Many people seem to believe the popular
misconceptions about securing a good job in
Nigeria. It has been said that graduating with a First
Class or Second Class Upper honors from a
reputable University in Nigeria is an indisputable
way of securing a good and well paid job in Nigeria.
Yes, this is supposed to have been the case but it
has dawn on a lot of graduates with such grades
that they are still unable to get the job.
A lot of people also go further to say that “University
graduates easily get jobs over the polytechnic
graduates”. Although this may be true to some
extent, but they seem to have forgotten that this
view is not perceived by all employees in Nigeria;
and besides, graduating from a University does not
make one superior to a counterpart from a
Polytechnic. This is because the major picture for
holding on to this belief is not applicable to all
graduates from both institutions, but the percentage
of qualified graduate from University can be higher
because of some factors.
The issue of acquiring a job in this Country is
getting out of hand as we have seen thousands of
students graduating yearly and the plights of the
graduates are not felt by our leaders. Obtaining a
job is now based on amount of connections instead
of merit or how qualified you are. Majority of people
could say that “a graduate from Covenant
Polytechnic can easily get a job than a graduate
from University of Ibadan for instance, base of the
level of connection he possess”. Why should it be
so?
This issue intensifies as days ascent. Our leaders
are the ultra-cause of this as they look not into
establishment of jobs for the youths but rather try
out different approach to embezzle the national
income slated to positively change the situation of
the Nation.
The problem emanated as a result of our ignorance
in choosing Leaders whose deed is to brainwash
people when campaigning, especially the
uncultured. Take for instance, the present Minister
of Education. He studied Accountancy and have
worked for years in Business Administration and
Banking settings.
Tell me, how is business or Accountancy related to
having a broad knowledge on Education which a
person that should occupy this position should latch
on to. He knows nothing about education neither
can he address any Education issue the right way.
This is a little advice to Students who are studying
under the present situation of the country. Ensure
you eradicate your misconceptions about this
subject matter and try to be independent. Nigerian
institutions don’t train Students to be job creators
rather they train students to be job seekers. And on
this note, Students need to build themselves
creatively, don’t wait for the white collar jobs, as
they may end up eventually not coming. Many
undergraduates end up graduating without getting a
job and having no means of income because they
have no other plan, as they only focused on getting
the certificate with no other plans to tackle
unemployment that is dominant in our country.
There are so many graduates out there that are
optimistic for a job, who knows when the job will
come. Don’t put yourself in such situation, start
planning now.
Don’t let this weigh you down, education is the best
thing you can ever think of. No matter what you do
for Living, if you are educated, it makes you unique
and the impact will be clutched in all your doings.
This piece mustn’t changed your mind set on
Education but rather give you the glimpse of
happenings in the country on Education Sector.
So it is your choice to choose where you wish to
end up after school and for those that are graduates
already even to the PhD level, it is not too late, sit
down and think outside the box of your profession
or develop yourself in your field.
Let the Students from the faculty of Science and
Engineering use their scientific knowledge to invent
and create employments, Students in the Social
Science, be creative, there are so many business
opportunities out there that you can venture into
(others are not excluded) and to my fellow Students
in the Art and Humanities, let’s be creative.
You can also create employments for people to
benefit from; don’t wait for white collar jobs. The
situation of the country is not encouraging. Be wise,
having a certificate does not guarantee a
successful living. Have a deep thought about this.
Thanks!
