Akinmoyeje Timileyin Precious
Devastated by the general low turn out of customers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenneth starts to grumble and with a “do not talk to me” expression on his face, he went on and on about the how our motherland is nothing more than decrepit vestiges of colonial barbarism. Apparently, Kenneth is educated, but here he is, a bike man in a small town of Ondo state. When asked about his sudden irksome outbursts, he launched into what he tagged as “the story of a hard life”. According to him, he is a graduate of a prominent Nigerian University, he obtained his masters degree from the same institution with the hope of getting employed. As at the time of this write-up, he has searched for employment for 8 good years. “I had to pick up an Okada to make ends meet” he said.
According to the National Bureau of statistics, as at 2019, the unemployment rate in the country was 23.1% and the underemployment rate was about 16%. As if these figures are not saddening enough, it was projected that it would increase to 35.5% this year. This implies that there would be, or rather, there is an approximate number of 71,000,000 jobless individuals in the country. Some blame this on the democratically elected leaders, others on elites, others on citizens. As kids, majority of the youth populace would have heard stories of how the academic world was a utopia of making a living, how getting educated was revered as “making it in life”. All these stories —in the current Nigeria — are no more than delusional thoughts that have faded into the reality of Joblessness. This write-up however is not aimed at reminiscing the fall of the African Babylon (Nigeria) nor is it aimed at deciding who to blame. It is important that all students know ways of standing at an advantage in the current labor market, I mean how not to end up like Kenneth and that is available in the subsequent paragraphs.
Many at times, even in the midst of final parties and fun making on campus, student finalists are seriously thinking about how unready they are to face life after school. Thoughts like “what next? ”where do I go from here?” etc. are begging for answers beneath the façade of finalists’ hangout. Majority (not all) of undergraduates also have this issue even before their final years. Are you still an undergraduate? Do you still fall into this category? If yes is the answer, proper and personal re-orientation is essential to get rid of this pandemic situation. Do not wait and wallow in ignorance while quoting the popular “last last we go dey alright”. Take a step.
WHAT MUST I DO?
First, it is important to remove the mediocre idea of believing school is a scam. Despite the fact that the academic environment and its aftermath are not the El-dorado we expect them to be, the seemingly turbulent sea of University life is still important in shaping the future of any individual and his success if navigated correctly. Correct navigation using the compass of extra-academic activities. Many students have fallen into the trap of academic jackboots and taken the wrong step of living a linear campus life. To have an edge over people of similar intelligence, extra qualities are important. These extra qualities can be gained through indulging in highly beneficial extra-curricular activities on campus and staying dedicated to them. Do not be the over-zealous book worm who does not do anything apart from books, or the hyper-spiritual sister who only goes to church, goes to class or even sacrifices classes on the altar of spirituality. This however does not predict doom for people in this category. A word they say is enough for the wise.
DOES THIS SUGGEST ENTREPRENEURSHIP?
It is a common thing to hear motivational entrepreneurs go on and on about how indefeasible entrepreneurial activities are in the country. Even school managements have either directly or indirectly incorporated entrepreneurship into academics. It is however expedient that we all know that entrepreneurship is not for all and sundry. If entrepreneurship is what you can do, good! If you can take the risks and you have the patience, good! After all, the beautiful Paris was not built in a day. In actual fact, there are a few start-up aiding programmes in the University community. Moving from entrepreneurship, the world-a global village- is now easy to navigate from the corner of your room. Relevant skills in the labor market can be learnt with just a mobile phone. For ease, a few of these skills are listed below:
Graphics design
Microsoft Excel
SEO analytics
Website design.
Further more and back to the real deal, school offers you a wide variety of activities where through dedication anyone would make it. A few of them being sports, games, dancing, writing, singing etc.
Examples of students who have excelled in these fields can be found everywhere in the University of Ibadan.
WHAT MAJOR ROLE DOES BEING IN SCHOOL PLAY?
Since almost all these things can be done outside the walls of a school community, what exactly makes school not a scam? First, the campus environment opens your eyes to mind boggling opportunities you may not come across outside. Most importantly, intelligence dictates that you network. According to the popular aphorism “Nobody is an island of knowledge”. Networking is a tool that if utilized properly may land anyone in top places. Now that you have chosen what extra-academic activity you want to focus on, it is important that you network and mingle with people of similar passion and vision. Remember, a single tree is never a forest.
YOUR PRIMARY REASON?
A common mistake that we must all learn to avoid is neglecting the main reason for being in school. School life and extra curricular activities must be in a balance, any thing that tilts the scale in favor of one aspect may be very catastrophic. I mean you would not want to be tsunamized because of any extra-academic work. It is therefore important that discipline especially in time management is inculcated. No matter who is graduating, getting a good result is every students’ dream, for no reason therefore should this aim be jeopardized.
WE GO STILL DEY ALRIGHT LAST LAST
This is a mantra for people with foresight. Having known the situation of the country, it is a duty that we do not fall victims of circumstance but rather we take advantage of the circumstances. We can rewrite our own story, we need not end up like Kenneth did. Taking the right steps at the right time, we can create a happy ever after job story. Remember “School is not a scam, it is how you live in school that matter. You either scam yourself or help yourself and the country at large”
God bless Nigeria.
