Alright guys. You may not believe this (believe me), but I need ur help and advice. You see, the highest educational qualification I possess is my SSCE and I sort of was successful at this year's Karrox IT Scholarship tests. I opted to study Java programming.

Now, my question. I intend to study for a degree later on, possibly later this year or early next year, and I was thinking, can I fend for myself after studying Java?

The next question: HOW

I'll need ur experiences and sincere advice. Thanks.

Well it depends on how good you are but instead of thinking about that why not focus on being good at it first the benefits will come in due time Trust me

Go to the university

@ A-40,
Broz i support u 100%, aim at being the best 1st, "seek ye first the kingdom of being the best at ur choosen field and every other thing would be added unto you. See yest thou a man who is deligent in his work 4 he shallnot stand before mean men but royalties. What soever ur hand findeth, do it with all ur might".

@ canylips,
Broz na true talk, university education would open more opportunities for you.
lol,

make i sound controversial

pls if u won go uni, go and apply for passport now and join d ques at american or UK embassy. its good to go to a uni, but a good one.

With this dream u hav, by d time u graduate from naija uni, u will be duller. the opportunities dey r talking about na just to apply for job without being able to deliver, cos dats wat IT or Programming is about. u must be able to deliver, if u cant, u are out!!!! Nigerians are dream killers!!!!!!!!!!


Oya make una attack me now

javalove:

make i sound controversial

please if u won go uni, go and apply for passport now and join d ques at american or UK embassy. its good to go to a uni, but a good one.

With this dream u hav, by d time u graduate from naija uni, u will be duller. the opportunities dey r talking about na just to apply for job without being able to deliver, because that is what IT or Programming is about. u must be able to deliver, if u can't, u are out!!!! Nigerians are dream killers!!!!!!!!!!


Oya make una attack me now

Attack you ke? na true talk my brother

javalove:

make i sound controversial

Oya make una attack me now

You need to be attacked , the guy needs positives and encouragement, not negatives (tell him what he can do, not what he cant)

@javalove Mr. controversy for now, i concur ,

@javalove
You do have a point but how do you know if he can afford it?

@cyberomin
Thinking about money first is like putting the cart before the horse because it will never come immediately

A-40:

@javalove
You do have a point but how do you know if he can afford it

its left to him.find out a way tosolve ur problems. just dont let ur dreams die,plsss

U shldn't base ur life career on sftware alone.Nigerians see h.ware & give u money.Only few know'bout d s.ware part.

My bro(Emma4dfuture)wnts2 study robotics & comptr eng.U cn see hw they blend.U gt money frm 1 while waitin 4d other.

plz while taking decision in life,u hav 2 be specific,cos a ship can't be controlled by 2 captains.first take the one that will give u a background b4 stepping 2 the next,forget the issue of money first,remember that knowledge is power ok.!

Thanks guys. You have all given me something to think about.

@ Javalove. Thanks so much. I'll consider the US.

guy please get a degree in any of the higher institutions and you could also study java alongside whatever you do.

Thank u guys. Just got a lil motivated!

angelchyke:

Thanks guys. You have all given me something to think about.

@ Javalove. Thanks so much. I'll consider the US.

omo yankeee!!!!!!

javalove:

make i sound controversial
please if u won go uni, go and apply for passport now and join d ques at american or UK embassy. its good to go to a uni, but a good one.
With this dream u hav, by d time u graduate from naija uni, u will be duller. the opportunities dey r talking about na just to apply for job without being able to deliver, because that is what IT or Programming is about. u must be able to deliver, if u can't, u are out!!!! Nigerians are dream killers!!!!!!!!!!
Oya make una attack me now

Very very bad advice. No matter how bad Nigerian uni's are it is still worthwhile having a uni degree.

On average people with uni degrees are more successfull than people without.
It is even worse in a country like Nigeria where u are viewed as a drop-out  or a dullard if you don't have a uni degree.

