Popular Kenyan TikToker Auka Junior, also known as Washington, is urging Kenyans who move abroad to look beyond simply finding work and earning money, and instead deliberately build careers in their new countries.
Based in the United States, Auka Junior speaks from personal experience. When he left Kenya, he already had a degree in Finance from the University of Nairobi. But arriving in the US quickly taught him that having a Kenyan degree did not automatically translate into a professional career in the American job market.
Like many Kenyans arriving in the diaspora, he had to confront the reality that qualifications and experience acquired at home may not immediately open the same doors abroad.
From a Finance degree to starting over
Auka Junior’s experience reflects the adjustment many Kenyan immigrants face.
Despite holding a university degree, he found that the qualification alone could not give him the career opportunities he expected in the US. Like many newcomers, he had to consider jobs outside his professional training as he established himself.
For many Kenyans, these early jobs can include caregiving, hospitality, cleaning, warehouse work and other occupations that provide income but may have little connection to their professional background.
Auka Junior does not present such work as something to be ashamed of. Rather, his experience highlights the importance of having a longer-term plan.
The first job abroad can help one survive, but it does not necessarily have to become the career.
Auka Junior chose to advance
Instead of remaining defined by his Kenyan qualification, Auka Junior chose to invest in himself and understand what it would take to progress professionally in his new environment.
He is now pursuing a Master’s degree, taking another step towards building qualifications that can support his career in the US.
His journey provides a practical lesson for Kenyans in the diaspora: sometimes moving to a new country means accepting that you may have to start again professionally.
What matters is what you do after that starting point.
Build where you have gone
Auka Junior’s message is particularly relevant to young Kenyans who see migration as an opportunity for a better life.
Going abroad should not only be about securing a job, paying bills and sending money back home. It can also be an opportunity to acquire new skills, understand a different economy, build professional networks and develop a career that can provide long-term stability.
For some, that may mean going back to school. For others, it could mean professional certification, learning new technologies, gaining local experience or transitioning into an entirely new field.
The important thing, according to Auka Junior’s experience, is to keep moving forward.
Do not get stuck in survival mode
Auka Junior’s story also challenges the common perception that getting to the US is the ultimate achievement.
Migration may open a new chapter, but it does not automatically guarantee professional success. The reality of starting over can be difficult, particularly when one’s qualifications are not immediately recognised or valued in the same way.
That is why he encourages Kenyans abroad to think beyond the first job.
A person may begin by doing whatever work is available, but should continue looking for ways to improve their position.
For Auka Junior, pursuing a Master’s degree is part of that progression.
His experience ultimately offers a simple message to Kenyans in the diaspora: do not just move abroad. Build yourself there. Build your skills, build your networks and, most importantly, build a career.
