Oh boy, here we go.....

So, this is it.

Our first ever email. I’m nervous AF right now, how about you?

And when I’m nervous – I ramble. So, to save you 50 lines of dribble, let’s just skip the intro and get to the good stuff.

Here’s what’s in today’s email:

• Two remote content jobs for one agency

• A free 90-minute content marketing course for Africans (and everyone else)

• Is “prompt engineer“ the next big remote work opportunity?

• A career accelerator for African women

• A massive investment in Kenya’s digital economy, and why it matters to you

• What I’m listening to and reading this week

• What’s coming in future emails

That’s right. All that in the first email. I didn’t come to play.

Remote Jobs This Week

CopySmiths is an e-commerce content agency that hires writers almost exclusively in Africa. They currently have two roles open:

• Content Writer; 30+ hours per week; KES ~93,000 ($705) per month

• Marketing Assistant; 40 hours per week; KES 93,000+ ($690) per month

Both roles are paid weekly, no experience is required, and you’ll need a Wise account to apply.

Working with CopySmiths is a fantastic opportunity if you’re starting your freelance writing career. They offer 1:1 writing coaching, mentorship, training, team meetups in Nairobi, and huge potential for growth.

They also have a fantastic scholarship.

Katrina McKinnon – CopySmiths’ founder and a friend of the newsletter – is very active in the Remarkable Freelance Writers in Africa Facebook community, where she regularly shares feedback, advice, jobs, encouragement, and much more.

So, if you’re looking for content jobs tailored to Africans – join, it’s free.

Free Course for African Content Marketers

Chima Mmeje is a hugely successful SEO and content strategist from Nigeria who has advised many multi-billion dollar businesses.

She recently launched a free 90-minute course with Semrush called Content Marketing Principles for Business, and it’s blowing up all over my Linkedin feed, with excellent reviews from students across Africa.

The course teaches you how to:

• Research, plan, and create content for a specific business’s products and customers.

• Understand the different forms of content you can publish and how they benefit different businesses.

• Integrate SEO into your content strategy.

• Create a marketing plan.

• Measure the effectiveness and impact of your content strategy.

If you want to work for businesses contributing to their marketing efforts, Chima’s course is an excellent resource.

We’ll be taking the course ourselves very soon. So, watch out for a mini-review in a future newsletter. Or, take the course and tell us what you think.

Is “Prompt Engineer“ The Next Big Career Opportunity?

Paul Breloff, co-founder of executive recruitment firm Shortlist, posted an interesting question to Linkedin this week:

I've spoken to Paul on a couple of occasions and found him incredibly thoughtful, forward-thinking, and generous with his time. I read everything he posts on Linkedin, because it’s always very insightful.

His question about prompt engineers suggests top execs in major African companies are actively exploring integrating ChatGPT-type software into their operations.

I’ve already started building a “prompt library” of common prompts I use every day to research, plan, and create content. I’ll be sharing this with our team soon so they can start using it and contributing prompts themselves.

(That’s right, I just implied I’m a top executive of a major African company. So what? It’s called manifesting, baby!)

Why does this matter?

Understanding how to get the best from ChatGPT already makes you more appealing as a hire to businesses with an eye on the future.

Also, business owners don’t have time to sit down and spend their day inputting prompts into an AI tool. It’s not a good use of their time. They’d much rather hire someone to do it for them.

That’s where prompt engineers come in.

Even better: You don’t need any formal skills to become a prompt engineer. And you can make a lot of money if you do it right. How much?

Try $335,000 a year… 

Look out: I did a deep dive into prompt engineering for this edition, but it got crazy long, so I’ve saved everything for a future newsletter. We’ll publish it all very soon….

The Heels and Green Career Accelerator

Wanjiku Kimani shared a cool opportunity to join her networking community for professional women in Africa – Heels & Green.

I’m a big fan of Wanjiku – she was a major inspiration for starting this newsletter.

So, I’m sure Heels & Green’s Career Acceleration program for women (starting May 10th) will be packed full of value. Based on Wanjiku’s post, you can expect to learn:

• How to search for jobs, write a CV, and stand out amongst other job seekers

• Online and IRL networking skills

• How to leverage AI in your job search and career

• Negotiating skills to increase your salary or freelance rate

• Much more…

Obviously, I won’t be joining you on the program, but if you sign up and take the course, let us know how it goes!

Kenya’s Big Digital Investment

File this under “one to watch“:

The World Bank just approved a $390 million investment into the first phase of the “Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project.” The project will run from 2023-28, with the aim to:

• Expand access to high-speed internet

• Improve the quality and delivery of education and government services

• Build skills in the regional digital economy

Why does this matter? Because with investment comes jobs (in theory, at least). And we love jobs!

Podcast of The Week

I’m addicted to podcasts. How addicted? I spent 4 hours a day in 2022 listening to podcasts on Spotify.

Luckily, I’ve cut my consumption down considerably. But every now and then, a gem slips through. Like this interview with Scott Galloway.

I suppose you could call Galloway a “career influencer“ of sorts. And while I disagree with a lot of his insights and conclusions, when it comes to no-BS career advice, he’s one of the best.

Skip to…. to hear his thoughts on succeeding in the modern workplace (hint: don’t expect to “bring your whole self“ to work).

Book of The Week

I’m currently reading Company of One by Paul Jarvis and finding lots to love.

Jarvis makes a passionate argument that building a successful business online doesn’t (always) require huge investment, scale, hiring, overhead, rapid growth, VC funding, or any other typical metrics for success.

By offering in-demand skills or products, focusing on creating value and building relationships with your customers or clients, and leveraging modern automation tools, you can build a business that’s profitable enough to support your lifestyle and doesn’t require a big team to be successful.

I’m halfway through, and furiously highlighting paragraphs as I go. I’ll share my biggest takeaway soon.

What’s Coming Next?

Wooooo….. writing that email reminded me of a camping trip I took once.

It was… in-tents.

I’m not sorry.

If you’re still reading (or just skimming), thank you for investing your time in our little experiment.

Here’s what we’re working on for future editions:

• More jobs, accelerators, internships, and opportunities.

• Interesting, overlooked online African business ideas we stumble across throughout our research (like an African sexual health blog, perhaps?)*

• Juicy topics with click bait-y titles like: “How to turn $400 into $100,000: A case study in career coaching.“

• A whole email on how to become a prompt engineer, because I’m obsessed with it.

• Our referral program, with rewards for sharing the newsletter with your friends.

• Much more….

*Don’t worry, I’m not writing that one… ;)

But that’s all for this week!

Thanks again,

Conor

(P.S. If you’ve enjoyed this email, feel free to share it with your friends. Or wait a couple of weeks for the referral program to start and get rewarded!)