Ever dreamt of graduating from the University and living a financially secured life ever after?
Chances are high you do – it’s a common dream these days.
It’s not unusual to hear students proclaim that they would have a
financially viable life as soon as they graduate and get employed by
Chevron, Dangote, Microsoft Corporation, Globacom or United Nations.
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A
neighbour of mine became popular for his frequent chanting of “When I
begin to work and I start on a salary scale of N450,000, people that
mock me now would run after me. My car would attract all those annoying
girls that only look down on me and don’t want to marry now.”
While it is good to be optimistic, such wishful thinking and building
of castles in the air shows a deep misunderstanding of the mechanics of
the Nigerian labour market of today. The misunderstood or neglected
truth is that graduation isn’t a guarantee of employment, as academic
meal ticket called certificate isn’t as important as your skills,
versatility, proficiency and diligence. Of course, certificates are
marketable commodities and can often get you an invitation for an
interview and probably a job, but the real concern of job employers of
today is your employability.
You may be lucky to get an enviable job with your meal ticket, but
you cannot retain it with same! The prime question isn’t whether you
bagged a First Class or a Second Class Upper, it’s whether you’re
outgoing, have the most up-to-date skills of the job environment, have
potentials you can dish out to your employer and whether bringing you on
board can make a difference.
My own life is punctuated with practical instances of securing a job
far above my paper qualification. While I was still a mere SSCE holder, I
audaciously applied for a teaching job in a ‘big’ primary school which
minimum qualification was NCE and 3 years working experience – both of
which I lacked. I thought I wasn’t eligible and would most probably not
get the job, but trying out doesn’t harm anyone. The headmistress said
she invited me for the interview in admiration of my audacity.
The interview – written, classroom and oral – lasted 3 long hours.
Although my papers said I wasn’t the right man, my ‘stuff’ landed me the
job and saw me rub shoulders, and favourably well, with better
qualified and more experienced colleagues.
Also, as an undergraduate, I have worked as a paid freelance writer
with IslamOnline, a reputable international media outfit because my
editor was only interested in what I could do and not what my papers say
I was qualified to do. This should not be seen as an exercise in
self-praise. It’s only intended to drive home my point that your
proficiency ranks above your paper qualification.
Many a student desires to live a comfortable life after school, but
few make preparation for the challenges involved. Those in such
situations often get disappointed and learn by hard experience that
graduation with good grades isn’t in itself a guarantee of a decent job
with a robust pay. There is therefore the need for every student to
embark on a voyage of concerted self development: nurturing of the head,
training of the hand and building of the mind.
Unemployment keeps snowballing daily. From a modest 5.3% in December,
2005, the unemployed population of Nigeria has quadrupled to 23.9%.
Even worse is that youth unemployment rate is 50%. If you’re an
undergraduate today, chances are there would be even fewer jobs when you
turn a graduate. That’s not pessimism. The skills you’ll need to
succeed aren’t taught in school. You must get onto the field and gather
them.
Has anyone ever wondered why no single employee ever made the list of
the 100 richest men? The reason is simple: the future belongs to
entrepreneurs. Head on to Forbes now and see for yourself.
My sincere advice is this: rather than be a from-company-to-company
job seeker, you should learn and strive to engage in business ventures
to secure financial autonomy, and the best time to start is while in
school. University education shouldn’t be a precondition to economic
pursuit; both should be complementary.
Learn to make a living from your passion. This model has worked for
me. When I was in 200level in the University, I was passionate about
phone engineering,
and I quickly turned it into a profitable business, with my colleagues
as my clients. Currently, I have transformed my passion for writing into
a hybrid of business and community development. How? I got a website,
post free daily essay contest news and free writing tutorials. Over
10,000 Nigerian youth have, and continue to get inspired and empowered
from the initiative. And I also earn a decent income writing for clients
I never would have known if I didn’t explore my passion. Managing the
website, I learnt website design, and now that’s another legitimate
business for me, thanks to my passion for it.
You can do the same – even better. Each person has an innate, unique
set of talents and super abilities which he can monetize with ease. Some
are creative writers, others are orators, some enjoy bead making,
others fancy stage decoration, hand-made cards, private teaching, just
name it.
The 2013 UNDP Human Development Index ranks Nigeria as 153 out of 186
countries. Too bad! This won’t change overnight. I must act. You must
act. Rather than join the bandwagon of frustrated job seekers, create
jobs and save some of them. So start thinking in the –preneur way: ‘penpreneur,’ ‘technopreneur,’ ‘sociopreneur’ and ‘agropreneur.’
Unemployment is real. But it has a potent cure. Seize the day – right now.
———-
*Muhammed Abdullahi Tosin is a freelance writer, writing coach and the author of “Your Right To Write” (Download a free copy here). Find him on Twitter @Oxygenmat.
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