses. My
new career has built me as a woman and a mother. I have really learnt a lot from
this work.
Her Vision for the
future.
Mwende plans to open a college in every major county in the
country. Trident College already has a school in Thika, Upperhill in Nairobi, and
they are in the process of open a campus in Mombasa, Nakuru, Kitale and Kisumu.
Her advice to the
youth and women.
“In whatever venture
you want to take, take the risk and take the challenge. Do not fear. If your
strategy is right and have the right personnel you will definitely achieve your
goals. The drive to your success must come from within yourself because we all
bear the right ingredients to make it,” she says.
Mwende reckons that these days that there are so many
opportunities for the women, the girl-child and the youth.
A day in Mwende’s
life.
Mwende says that she wakes up quite early every morning and
starts with some physical exercise just to keep fit before taking her breakfast
and eventually rushing to the office. In between the course of her office work,
she also attends to classes where she teaches project management and mentor
both her juniors and the students.
After work, she takes her time at home to chat with her
family members before they retire to bed, ready to face another day.
Marital Status.
Mwende is married with two kids, 25 and 20 years.
Hobbies and Fears.
“I travel a lot and enjoy picnics even though I have phobia
for heights. I too love swimming and reading. I love eating thus cooking comes
in automatically in my menu and especially baking.”
Given a chance, what
would you change in Thika?
“If I had the option to make any changes to Thika town, I
would definitely go for the improvement of the roads infrastructure by actually
re-organising them to serve the people of this town more effectively and create
more room for investment. I would also work out a system that will spread the
CBD outwards to avoid the current situation where everyone is boxed and
congested in one area, the reason that we have issues with the traffic and
parking spaces. Otherwise with the opening of the superhighway, Thika is in the
verge of becoming the business hub that will actually change the people’s
perspective towards Nairobi.”
Her Parting Shot.
It is never too late to achieve your dream.
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