My honest advice is go to uni. If you can't make it to yankee as you wish. enrol in one of the uni in Nigeria. Spend some wonderful 4 years learning something or nothing. Learn programming along the way and get involved in an open source project to gain some experience.

It is better to do things you can do while you are young instead of regreting not doing them(things like going to school) when you are suppossed to be[b] enjoying your pension[/b].

candylips:

Very very bad advice. No matter how bad Nigerian uni's are it is still worthwhile having a uni degree.

On average people with uni degrees are more successfull than people without.
It is even worse in a country like Nigeria where u are viewed as a drop-out or a dullard if you don't have a uni degree.

My honest advice is go to uni. If you can't make it to yankee as you wish. enrol in one of the uni in Nigeria. Spend some wonderful 4 years learning something or nothing. Learn programming along the way and get involved in an open source project to gain some experience.

It is better to do things you can do while you are young instead of regreting not doing them(things like going to school) when you are suppossed to be[b] enjoying your pension[/b].

So if i were to be your son, you would advice me to go into a uni where u urself know would not contribute much to achieving my set goals and objectives?A whole 4 years!!!! Odun merin gbako!!!!.

And what is it with "people" anyway. Nigerians and africans in general are more concerned about what is going on in another person's life than theirs. Whay cant someone embark on a journey he/she feels would make him a fulfilled being? Why are nigerians also lacking the absorptive capacities to understand that IT aint banking or economics? Why do nigerians always choose to neglect the facts that goes along with success an settle for some age-long myths about degrees going along with success, ? Our dear nation will continue to be backwards unless we change our orientation and drop some unnecessary policies thats making our road to success too narrow. "Kirakita o dola oooo".

If he spends those 4 yrs in a skool where he is thorouhly brushed, code-washed and exposed to the real IT world, tell me how would he regret that since that is his dream. If he knows wat he's doing with his skill, he's made for lyfe - believe me.

I'm sure u were also expecting me to dress the truth a lil bit and not come out straight. I dont do that. AL-CAPONE said "YOU GET BETTER RESULTS FROM SOM1 WITH A KIND WORD [SUP]AND A GUN[/SUP] THAN A KIND WORD ALONE.Sounds harsh eh? but its the damns truth!!!!!!

We need to change the way we think to the way the world thinks. My friend if u know wat u are doing and u believe being a programmer would contribute much to ur being successful - as u have planned it - then dont stay here or better still, enroll in any of the good IT skools around. The difference is that you will not be issued a degree, but something that means more to u as an IT expert, the skill.

I cant speak about Banking, Econs, Geography and all that but for IT, i can stand anywhere and say that we are the worst in africa, interms of teaching. We produce weak graduates in this field, very very eak indeed. If Banking experts feel a review s needed in the way their course is being taught in nija, dey can speak now or forever put a stop to producing sound graduates who can compete with their counterparts in other afircan countries and the world at large - by keeping quiet.

Finally,

Decision making is one of the most difficult things in a man's life. One rightfully made decision can be all u need to be who u want to be (coupled with prayers), and one wrong can lead to "career ruin".

All that is needed is proper planning. Plan well oooooooo

Eko o ni baje ooooo

Ok that was a long post .

javalove:

So if i were to be your son, you would advice me to go into a uni where u yourself know would not contribute much to achieving my set goals and objectives?A whole 4 years!!!! Odun merin gbako!!!!.

Even if you are the son  of my enemy i will advice you to go to uni.

You will be surprised how small 4 years is. It is just a very small portion of someones life

What kind of goals and objectives are you talking about. A goal without space for attaining a degree is no goal at all

My assumptions here are that you the individual has the financial means to attend uni.

javalove:

And what is it with "people" anyway. Nigerians and africans in general are more concerned about what is going on in another person's life than theirs. Whay can't someone embark on a journey he/she feels would make him a fulfilled being? Why are nigerians also lacking the absorptive capacities to understand that IT aint banking or economics? Why do nigerians always choose to neglect the facts that goes along with success an settle for some age-long myths about degrees going along with success, ? Our dear nation will continue to be backwards unless we change our orientation and drop some unnecessary policies thats making our road to success too narrow. "Kirakita o dola oooo".

