Prime Minister Gaston Browne is calling on young Antiguans and Barbudans to embrace humility, discipline and hard work at the outset of their careers, advising students at the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies (ABCAS) not to wait for ideal circumstances before entering the workforce.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne delivered the message during an engagement with students and faculty, stressing that accepting available opportunities — even those outside one's desired field — is a mark of responsibility, not defeat.
"Even if you… may not get your ideal job, it doesn't matter. Take whatever is available until you can get what you want," Browne told the students.
The prime minister drew on his own career beginnings to illustrate the point. After leaving school, he took a position as a waiter at St. James's Club while awaiting responses to job applications in other fields.
"I recognized… that I needed to work," he said, describing the decision as one rooted in necessity and a rejection of entitlement.
That early experience, Browne explained, laid the groundwork for his eventual transition into banking and, later, national leadership. "Eventually, I had… airlines and a bank that offered me a job. I chose a bank job," he said, noting that the opportunity led to a successful career in finance.
Throughout the address, Browne emphasised productivity as a cornerstone of both personal advancement and national development. "The key issue is to be a productive citizen," he said, encouraging students to cultivate habits of punctuality, consistency and commitment from the earliest stages of their working lives.
He cautioned against inactivity, warning that waiting for a preferred role while turning down available work can hinder long-term growth. "Rather than staying home and doing nothing, be a productive citizen," he said.
Browne also framed individual work ethic within a broader national context, urging students to see their contribution to the workforce as part of Antigua and Barbuda's wider development. "We weren't put on this earth to be… slothful," he said.
The engagement formed part of a wider conversation on education, employment and leadership, with the prime minister encouraging ABCAS students to pair academic achievement with practical experience and discipline as they prepare to enter the workforce.
