:: About juwan

It’s difficult to get educated in Bermuda while holding down a job at the same time.

Education is limited here, meaning that often the only choice left to Bermudians who want to further their careers is to take the enormous financial risk of going abroad to school - a costly venture, especially when Bermudians are often unable to work in countries such as the US or Canada.

Fortunately we Bermudians are hardly a timid bunch. Unafraid of the Big Bad World, many Bermudians like 29-year old Juwan Hayward know the risk is worth it, and are willing to make the sacrifices.

Several years ago he transferred credits from Bermuda College to the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering. On returning to Bermuda he got a job “working with all the big switches” at Cable & Wireless, however four years into the job he made the huge decision to further his education.

“People were pretty shocked that I could just quit my job and go off and do that,” he said. Last year, he explained, after saving hard for several years, he left Bermuda to go to Concordia University in Montreal and do an intensive nine-month course in graphic and web design.

Now he’s back on the Island and ready to search for another job. His only regret? That he quit the job at Cable & Wireless completely instead of taking a leave of absence. “Even if I didn’t go back to them, I would have at least had the option.” Juwan now works for TECS-Bermuda as a Network Engineer.

He said he may be resorting to an old talent in order to drum up some extra cash. Juwan goes by the name DJ juwanSome, last year spinning in Flanagan’s on Wednesdays after Harbour nights, or at the now-closed Escape nightclub.

The nightlife scene in Bermuda has changed in the year he’s been away, he observed. Escape and Club 40 have closed, Oasis is now O-Zone, and The Deep is at least temporarily shut down after Hurricane Fabian. “The clubs have changed so much.”

And the scene in Bermuda is totally different from the scene in Montreal. “People out there will party regardless of how many people are in the club, no matter what night, and they love to dance more than they like to drink.

“It’s a lot easier to pick up there,” he added. “People are more assertive.”

He had more freedom in Montreal, he thought. “You can dress how you want, act how you want. (In Bermuda) you can too, but sometimes you just don’t feel comfortable. I like feeling like you have the freedom to be yourself.”

He owns a high-performance motorcycle, but he admitted he is “not really a daredevil kind of guy” and actually uses the bike more for relaxing rides along the South Shore than racing. In the summer he loves the beach (in particular body-surfing at Horseshoe Bay) and in the winter he is perfectly happy sitting back with a DVD. “I don’t need to be partying all the time.”

Single but dating, he said the next time he is ready to commit he will “probably be ready to get married.” He hopes to have a family and to be somewhat self-employed, own a house. “I have to start saving up again … Of course, that’s not going to happen in a month. But in a few years it would be nice.”

The former university mentor has some advice for those just starting out on their careers. “Set yourself on a versatile career path, not focusing on one area but on different aspects of the same field.

“Right now I’m all hardware, not software and I’m just getting into graphics” he explained. “I’ve limited myself. It’s all related, but if I don’t study it all I can miss opportunities. Don’t be the best in one thing, be the best in a few things. Being versatile is good.

“And definitely save,” he added. Having the funds to go away is never a bad thing. “Bermuda is a great place, it’s my home. It’s beautiful and there’s a lot of money to be made here.

“But don’t be afraid to get out there and explore. Bermuda is so small by comparison.”