If he spends those 4 years in a school where he is thorouhly brushed, code-washed and exposed to the real IT world, tell me how would he regret that since that is his dream. If he knows what he's doing with his skill, he's made for lyfe - believe me.

I agree with your first and second sentence above.

Yes IT is not banking or economics. Infact the Banking profession have what they call professional exams  for example ICAN or CIBN which anyone with o'levels can take. You can become a charted accountant for example without stepping into the walls of the uni.

A closer look at their sylabus will show that yes you probably really don't need to attend the uni because you learn almost the same things as in uni. However there are still subtle differences and characteristics of a degree that could probably make you more desirable.

What is real world IT. Fine you probably don't get to practicalize some of the concepts learnt in school but then that is the whole essense of uni education. To prepare you for the real world , by teaching you theoritical underpinnings behind various concepts.

If you know theoritically why the insertion sort algorithm is Quadractic and in uni you were taught how to implement in say Fortran. When you see the same problem  in the Real world and was asked to implement in say Java or another languague that will probably be in existence in 10 year time what do you think will happen?

Your statement is very incorrect because what the Nation and Africa as a whole needs are people with very very Sound theoritical understanding of concepts. When we have this level of understanding we would be able to create innovative solutions to our very perculiar problems.  In anywhere in the world, where is the most likely place you will find individuals that will impact that kind of knowledge ?

javalove:

I'm sure u were also expecting me to dress the truth a little bit and not come out straight. I don't do that. AL-CAPONE said "YOU GET BETTER RESULTS FROM SOM1 WITH A KIND WORD [SUP]AND A GUN[/SUP] THAN A KIND WORD ALONE.Sounds harsh eh? but its the damns truth!!!!!!
We need to change the way we think to the way the world thinks. My friend if u know what u are doing and u believe being a programmer would contribute much to your being successful - as u have planned it - then don't stay here or better still, enroll in any of the good IT skools around. The difference is that you will not be issued a degree, but something that means more to u as an IT expert, the skill.

Uhmm what do you mean skill.
In IT skill = Experience . Sure skill can't be taught it can only be learnt but then the foundations on which skills can be built can be taught.

These foundations like i said earlier are learnt from theories which you know very well are not taught in IT schools offering a 6 month crash programme.

javalove:


Finally,

Decision making is one of the most difficult things in a man's life. One rightfully made decision can be all u need to be who u want to be (coupled with prayers), and one wrong can lead to "career ruin".

All that is needed is proper planning. Plan well oooooooo

Eko o ni baje ooooo

Good point.

Spending 4 years of your life (when you are still young ) in University is almost always a good decision.  But doing otherwise is almost always a wrong decision

There is still plenty of time to acheive all other parts of your dreams.
There is still time to start your career probably at 21 or 22 when u are done with uni .
There is still plenty of time to make loads of money if thats what interests you.
You could probably become a millonare before you clock 30( thats some 8 or 9 solid years of experience).
There is still plenty of time to develop the next Google if thats what takes your fancy. Larry page developed google at age 24 for his Phd thesis.

And don't even think you are going to be the next Bill Gates by not going to school or droping out of school because you are not.
You will probably end up in Oshodi Oke with the beggers begging for =N= 5 make u use buy chop 

Wow!!!! that was a nice reply,

Even if you are the son of my enemy i will advice you to go to uni.

You will be surprised how small 4 years is. It is just a very small portion of someones life

What kind of goals and objectives are you talking about. A goal without space for attaining a degree is no goal at all

My assumptions here are that you the individual has the financial means to attend uni.

