No Job Yet? Co-op Bank’s Peter Ndumia Tips on Turning Skills Into Income

For many young Kenyans, the plan has always sounded simple: finish campus, polish the CV and start applying for jobs.

The difficult part comes when the applications pile up but the pay slip does not.

That is where a skill can become more than something listed on a CV.

At the latest Co-op Bank Youth Forum, hosted by Violetta Ngina on Friday, October 2, Peter Ndumia, Branch Manager at Co-op Bank’s Ridgeways Mall, explored how young people can start earning from what they already know through freelancing, tutoring and campus-based hustles.

His argument was straightforward: do not wait for the perfect job before testing what your skills can do.

Start with what people already ask you to do

The first step is not necessarily learning another skill.

It is identifying the one you already have.

Ndumia encouraged young people to look at their talents, hobbies, school knowledge, work experience and even the things friends repeatedly ask them to help with.

The clue, he suggested, can be something that comes naturally to you and that you genuinely enjoy doing.

That could be mathematics, writing, editing, photography, graphic design, coding, music or another practical ability.

But knowing something is not enough.

The next step is turning it into a clearly defined service that someone can actually buy.

A person who is good at mathematics, for example, can move from simply saying they understand the subject to offering one-on-one tutoring to students.

The shift is from having a skill to selling a solution.

Your phone can become part of your storefront

For freelancers and young entrepreneurs, one of the cheapest ways to start building visibility is through the networks they already have.

Ndumia advised participants to document their work and build a portfolio showing potential clients what they can actually deliver.

That portfolio does not have to begin with big corporate clients.

Sample projects and work done for friends, family, classmates or small businesses can provide proof of capability.

Social platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Facebook can then become part of the marketing process.

The idea is simple: let people see what you do.

That is particularly useful for someone looking for the first client, which is often the hardest one to secure.

The first gig may come from your own circle

Ndumia also challenged the assumption that a freelancer needs a global platform or an impressive corporate network before starting.

Friends, relatives, classmates, colleagues and nearby businesses can provide the first market.

A young designer can approach a small business that needs better social media graphics.

A student strong in a particular subject can offer tutoring.

Someone good at writing can start with editing, article writing or social media content.

Some early work may even be unpaid.

But Ndumia’s advice was that when you choose to work for free, document the output and use it to strengthen your portfolio rather than allowing the work to disappear without proof.

A hustle still needs business thinking

Kenya’s digital economy is creating more routes into income beyond conventional employment, with the World Economic Forum estimating that about 1.9 million Kenyans were engaged in digital jobs, including roughly 1.2 million gig workers, by 2025.

But whether the opportunity is online or around campus, the principle remains the same:

Find a real need, offer something useful and build a reputation for delivering it.

That was the practical takeaway from the Co-op Bank Youth Forum.

A degree can open a door.

But while waiting for that door to open, a useful skill can create another one.