By TOKOLOGO LEKOMA
Many South African students have to work while they study. It’s called ‘hustle culture’.
Future neuropsychologist Zintle Madolo explains that working as a research assistant at Rhodes University’s Department of Physics is no joke. After getting the job upon the recommendation of her warden, Madolo felt the pressure of living up to the work of the previous assistant. Not having any prior science-related experience meant that she had to self-teach and carefully follow instructions on data analysis.
Work can be challenging and demanding, but Madolo believes it all has value. Scrunching up her nose, she finds it teaches effective time management, financial responsibility, working in a post-pandemic environment, and the importance of healthy workplace relations. However, these lessons come at a cost, just like anything worth having. She sacrifices friendships for her studies and demanding job position. And Madolo’s parents complicate matters for her with their mixed views. While her dad is proud of her for getting her name out in the world, Madolo’s mom prefers that she keep focused on her studies.
Never letting these varying opinions affect her, Madolo explains that her main takeaways are: to always ask for help from her colleagues, to ask for hand-written instructions for future reference, and to be prepared to learn something new every day.
So any ‘hustle culture’ curse has not scared her off completely. She is ready to navigate her next endeavour of becoming either a graduate assistant or a sub-warden – one step closer to her dream job of being a neuropsychology lecturer.