Dont get me wrong, i have not sai going to uni is a waste. Going to uni is very very very good when u c the value. In nija, for som1 who ants to go into IT, my brother, its a pure waste of time. When i mean pure waste of time, i mean very very pure waste of time and resources. If u read my posts, i said he should leave nija for somewhere else, not to go do a crash program but to go to uni.

I am presently in Adamawa State (Fed poly Mubi) to develop a software for them and i interact with students wella. What i have newly discovered is that the fault is not from the students. The students are not lazy, in fact dey work very hard. The syllabus and what dey r being taught is gibberish. Imagine of the students used the same energy to learn C++ in its originality for say 2 out of the 4 years dey spend in school, den nija students would be performing wonders even before dey graduate. They are taught nonsense (i'm not sorry to say)

What is real world IT. Fine you probably don't get to practicalize some of the concepts learnt in school but then that is the whole essense of uni education. To prepare you for the real world , by teaching you theoritical underpinnings behind various concepts.

If you know theoritically why the insertion sort algorithm is Quadractic and in uni you were taught how to implement in say Fortran. When you see the same problem in the Real world and was asked to implement in say Java or another languague that will probably be in existence in 10 year time what do you think will happen?

Your statement is very incorrect because what the Nation and Africa as a whole needs are people with very very Sound theoritical understanding of concepts. When we have this level of understanding we would be able to create innovative solutions to our very perculiar problems. In anywhere in the world, where is the most likely place you will find individuals that will impact that kind of knowledge ?

Talking about theories and concepts, i think we are the best in africa, i stand to be corrected. Nigerians sabi theory oooooooooo. We know the theories, we have the concepts, but implementation, ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The world would not wait for us. We can know all the theories in this life and still import indians to do implementations for us. Of what use is a concept when u can turn it to practice?

I personally did not take a 6month program, i took a 2yrs course which i believe with the things i was taught and personal researches i have made, a nigerian uni graduate is no better . You need to understand that until our current IT or Computer Science syllabues are reviewed, we are no where. The world outside us moves fast, and we must move with it,

Get it?

@candylips
For the records I believe 200% in everything u have said. And javalove you really have to review you views. I strongly believe so. I am tired of ignoring ur views about the nigeriand education system. Bad as it is, I have never considered it a totally waste of time.

Whats wrong in having a University degree and still be a IT tech? Please tell me. And u seriously need to review the syllabus of computer science once more - check my school - www.futa.edu.ng. Computer Science is not all programming and Java. Its actually wider than that. Infact, it was computer scientist that made the tool u are working with - java. Does knowing Microsoft Office wella make u a Computer Scientist or Guru? NO!!!. Point is Computer SCience teches u those basic theories u call NONSENSE.

dont get me wrong. I have always told u guys a university degree is soooooooooooooooooo important. U say computer science is not about programming? I agree with u. I totally agree.

Can a computer science graduate in 9ja comptete with their conuterparts abroad? What has been the contribution of the so called computer scientists to our development? If computer science is not all about programing, have they come up with specifications of an aplication or something for nigerian programmers to implement? Hell No and they dont look like they will. What then is compuer science in ngeria about? Figure it out and tell me. We keep saying nigerians programmers are not trusted, is it not tyhe fucntion of the so called "Nigerian Computer Science Socieety" or what r dey called sef to coe to the fore front and put things in order. They cant code, dey cant crimp cables and dey cannot also be actively involved in the IT politics to contribute to our change process. Mr brother, I would get a Bsc, even and Msc but not in this country and I will continue to to preach against the Nigerian educatio system interms of IT anywhere I go. _{I dey vex ooo}

You can sit thee and try to defend it. Why are Nigerian doctors trusted even abroad, is it no because the latest trends in the field od medcine are being taught? My guy, we are no where.

I will continue to holdon to what i beleive in. If i'm not accepted here, i go elsewhere.Life aint that hard u know.

