An EIT at MEST: A firsthand account of what it means

August 26th, 2009 · Guest Blogger | 3 Comments

Category: Career Reflections

The following post was written by Samuel, an Entrepreneur in Training (EIT) at Meltwater’s non-profit organization, MEST, in Ghana.

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Having been an Entrepreneur in Training (EIT) at Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) for eighteen months, I feel rightly placed to give a sneak peek into the life of an EIT. Young, smart, ambitious, bright and engaging are some of the adjectives that describe the average EIT. Driven by the BIG vision to create wealth and employment locally - through African software companies that are players in the global markets - each EIT embarks on the exciting, yet challenging journey of building a successful enterprise, with levels of passion and dedication comparable to those exhibited by aspiring entrepreneurs anywhere in the world. With support from staff, EITs go through the iterative process of conceiving ideas, evaluating them, building prototypes and writing business plans in a fast-paced and professional environment.

With varied academic backgrounds - Political Science, Computer Engineering, Psychology and Biochemistry to name a few - EITs, working in teams, brainstorm global problems (which we view as opportunities) and propose software solutions that are commercially viable. Among the many skills that EITs continually hone are: being comfortable with uncertainty, independent and strategic thinking, self-reflection and communicating clearly and candidly. These skills give each EIT an increased self-confidence with which to take on the world. With the guidance of dedicated staff and the sponsorship of the Meltwater Foundation, hardworking EITs (such as myself) with interesting ideas will launch global software startups that inspire other Africans and contribute to developing a continent that for too long has failed to fully harness the potential of its many talented young people; an accomplishment that cannot be anything but extraordinary.

samuel Written by Samuel, EIT, MEST Class of 2009