Young philosophy professor from Sarajevo: People in BiH increasingly suffering from 'Beg's Soup' syndrome

Young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina suffer from the „Beg's Soup“ syndrome. They want to have everything, but rarely does any young person want to move from their spot and do something, for themselves or the society they live in – says young philosophy professor from Sarajevo, Adem Olovčić, in an interview for the Patria agency.

Although he is aware of the difficult economic situation in BiH and the fact that people struggle to find jobs because a large number of companies in the country have been shut down over the last two decades, he believes that young people also do not do much to create new values and improve the economic situation in the country, but mostly blame society and the system for their own situation.

Even volunteering is a job

And, opportunities are plentiful, says Olovčić. The country's potentials are far from being utilized. BiH, both geographically and climatically, has the predispositions to become a wealthy country. Proximity to Istanbul on one side, and Vienna, Munich, Paris, Brussels and other European metropolises on the other, could make the country one of the most pleasant states in the region.

- If you are not working for a company, that does not mean you should sit at home – says Olovčić.

- Practice shows that young people in wealthy European countries are constantly moving and constantly acquiring new knowledge. Initially, they do not have permanent employment, so they use that time to volunteer. In this way, they make new contacts, acquire new skills, and then have a better chance of getting a job – adds Olovčić. Some of them, he says, do not stop volunteering even after getting a job, because they still want to meet new people and gain new practices.

Creating a job for yourself

Olovčić explains that as a young philosophy professor with a very high grade point average, he was also without a job after completing his graduate studies, but he imposed his knowledge on the market - after four years of volunteering in various organizations, he became an external associate at the Wings of Hope Foundation, established in 1994 in Sarajevo, where experts of various profiles help citizens cope more easily with the traumas they experienced during the four-year siege of the city.

The Foundation, Olovčić explains, today operates with three very strong departments: the Center for Psychotherapy, the Center for Education, and the Department of Legal Affairs where citizens can obtain free legal aid. They are located on Dr. Mustafe Denišćića Street, near the Bosmal building. In 2015 alone, more than 400 users passed through the Foundation's three centers. Olovčić's role in the Foundation is to help pupils and students more easily master mathematics, physics, and their mother tongue, and, if necessary, philosophy and logic.

It is not shameful to ask for help or a job

- And that is one of the problems in BiH society. People in BiH find it difficult to decide to ask for help or a job, which is very wrong. Knocking on someone's door and asking for a job does not mean putting yourself in a subordinate position. On the contrary, it speaks of a person's courage and desire to achieve something in life, of the potential, knowledge, and skills that an individual offers to a potential employer – says Olovčić. He recalls that there are many examples of people who have passed through the Foundation, whose experts have helped them in various ways. Many of these people are very successful people in BiH today.

- And, all that was needed was to ask or seek help.

The average number of unemployed in BiH last year was around 500,000. However, at the same time, experts warn that hundreds of millions of KM are lost every year in BiH, primarily in rural areas, tourism... For example, experts from the Agromediterranean Faculty in Mostar said that more than 350 million KM worth of wild fruits are lost every year in BiH. With a little imagination and effort, these could become someone's jobs.