I will make the change happen, until my voice is heared by policy makers. I hope to achieve this through JAND (Java and Nigrian Developers).One of our functions is not only to evangelize java but also to meet students and lecturers of various instituitions to make them understand that only thoroughbreds are fielded in a horse race. If our claim to be a super power by 2020 be real, we have to review our syllabus

@javaprince

there once upon a time when poets ruled the world, scientists ruled the world, military men ruled the world, i want u to understand now that ITS OUR WORLD!!!!. its an IT world and whether we we rule forever, i dont know. Where do we stand? Shebi u dey FUTA, asses the whole thing and tell me where Nigerians stand,


anyone else has something in mind but has been keeping quiet? Speak out!!!!!!

@javalove

Good to see that we are agreeing now.  

You point is very valid about the Computer science curriculm of uni in nigeria. It needs a lot modernization . And am aware that a few schools are already doing this. Unilag and OAU and some of the Federal universities of technologies to my understanding already have Java and C++ in the curriculum.


Having said that quite a lot of things in there are still relevant. Particularly the theoritical aspects.

You want to  know why ? read this definition of computer science http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science

A computer science graduate must know the theories by virtue of his training .

It is science and science is all about learning theories and formulating theories.

Practicalizing theories is the job of Engineering not science.

Main problem i see which actually affects all students and not just CS students in nigeria is lack of good books , overrelance on Hand-outs , Low quality of Lecturers and maybe cramming to pass exams.

its just that u didnt get me point wella. i have not changed on my stance,

Computer Science/Programming happens to be different from most other fields. It's one field that practical training is crucial to one's ability to be successful doing it. Theory will always have value, however the it's very important to get hands on with programming while in school. That's why, at least here in the US, the programming assignments through out the semester, are usually about 80%- 85% of the final grade. The written test account for the rest. As someone who has been in this field for a while, I conduct interviews, mentor junior developers, and I can tell you, there is nothing you can read in the books that can replace the hands-on experience you will get from actually sitting at the computer writing code. How in the world can programming be taught without actually interacting with the PC writing code. It's like teaching someone to become a mechanic without actually have them work on a car/machine.

It needs to start from the top. the schools need to equipped with appropriate equipment, and the computer science curriculum needs to be revamped.

@javalove ,@javaprince,@candylips

the world does not start and end with java (or PHP ) ,

I know quite a few computer science grads that happen to know how to code to pieces ,

The hot new languages like ruby,groovy,even java sit on the shoulder of giants , smalltalk ,lisp, pascal ,c

Our beloved java is not a giant, by the way,

Personally i'm yet to see a great programmer that is sooo particular about language , Gosling,fowler,kent,schirazi,Bloch check out their resumes
When i started progarmming , i wrote code (in a notebook) in all sorts of languages , i loved them all. ,
My first real experience was influenced by the first compiler i could lay my hands on, not on whether java was better than pascal or fortran,

I guess what i'm saying is , if i was born 50 years back ,I'd still write code , maybe in machine language , it doesn't really matter
But i'd get the machine to jump through hoops for me ,

So, please let the schools teach anything they like , even if its VBA . The rest would take care of itself,

there are many things u get from schools(even in naija) and its not only the maths and physics. ,
Some rare people get a similar experience without getting within the walls of a uni ,yeah
but i think the uni environment is one of the best places u can find like minds or whatever of life's goals you're looking for
Its like an incubation center , sometimes you hatch chickens and geese other times eagles fly out

Bossman:

Computer Science/Programming happens to be different from most other fields. It's one field that practical training is crucial to one's ability to be successful doing it. Theory will always have value, however the it's very important to get hands on with programming while in school. That's why, at least here in the US, the programming assignments through out the semester, are usually about 80%- 85% of the final grade. The written test account for the rest. As someone who has been in this field for a while, I conduct interviews, mentor junior developers, and I can tell you, there is nothing you can read in the books that can replace the hands-on experience you will get from actually sitting at the computer writing code. How in the world can programming be taught actually interacting with the PC writing code. It's like teaching someone to become a mechanic without actually have them work on a car/machine.

