Don’t Just Graduate, Strategize!

I remember those days as a secondary school scholar when I was still living with my parents in the east; many families sold off their family land just to send their children to the university with the full expectation that once they graduate, they will be swimming in the ocean of monies through jobs.

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Let me not even go far; my own dad sold his well-furnished bungalow he built in the north for rental purposes so he could use the money and train his junior brother. People took lots of crazy decisions to see their loved ones in school; unfortunately, time has changed, especially in my country, Nigeria.It will be disappointing for anyone without a connection to completely depend on white-collar jobs after graduating as a means of survival.

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Gone are the days when first-class graduates don't look for jobs, but jobs look for them. Gone are the days when things were played fair and jobs were given to people who actually merited them. Time has changed! Corruption has been the order of the day; it's no longer what you know but who you know in most cases. And so, to answer this prompt question, "What Advice Would You Give to Someone Leaving School Today?"...

I would say that your number one priority as a school graduate is to get a skill, especially for us Nigerians. In this Tinubu era, Nigeria needs every frugality strategy to survive. Do not depend on your certificate; in fact,it's even better to discover your natural talents on time and pursue them alongside schooling instead of waiting until you graduate. This is a mistake most of us made in the past because we had so many high expectations for jobs after school.

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There is no longer time for cram and pour in the university... wasting time and money and ending up as a POS vendor. Get a skill! It could be fashion, baking, digital marketing, and lots more; just find something that could earn you money aside from hoping for a white-collar job with your certificate and maybe getting frustrated along the line.

Secondly, build a connection! Have you heard that people are the shortcut to our success? People you know today might be a sure plug for your dream job or contract, so do not look down on building genuine and healthy connections with people. You never know who God will use to elevate you. It could be as simple as information from a friend that could unlock a new chapter for you, so keep networking, especially with those you trust to some extent, and just be open-minded, okay?

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Finally, I would say work on your personal growth; do not stop learning, or else you will stop growing. Get good character too because sometimes, our character can interfere with one nice offer we secured peacefully. It's not enough to secure something to do, but it's enough to strive to keep it. Be honest and wear integrity like a garment!.

Above all, pray at all times!

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This post is in response to the #iucontest for this week. You can also join the moving train
here

Images were taken from canva