Life after a degree

STUDENTS oftentimes forget that there is life after school. A life that is  categorised with living on your own; a life with little or no  pocket money. After spending  years at the university, depending on the field of study, what is next? We live in a country where no job awaits you except maybe in your father company, a country in which all sectors are crowded with smart and intelligent people. Talk of the media, politics, entertainment, fashion, medicine, advertising, marketing, catering, decoration, engineering, law, etc. A country where the old ones are not ready to step down for the younger ones. What will distinguish you is what you can do and how creative you are with or without your certificate. This is a country where employers are willing to employ  only people with two or three years of experience whereas you may have none. A country where employment is by connection; a country where the university doesn’t teach you how to live after school.

As a student,even before graduation. Let it always ring in our heads that a degree doesn’t equal a career. In a country where more than 800,000 students graduate every year with less than 10,000 jobs available, it is advisable as a student to be industrious, creative and smart. Develop yourself, find your dreams and whatever you know how to do—whether graphics designing, comedy, events compere, or anything—do it with all your might. Do not learn the way everyone does; learn creatively, don’t have the same result has those that didn’t attend school. Be unique. For example, if you know how to make furniture, don’t make yours the same way that an illiterate will make his. Instead, make yours in a distinctive way, perhaps in its package, pricing or delivery method. It may be  of the same material but it should not be the same end product.

Go for industrial training if possible. Don’t make your breaks and holidays a period of eating,sleeping and watching movies only but a period of learning  new skills. Practice what you have been taught in your institution. Going for IT will add to your knowledge and curriculum vitae. Apart from that, you will gain more experience, which people say is the best teacher. Interact with people: do not be an island on your own. Go for seminars, congresses, meetings. Meet people. Do not let your life be stationed around class, church or mosque, library and your hostel alone. Socialise. That is the reason for being in the university, where you meet different kinds of people but always remember that bad association corrupts good manners. Not everyone you meet is meant to be associated with. You need to study a person’s character and ways of life before you can freely  associate with them, so as not to put yourself in trouble.

Join legal associations like press, debate and literary committees, music and dance, or sports teams from which you can meet important personalities that will be of use in future. Do not look down on anyone as the so-called dullest student in the class maybe the most successful. That is the irony of life.

Apply for online entrepreneurial courses to develop yourself: content development courses, website development courses, media courses. Entrepreneurial courses are really helpful as you will be tutored with practical examples and you don’t need to attend physical classes. You can take up the classes at your convenient zone: all you need is a laptop and Internet connection. Some people might be looking at the cost but trust me, the benefits outweigh the cost. Moreover, a wise saying goes thus: “Do not eat with the five fingers.”This means we should learn to save. Save for the rainy day, save for when there will be no more allowances. Have a saving spirit, do not spend all you have at once. A little drop from the tap will one day fill up a bucket. Your little savings will one day be needed either to start up a small scale business or any other useful and important thing. In addition ,you can start up a small scale business that doesn’t involve much capital. Survey your environment and find out what is not available and start with it because an idle hand is the Devil’s workshop. Do not be too proud to start something, do not let your first class degree make you feel pompous. You could start selling sobo drinks, biscuits, peanut, chinchin, puff puff, pure water, second hand clothes, etc. No matter how small it looks, you will be able to meet little needs and you won’t have to be begging anyone before loading air time on your phone.

• Alade writes in via [email protected]