It needs to start from the top. the schools need to equipped with appropriate equipment, and the computer science curriculum needs to be revamped.

Gbam!!!!!!!!! Gbam!!!!!!! Gbam!!!!!!!!!!! Gbam!!!!!!!! You deserve a hi-5 for this.

You just poured out my mind. Thats exactly what i'v been evangelizing since. Nigerians always want to do things opposite of the norm,

Nobody is disagreeing with the fact that the curriculum is outdated in most nigerian schools.

Nobody is disagreeing with the fact that you can learn programming without practicing

What i am disagreeing with is that because students are not exposed to writing code while in uni then you shouldn't go to the univeristy.

That is just a very bad advice to give to the young man who started this thread.

Personally I have schoolled in Nigeria and abroad and in any of this places nobody spoon fed me into writing code So your advice that he should only think of go to univeristy abroad is very very wrong.

It is a concious effort. Many people are born to like coding while others just don't like it whether they school abroad or in Nigeria

candylips:

Nobody is disagreeing with the fact that the curriculum is outdated in most nigerian schools.

Nobody is disagreeing with the fact that you can learn programming without practicing

What i am disagreeing with is that because students are not exposed to writing code while in uni then you shouldn't go to the univeristy.

That is just a very bad advice to give to the young man who started this thread.

Personally I have schoolled in Nigeria and abroad and in any of this places nobody spoon fed me into writing code So your advice that he should only think of go to univeristy abroad is very very wrong.

It is a concious effort. Many people are born to like coding while others just don't like it whether they school abroad or in Nigeria

At this jucture, the question u should ask yourslef is why nigeria is sooo backward in IT en in africa. Would you stay in a place where everyday, what we hear about the quality of graduates leaving our unis are nothing to write home about? How many nigerians, while uni have been able to pull one form of stunt or the other while they are still in skool? We hear stories of high skool or university students doing one thing or the other. U think the nigerian student doesnt want same?

Whether people abroad are spoon fed or not, the environmnt to be a better programmer, network engineer, or computer scientist is readily available. In nigeria, its nottt!!!!!!!!!

U keep getting my point wrong. The university is a good place to study, but what if the university is wack!!!!. What if the uni will make u duller. That's wat the unis we have ofer those aspiring IT experts. Do you know how many people have had their dreams killed by our unis? People who should have used the zeal and passion they had to do great things, but ended up in the bank or shopping malls as attendeants? Sincerely i dont get what ur point is anymore U agree that our system needs review but yet, u ask him to go in there? I rather advicehim to go to ghana, sincerely!!!!

If he wanted to study Agric, Banking or econs or any other course at that, i would not advice him to travel or even bone our uni completely. What we are talkng about here is IT, Information Technology where if u miss 1, u miss All. I dont know how many countries in africa u have visted, then u wud know we are no where at all,

You agree again that our educational system in IT is backwards and u just fold ur hands are watch itrail dwn d ditch. It seems to me we are in an infinite loop of stupidity, all of us. No one is bold enuf to protest or make a change happen. I'm only doing my own little e-protest. One day one day, uno go hear me voice liveeee!!!!!!!!

Nothing do us, cos its naija wher e shit happens. Where u do things opposite of the norm and still make sense

javalove:

Whether people abroad are spoon fed or not, the environmnt to be a better programmer, network engineer, or computer scientist is readily available. In nigeria, its nottt!!!!!!!!!

I agree with this point. But what if a student does not have the opportunity of travelling abroad.
So what you mean now is that if people want to study IT and they can't afford to go abroad they shouldn't bother going to a local school in Nigeria. Instead they should start selling software in OTIGBA right .

javalove:

What if the uni will make u duller.

Now this is the most silly statement i have ever heard. How in the world will going to university no matter how "wack" it is make you duller.

