Don’t get it twisted. One of the most hard working youngsters in the world are Nigerians. Check out how widespread we are. I know the average human on earth sees Nigerians as negative. Yet, we rule.
See these examples yourself: banking guru, Jim Ovia (founder of Zenith Bank), media master, Jason Njoku (founder of Iroko TV),
So, you’ll be missing out of the thrill when you think there’s no benefit the average Nigerian youth (graduate) has for the nation or the continent to the world.
Yet, the other side of the coin that I see and don’t think it’s good is the fact that more than half of Nigeria graduates don’t practise what they studied in school. This might be a global phenomenon but let’s see the flavor in our national context.
Why do we not practice what we study?
- No Personal Vision for the Career Path.
(We just want to make a living.) I spend time with secondary school students and I have a feel of what is being taught in terms of career. In fact, from my own experience, we were groomed to just move from class to class (although thanks to my teachers and lecturers) until it’s time to choose career.
The idea is that we will figure it out. And most don’t. We just conform to any of theses: medicine, law or engineering. Anything else is stupidity. Thus, from highschool, there’s little effort placed on finding a vision in life.
I’ve had students ask me, Is it bad that I don’t know what I want to study in college? With a sense of understanding for where they are, I say yes but instantly I start that journey for the student.
Recently, I posted my first video on a YouTube channel (dedicated to giving highschool kids insights on how to choose a career).
What do we see today?
We wake up one day. Discover we’re in SS3. Register for JAMB and WAEC Exam. Kpam kpam kpam, we gain admission. During holidays, we spend time doing something else. School starts, we feel a huge load. All we see is the glamor in the career so before graduation we’re seeing ourselves with an official car.
Is it bad? Not really.
After graduation, we go for service. If there’s money, we go for MSc. No money, we look for jobs and hustling start.
Very few get to follow a path with a vision. A vision that transcends the economic situation of the country. All we hear is there’s no job.
While I know the government is meant to provide jobs, I also know that if there are no jobs, it’s our responsibility to create one.
A personal vision for the field of Agriculture is what will make a graduate of Agriculture start a poultry farm or any business that’s connected to agriculture.
My Suggestion: While we make our government responsible for their roles, let’s begin to choose careers with a mindset of bringing changes and not stop at making a living.
I would blame the government (from previous administrations inclusive) more for this mishap. I was thrown off balance the day I heard that there’s a federal job but for you to get it, you’ll need to pay several thousands. I was pained.
So, a father pays N500,000 or more for a 4 year course of his daughter and when she’s done, he’s asked to pay for her to get a job. Are we moving forward or what?
And some of our parents accept it. It’s horrible.
The second blame on this for me is the mindset we build in school that says: after graduation, look for a job. So
- Lack of Patience to Follow and Build Mastery.
If the message on the hood is that I can’t wait to learn from anyone, then it’s a dangerous one.
I can attest to the fact that the entrepreneurship vibe is becoming a flu. While there are fields that don’t need much time for practising, mastery is needed to deliver good value.
I heard Mr_Brainbox, Cofounder Blueprint Afric said something like that if he knew what he knows now, he’d have gone to work for someone for a while before moving to run his business.
My generation does not want to follow. We want to start without serving.
- Insufficient Presence of ACCESSIBLE Models in those Fields.
I respect all professionals who have built pedigree over time in their fields. I salute. Yet, I’m thrown off balance when I see a Professor who wants to make life difficult for another student coming in to study for his Masters.
I’ve heard stories of how the big lions in several industries don’t want to allow the younger ones come up. I don’t know why. Although, I’m aware of the mindset of my generation. It can be discouraging for a master to teach a student who is impatient, lacks respect and does not want to work.
What is the need of knowing so much without transferring the knowledge to the next generation? Why have some of us made it look like no one will advance without you?
Even in the work environment, you see where employers find it hard to even train employees. I’ve heard complains about this severally. What I say sometimes is this: if some employers were privilege to hoard the information on the internet from some employees, they will.
Victor AD (an indigenous artist) sang a song and said if we no make money wetin we gain o (if we can’t make the money, then there’s no need). Thoughts like this, without a balance, makes our best brains waste. They are entangled in online frauds. Everyone wants to hammer. (I like money. It is important for life on earth. But where should that priority be placed?)
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