The government's recent push to secure opportunities for Kenyans abroad stems from the need to find decent and stable jobs for local talent, facing challenges in navigating the cutthroat Kenyan market and easing the pressure on the limited opportunities available within the country.
However, even before the government began exploring this avenue, Kenyans were already known to dare abroad, testing unchartered waters to better their lives and those of their families.
A classic case of such is the story of Cyd Nzioka who moved to the United States at the age of 25 years, in search of greener pastures.
However, at the beginning, things were not smooth sailing. She experienced several challenges that come with moving to a new country.
Nzioka boasts of excellent academic credentials. She holds a PhD in Organization and Management from Capella University in Minnesota. With this, you would expect that she would not struggle to hit the ground running.
Despite her impressive academic background, the Atlanta-based entrepreneur faced many obstacles while attempting to secure employment in the US.
She finally managed to secure a pharmaceutical job that allowed her to finally settle. She did not reveal more about her career before Tipitoe was launched, however, her LinkedIn shows that she worked as a Human Resource (HR) practitioner at Pacific Health in North Carolina before her pharmaceutical job.
In June 2022, things took a turn for the worse when she got laid off from her job. With her options limited, she and her business partner decided to launch an immigration consultancy business together.
“The company gave us a severance package, and I had my savings, so I moved to a more affordable place and started a consultancy firm to help fellow immigrants as job hunting was becoming tougher by the day,” she stated.
Dr. Nzyoka noted that some of the major struggles immigrants face include; culture shock, money conversions and language barriers.
“When I was new, I went to McDonald's and ordered chips and a burger, and they brought me crisps,” Nzyoka recalls.
“When you talk to people from different states, the intonation and pronunciation are different, which leads to misunderstandings. The trick is to talk slow,” she advised.
The consultancy firm helped numerous newcomers from Africa and Europe to navigate the complexities of starting a new life in the United States.
“I help people understand the rules and regulations, especially with some of these things Kenyans get in trouble with, such as bribery, drinking and driving, so they hit the ground running in the right way,” Dr Nzyoka stated.
