In Ethiopia, there is an entrenched cultural emphasis on going to school and receiving a degree. However, the concept of career readiness prior to graduation is still a nascent concept. Eyob Addisu, 21, is a fourth year Electronic Mechatronics major at Dire-Dawa Polytechnic College. While he is looking forward to graduation, he also worries about life after school. He tells a painful and familiar story of his peers who worked hard to get a good education, only to languish in a world of non or under-employment. He is aware of the hopelessness this creates and the difculty in remaining motivated.

Read the complete stories about Ethiopian youth in Our Stories of Change.