I have lots of friend that went to the same wack schools you are talking about and studied IT(myself included) and are not in anyway duller as a result of this. I know many who are now heading groups in Microsoft and Oracle. I myself head a Software Group in a multinational company and i manage people who went to Oxford, Imperial college and all these top schools.

javalove:


You agree again that our educational system in IT is backwards and u just fold your hands are watch itrail dwn d ditch. It seems to me we are in an infinite loop of stupidity, all of us.

Listen yeah. The whole educational system especially in the public uni is in a mess not just IT and  the main reason like i have said be4 is not in the entire curriculum itself, but in the content and how it is taught to students. If you pick up the Computer science curriculum of The school you say you are in and compare it with Oxford uni. It will be about 70% the same. Just do that as an exercise and get back to me.

The very bad thing is that our Lecturers are lazy . They don't update their lecture notes most of which are very outdated. students depend too much on Handouts to pass exams and so on.

You asked a question earlier that Theory has done us no good in Africa. Well how will you practicalize the theory you have learnt when there are no research opportunitites. What are the Research Institutes in Nigeria doing. What kinds of research opportunities is the Private sector providing for Academia. Are there any kinds of knowledge transfer between Academia and the Public or Private sector.

Just for your info, Microsoft, Google  and all these innovative companies have loads of Professors in their payrol . That is one of the ways they are able to remain competitive.  Can you tell me how many professors are in Nitel or NNPC or NEPA profeing solutions to our unique problems. Instead you see profs in Nigeria justling for political appointments.

javalove:


No one is bold enough to protest or make a change happen. I'm only doing my own little e-protest. One day one day, uno go hear me voice liveeee!!!!!!!!

Nothing do us, because its naija wher e shit happens. Where u do things opposite of the norm and still make sense

And what exactly is the e-protest about ?

Dude stop deluding yourself.

The solution to the problem is very simple and am sure most school authorities know it but lack of funds might be a hinderance.
Its about provision of infrastructures.
How are students is a Computer science dep going to solve a programming assignment when they don't have a computer lab with the neccessary compilers to work in. I remember back in the days we used to be like 10 on one rubbish PC coding our assignment.

I agree with this point. But what if a student does not have the opportunity of travelling abroad.
So what you mean now is that if people want to study IT and they can't afford to go abroad they shouldn't bother going to a local school in Nigeria. Instead they should start selling software in OTIGBA right .

Dont get me wrong sir!!!!! I didnt say he should not attend a university. I'm only concerened about the quality of IT person he would make after four years of study.
you keep getting the whole idea of my "attend or dont attend" a nigerian university wrong. Whether the curriculum is the same with oxford or cambridge, the quality of computer science graduates we produce is below par and they contribute little or nothing to the development of our country. Please i stand to be corrected,

Point to 1 or two things that were done by nigerians (i mean computer science grads) that affect us in one way or the other. All the banking softwares we have are imported, the people who manage them are imported, our ATM clients are imported, even some of the inventory apps used in malls (yes!! u heared me right, inventiry) are imported, the software used for our voting was imported, our phones are imported and sooo on.

Did i hear u say computer sceince is not al about programming? Not programming alone oooo, I know enough companies in lag and abj who rely on indians to take care of their networking needs even though we have "experts" here in nigeria. The top top ogas who handle technicalities in some telecom companies are imported. (got a few pals dere). When there is a major event in the country, contracts are signed with oyinbo pple again, another importation.

I'm not bragging but i was officially invited by Standards Organiation of Nigera when the openXML document was sent to nigeria by ISO to review and vote YES or NO. I'm about the first person that saw the 6000+ page document. You know what, only 3 nigerians were on the panel. Myself, one man from abuja and one guy from unilag. The guy from abuja didnt study in nigeria. he was superb and i wished i had his knowlege. The guy from lag was pathetic. He was just yarning balls. he knew little or nothing about XML, about w3c. Ali i was hearing was .net, .net and .net. That was about the highest level he could showcase his knwledge to non-nigerians. But he didnt disappoint me ooooo cos i always know what to expect. The other guys werent nigerians except for the non-technical pple on board. So u see my dear broda, its that bad.

