Professionals charge youths to position themselves for global opportunities

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A cross-section of youths including graduates, undergraduates, corps members and young professionals have been urged to build on healthy relationships and position themselves for global opportunities.

The advice was handed down at a career, employability, and entrepreneurship conference tagged “Chart the Future” organised by the Young and Excellent Club (YEC) at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State.

One of the speakers and Head of Innovation, ALAT by Wema, Solomon Ayodele, harped on the power of relationships, stating that he was able to maximise every opportunity he got because of his relationships with certain people that invariably made him a better person.

Even though many of the relationships were not favourable, he saw them as a learning process, adding that “relationship is key if you want to become a highly sought-after talent.”

While speaking on “Becoming a Highly Sought-After Talent,” Solomon disclosed that the future will not be defined by artificial intelligence but by natural intelligence.

He also narrated the story of how he became a highly sought-after talent even though he went through tough ordeals in life since he graduated from school.

“Working with some superiors will teach you who to become while some superiors will teach you who not to become. You also need to have a plan because if you don’t have a plan, life will create a plan for you. Have a growth plan.

“Another thing is that there is no how you will rise without going through the pain period. It’s a process you must pass through and you cannot jump it. You need to manage your pain period. The wise thrives in the time of crisis.

“I do not believe technology is the future nor artificial intelligence. The biggest thing right now is natural intelligence. The world is in a phase where we need people who can think well, be problem-solvers, and creative thinkers. The future is not artificial intelligence, the future is natural intelligence,” Solomon said.

Speaking in the same vein, the Head of Human Resources, Eterna Plc, Oluyemi Adeosun, urged the participants to imbibe the spirit of innovation because of its capability to distinguish one.

“The reason you go to school is to think, analyse, and provide solutions. Your Curriculum Vitae (C. V.) must reveal this. Think on your feet. Look for where you have excelled before. If you have excelled before, you can excel again. Allow yourself to try and do what you are supposed to do,” Oluyemi said.

The Senior Programme Manager at Google, Oyindamola Idowu, joined the conference virtually and urged the youth to have a clear vision and build their network.

While speaking on “Positioning yourself for global opportunities,” Oyindamola said: “You need to have a clear vision, build global skills and competence, build a strong network, have a mindset shift on global thinking, find expertise, build your network, find your niche, and stay up to date.”

Speaking on the rationale behind the event, Managing Director of JumiaPay, Damola Giwa, who is also the Convener and President of YEC, said the club was founded by him and Vice-President of the club and Head of Data and Analytics, Stanbic IBTC, Oluwatoyin Ogunmola, in 2003 to assist and empower youths in the country.

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