- Gladys Ng’etich did everything right: topped her class, earned a Rhodes Scholarship, and completed a PhD at Oxford
- The cushion she thought she had placed around her crumbled when she found herself jobless, rejected repeatedly by systems that never even saw her face
- Her story sheds light on how even world-class credentials can lead to disappointment, proving that merit alone doesn’t always open doors
Gladys Ngetich did everything right to excel in her academics, but she soon learnt that there is more to the job market than knowledge from books.
Source: Youtube
Ng’etich, who holds a PhD in engineering science from the University of Oxford, says that life quickly taught her that success on paper did not immediately translate into opportunity.
Ng’etich’s academic pursuits
The Kenyan engineer, now a post-doctoral fellow at MIT, shared her painstaking experience with Financially Incorrect.
Growing up in Kuresoi South, Ng’etich excelled academically, topping her class at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
“I knew that HRs from KenGen and KPLC would be waiting for me at the gate. I saw dust,” she recalled.
In a bid to expand her chances, she chose to go back to school and not only acquire more knowledge but also bolster her profile.
Ng’etich awarded scholarship
Her stellar record earned her some of the most competitive academic opportunities in the world and funding to study abroad.
“I was the best student in my district, so I received a full scholarship to cover my entire undergraduate from James Finlay Trust Fund,” she started.
To the outside world, her life was on the right trajectory and her story seemed flawless. But behind the accolades was a struggle few anticipate.
With a PhD from Oxford, she admits her arrogance was above the roof because she believed the market would bow down to her.
Source: Youtube
Why Ng’etich’s CVs were filtered out
However, the harsh reality started dawning when all her applications were met with rejections, a development that crushed her spirit.
She would soon discover that automated hiring systems filtered out even elite candidates before a human ever saw her CV.
Keen to find out where the missing link was, her research showed that networking mattered far more than merit in pivotal career moments.
She finally got a job at MIT earning $100,000 (approximately KSh 12 million) a year, opening doors to a job market that had initially closed doors in her face.
Ng’etich’s income streams
Her journey was not just professional but financial. Scholarships initially left her with more money than she knew how to manage, leading to years of reckless spending.
Over time, she learnt the value of saving, investing in Uber cars and Airbnbs back in Kenya, and even self-publishing books that quietly earned more than many salaries.
As a part-time author, the books offer her a new way to earn passive income, with one of them grossing over $10,000 (approximately KSh 1.2 million).
At 31, after navigating a maze of successes and setbacks, Ng’etich made a bold choice: she stepped away, travelling across 13 countries and confronting a mid-life reckoning that most postpone.
Over the years, Dr Gladys Ng’etich has diversified into consultancy, podcasting, and motivational speaking.
Her story is a candid reminder that excelling in school is just not enough, success is rarely linear, and resilience often matters as much as brilliance.
Kenyan siblings graduate abroad
Still on Kenyans doing well abroad, Wanguya Kariuki Moses and his brother Wanguya Muturi Jesse, graduated with master’s degrees from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, United Kingdom.
The siblings brought joy to their loved ones as they upheld their family name and fulfilled the promises they had made through hard work and dedication.
Having achieved their first milestone on foreign soil, they promised to add another layer to their academic journey by pursuing PhDs.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
