i hear its always better to start a career at kpmg,accenture,pwc and the likes of them, than to go start with oil companies and the much bigger organisations/non finance related companies,(that is for accountant,finance and admin people) considering a longterm goal of larger paycheck and higher position.Could anybody shed light on this please,

Well i have had the opportunity of speaking with industry experts within the oil and gas industry likewise i have colleagues that started their careers from the likes of KPMG, PWC and accenture. They are usually very well grounded in whatever aspect they are into. While those within the oil and gas industry are of the opinion that without a doubt the oil and gas industry is very well known for the pay package however, they get to a stage where the work is no longer challenging.

Having said the above, it all depends on the careerpath you choose and what u want. would u want to struggle it out in the KPMG, PWC and accenture's of this world (they accept candidates with a minimum of 2.1 while PWC does accept 2.2) and move to teh oil and gas industry later on in your career or just start off with the oil company.

The best thing to do is sit down and plan your career. See where you want to be in 5, 10 and 20 years, and then figure out how to get there. That should determine where you start from. If for example you only want to work for 5 years and then start your own business, then you want to start where you will make the most money. If, on the other hand, you want to have a long career, then you want to start where you stand the gain the best experience as well as exposure. Am i making sense ?

@ MSY
nice post

When you are in the university. To avoid spending lengthy periods studying dummy courses. The first 2 years is for your general education and electives and then having studied most subjects you can select your major going into your 3rd and 4th years. By all means find out where your talent lies. Some talents may not pay your bills and become hobbies.

Please get with a career counsellor and make sure what your career is what you love to do and can also pay your bills. Anything short of that is a lose-lose situation and your journey into a life of frustration will just about to set in when you wake up and find out that you are in the wrong profession ----AFTER ALL THAT SCHOOLING!!!


GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME!!!!

if you choose what you love to do in Nigeria, I'm sorry for you you might end up not paying your bills- general advice sha

most people are attracted to the oil companies for the money; the love for the industry comes later, if it ever comes that is
KPMG,accenture and co are already big companies

it's better to start small, but if you have the opportunity to start big all the same

i'm not in nigeria but i can relate to this, i just graduated and got offered a job at accenture and another smaller company, the pay from accenture was better but guess what? i chose the smaller consulting company for 2 reasons , (1) i dont believe in jumpin out of college straight to a company for the money, i believe in what the company has to offer me that can benefit me in the next 5 yrs (2) the benefits and growth opportunities in the smaller company were better for me, i am young and i know these are more important at the moment , i am looking at a company that will benefit me when i go for my masters, tuition reimbursement and stuff like that, gain relevant work experience, boast about key responsibilites from my job when moving onto the next one, thats just how i see it sha

start in a small company where u are likely to get a lot of responsibility. small enough to have vacant post on top of the ladder for you to be promoted rapidly so that if u have too jump to a much bigger company u will be entering at management level. i work in a small firm now and the job challenges me everyday cause there is no one else to do it, i do it and in a few days i have more experience than several management trainees who have been working for a year.

well it all depend on your qulification, if you have a good qulification then I will say the best place to start a career is on the net (web) there are lot of thing you can do on the web, all you need is the idea of how to start.


Bodiga

i'll say d best place 2 stat a career is in my fathers office

I started in a very small company in Ikeja in Nigeria. Is small because i guessed my qualification won't take me further than the company but guess what i had the most brilliant time of my life. The experience i gained has been very useful to me now that i am running my own company.

Like other posters had said earlier, u need to have a plan of where u want to see yourself in couples of years. If you want to run your own company, i advise you work in the industry you like to set up later , that will get u over the teeting period. If u want to be employ for life get a challenging job and u will love it for the rest of your life.

I don't tink there is actually a particular place to start up one's career. Basically it depends on you and your orientation. Some people won't mind starting "small" (believing you shouldn't neglect small beginnings), while some (like me) will not settle for less. I turned down some offers even WHILE I WAS STILL SEARCHING cause i believed it was not a good start for me. Its not the company name that matters but you as an individual and your prospects in that company. You may get a job that has nothing to do with your career and you see no way it would mould u or even come close to moulding u into the individual u want to become.

I believe you should just be focused and know what you want and don't waste time to go for it. Best of luck

start with what u have, and build from it.
its not every body that know what they want from the onset,
and even for those who know, its not all of them that have the opportunity of choosing the kind of job they want.
its not how you start that matters, just ensure you work towards your goal and most importantly, make sure u finish rich ,

Will you then commit suicide if you dont get a job with kpmg,accenture,pwc and the likes of them. You start with with you have and build upwards from there.

Apologies. This has nothing to do with the topic.

