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!
By (Iyoha Samson)
