Employers in Nigeria are gradually losing interest in that sweat earned university degree leaving students and job seekers to ponder if it is worth all the investment and extra study.In the past, it is a thing of pride to attend a higher institution otherwise known as university. Getting a certificate means you stand a chance of getting a plum job preferably with your choice.
Does Your University Degree Guarantee Job?
A university education is an indication that of a student’s ability to acquire academic knowledge. It is not easy to enter a university in Nigeria as the student needs to pass many examinations before gaining admission.
These examinations may include West African Examination Certificate (WAEC), General Certificate Examinations (GCE), Joint Admissions Matriculations Board (JAMB) examinations and Post UTME to mention but a few as these examinations are most times a hurdle the students must face before setting foot in the university.
If lucky enough to surpass these hurdles, these students still gets to spend more time writing assignments, researching for project works. Some students end up dropping out of school due to lack of funds, others drop out because they couldn’t cope with the rigors of education in the university. Surviving this sea of students and getting a first class result is a sign of a bright future as companies and big firms will open their doors for you.
Let’s be explicit on one thing. Because a degree is prized doesn’t make the degree holder smarter or better than their peers or that it is harder any to get a degree compared to today. The worth back then for a degree was that it makes you unique from your peers. This is no longer the case.
Approximately 500, 000 students graduate from universities in Nigeria every year, producing students with degrees (whether full-time or part-time) which no longer stands one out from their peers. With the rate of unemployment rising to 18.80% according to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria; there is little wonder that so many graduates are roaming the streets searching for jobs that are not in the market.
WHAT SHOULD YOUNG GRADUATES IN NIGERIA FOCUS ON INSTEAD?
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good: His love endures forever."
If you want to increase your suitability for the employment market and stand out from other graduates, you need to focus on areas outside of academic qualifications.
1. IDENTIFY WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Some students go to university without any clear cut plan or goal on what to study, why they need to study that particular course and what they plan to do with the degree. Spending three to four or five years in the university, it would be a shame if you have no idea what to do after school.
Saying you plan to be a professional in a particular filed is not a solution as there are over 30, 000 graduates pursing that same job with either better degrees than you or better connections. If you have no real chance of differentiating yourself from them, then you have no chance actually landing that job.
2. UNDERSTAND THE PROFESSIONAL FIELD YOU ARE ENTERING
There is categorically no use in knowing what you plan to study if the field you intend to enter isn’t hiring fresh graduates or is dying off. Examples include some banking roles, oil and gas industry and Business Administration.
This issue isn’t just limited to the above mentioned as other job industries have been affected severely in recent times and you need to be aware of the job opportunities or lack of in the field of your choice.
3. HAVE MULTIPLE INTERNSHIPS (INDUSTRIAL TRAININGS)
There are three main motives why industrial training are important for students.
The first reason is that an industrial training affords you the opportunity to have a real boss who is in charge of you and who you are subordinate to. You will be expected to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) as related in the organization (whether you agree or not) and be expected to be innovative and creative at the same time. You no longer get the opportunity to act like you do while in school as shoddy work or copied projects will be frowned at.
This exposes you to the world of employment, where mistakes and sloppy work will not be acceptable and when coming late to work or for a meeting is not tolerable unlike your time in school.
Secondly, industrial training allow you to pick up important experience. You might have to learn about banking and finance in school, but nothing beats having first-hand knowledge on how it is practiced or applied in the business world. This experience affords you to know how much you have learn and what other areas that you need to develop on.
Finally, but not least, industrial training is fundamentally an extended tryout. If you perform your duties well and your boss and colleagues are impressed with your work, you stand a great chance of joining the company or department full –time when you graduate. You may be able to get a role elsewhere even if a position is not available in the department.
4. SMART NETWORK
You don’t need to try too hard or desperately go around chatting with everybody or anyone of position at business events. You don’t have to carry your CV all around toi drop to anyone who seem important as most times, your CV gets used as rain cover or wrapper for food items.
Cultivate the habits of investing in genuine relationships with other people without expecting anything in return, as these relationships most times pay dividends at the end. You get approached or your name comes readily to kind for roles that are not publicly advertised.
5. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER
Nigerians, both young and old have this fixated mindset that education is what it takes to have a successful career or life. With the encouragement of friends, or parents, young students pour their lives and sweat into their studies expecting that good results will eventually land them that dream job.
They unsurprisingly get disillusioned when they find out that employers do not value their academic prowess that they have achieved, thereby causing dissatisfaction and unhappiness in their lives.
Remember, degree or no degree, there are so many things within your sphere of control that you can do to stand out from your peers and most times, these answers lie far away from your textbooks, or the four walls of a school.
This does not mean university education in Nigeria isn’t important but rather Nigerian students should explore other avenues to success as most uneducated people are employing educated people and exploiting them for profits.