Does anyone have contacts in VirginNigeria? I am looking for a job in their organisation. Please any contact would be much appreciated

Best place is in your head, think and conceptualize.

young_digi:

i'm not in nigeria but i can relate to this, i just graduated and got offered a job at accenture and another smaller company, the pay from accenture was better but guess what? i chose the smaller consulting company for 2 reasons , (1) i don't believe in jumpin out of college straight to a company for the money, i believe in what the company has to offer me that can benefit me in the next 5 years (2) the benefits and growth opportunities in the smaller company were better for me, i am young and i know these are more important at the moment , i am looking at a company that will benefit me when i go for my masters, tuition reimbursement and stuff like that, gain relevant work experience, boast about key responsibilites from my job when moving onto the next one, thats just how i see it sha

BLOODY LIAR ,, THE IDIOT DIGI IS IN MUSHIN OLOSA WORKING AS A MEAT BUTCHER IN ABBATOIR

bolajibaok, Y the BB 4 young_digi. freestyle, if he is lying he can only fool himself.

ciao

start exactly where you are .

start small and grow into what will give you joy in the next ten years

the problem with nigeria is that most times our parents will predetermine what you will be even before you are born

then guide you in that part and may even force you to it if u show any sign of resistance

in the past it was MEDICINE AND LAW, now it PHARMACY, ENGINEERING, BANKING AND IT

A good career counsellor early in life preferable before university education will do a lot of good

MAY BE WE ALL SHOULD BE TAKING NOTE NOW AS WE SHALL BE THE FUTURE PARENTS so that our kids do not find themselves in the quagmire that we are in now

starting in places like KPMG is more 4 experience and exposure which might result into better pay, but there is no guarantee, if u get the oppourtunity to the promise land now please just take it, but if u are in it to improve urself in terms of knowledge the those places are much better

you have to be very sure of what you want to become and where you want to be in the next 5, 10, 20years. when you are done answering these questions, then you are sure of what career path to take.

As rightly noted by the various posts, it depends on what you want for urself, what you have and can make out of it. Its amazing that the likes that have schoold abroad are of the opinion that one enjoy what u do for a living while the nija bred are not of that of school of thot(if you dont mind my classification). Don de Maco is rite to the extent that working in the likes of KPMG, Accenture and PWC dont pay much but it does to a greater extent guarantees you a better a paying job, exposure etc. So if u do have the opportuinity of getting into one, good for you. Mind you some companies look at where your coming from if a smaller company. i had a colleague who had worked at a small company then moving to a good advertising firm, she was told that since she was coming from a smaller company she could not be placed on the next level. What do u say about that . Best to think abt these things while asking God for guidance.

Lets talk about starting a business of your own too. Nothing beats working for yourself. Building a business and watching it grow over the years. All thos KPMG and Oil companies where started by someone. The first step is to get a proper education in a practical course or get experience from an apprenticeship in a good career. Lots of Nigerians have made it in business, IT, etc.

What about the areas we ignore. Its not all about going to university. Making it in life involves a degree of wisdom you dont get from the classroom. Am sure there are some mechanics, electricians, traders, contractors who make as much as an oil company worker.

In answer to your question, the best place to start is where you are comfortable and know very well. For e.g., if you enjoy tinkering with electronics, coupling and uncoupling devices, obviously you will do well being a technician or engineer - thats the best place to start your career. Either on your own or you seek employment (not necessarily in the big companies). Like one person said here, the best place to start is those small companies where you will get more responsiblity and experience.

Thank You all.u've been helpful

the best place is ur heart.
be focused and know what u want and what u desire to achieve in ur career. then automatically, u'll know the next step and you will definitely grow from there.
u can't build something on nothing

My own take on this goes thus:

Define your targets to clearly define your path to your goals.
Starting in a small company or large compnay is not the issue but where you wanna end up in the career path you have chosen.
I started in big oil and gas service company and was seconded to a multinational oil and gas company and was saddled with the responsibilities of staying up most nights to read in order to catch up with the experienced expat.s I worked with , what you lack in experience you would make up for with you willing and wanting to know attitude.
I just worked for the oil service for one yr before juicy offers came calling and I have moved into a more defined career path as a disciple design Engineer in another company and offers are still coming.

Just know what ur targets are and prepare to hit it. pls seek for knowledge first b4 money sha.

Hi,
A lot of people here have made useful contribution. I would, however, like to add some few suggestions. First, you need to be truthful to yourself in answering this question, "What will you rather do if money is not a question?". Your sincere answer to this question will show you what you should focus your energy o. This defines YOU. It defines what you enjoy to do. Money should not be the main focus in choosing a career. Your passion should come first. Money always follows your passion.

So, friend, answer the question raised and choose a career path that offers you this opportunity.

All the best

if u are still in skl il advice u to study hard make a 2.1 so u'l stand a chance into getting into these big consulting firms. believe me its a ball to work for them, the work is hard nno doubt and very challenging but its a knowledge driven environment and u become a very knowledgeable person vast in a l fields, plus it looks good on the CV if u decide to move. Cheers

Is a nice one from u, whatever comes first make sure u use it well.ok! all the best!

remember, ''small company'' is a thing of the mind, to some people ExxoMobil can be a small company to them while some it will be big to them. so, what then are we talking about. This is because that your small company might be big to me. I started my career in a private construction company, after some months i got a job in Oceanic bank. I have to leave for Oceanic.

u want my advice!start small.big things come in small packages. use any opportunity you get to build a solid foundation.think of the money rain later for now experience matters.cheers!