Nigeria is not proud of her graduates in this field. We can argue from morning till night but if you look inwards and watch what's going on, u will agree. Forget all the stuffs that you hear thos fat belly govt officlals talk about. We are no wherein africa.

Listen yeah. The whole educational system especially in the public uni is in a mess not just IT and the main reason like i have said be4 is not in the entire curriculum itself, but in the content and how it is taught to students. If you pick up the Computer science curriculum of The school you say you are in and compare it with Oxford uni. It will be about 70% the same. Just do that as an exercise and get back to me.

I dont care about other fields. I dont give a damn whether they are messed up or not. They are not complaining are they? But in IT we have to. We cant fold our arms and watch. Its an IT world u know and if dont join the race, we will be left behind (as if we are not already behind).

Whether our curriculum is the same with oxford or not is not my business. What i want is impact!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Impact everywhere.!!!!!!!!!!! No single sector of this our economy is properly driven by indiginous IT products or experts. The computer sceintists who should no better arent coming up with specifications on what should be done to make a reasonalbe differece. What u hear all the time is Mr XYZ Bsc.Msc.Phd, PHP, Mysql from Unilag yet he cant point to one succesful IT policy he has pushed to benefit the nation and add relevance to our graduates. Even the ones that manage to do one certification will quickly attach the acronym to their names and brag about it everywhere dey go say Mr Mike Agnaje, SCJP, SCJD, SCJA and all dem bull shits.

I dont want to be known for certificates, I want to be known for my works, discoveries. If u do something great, the world cares less about ur background. Infact no matter aw wack ur background may seem, it would be celebrated.

I have lots of friend that went to the same wack schools you are talking about and studied IT(myself included) and are not in anyway duller as a result of this. I know many who are now heading groups in Microsoft and Oracle. I myself head a Software Group in a multinational company and i manage people who went to Oxford, Imperial college and all these top schools.

whats the ratio? 1:100. is that what we want for ourselves? The graduates u see coding or into deep networking should be celebrated. I usually get excited when i meet one but they re few. I also have LOTSSSSS of respect for them. They see the world with a different lens from their mates,

You also need to take a survey of how the students study these wack curricula. Na cram die!!!!!!!. If there is a cramming competetion, nigeria will surely win that . Them dey cram ooooo. Their orientation has been bastardized by the "certificate" thng so all dey are after is the certificate. Somone comes out with a first class and yet cant speak boldly about the latest trends and happenings in the world of IT. You think the world is concerned about our curriculum? They are concerned about the quality of graduates the so-called curriculum produces.

You asked a question earlier that Theory has done us no good in Africa. Well how will you practicalize the theory you have learnt when there are no research opportunitites. What are the Research Institutes in Nigeria doing. What kinds of research opportunities is the Private sector providing for Academia. Are there any kinds of knowledge transfer between Academia and the Public or Private sector.

How many african countries have u visited?

In IT, in case u dont know, u hardly buy materials!!!!!!! The programmer hardly buys materials!!!!! We all charge millios for webapps or desktop apps but which material we dey buy? except to pay liscences here amd there.

Well, we are talking IT here and i beleive u dont need a research institute. The programmer just needs a group of people (likeminds) implemented. With online collaboration and a forum like nairaland, the platform for reaearch is made. The computer scientist needs only to to come up with a project idea and get a group of programmers, engineers or networking experts to get it done. All of these can be done online. Note, the passion has to be there oooo.

Recently, a group of JAVA programmers all over nigeria have started the nigerian JUG. Do you know, we have neva met b4 and we successfully set up a forum and the group is growing www.naijadukes.net. There, researches can go on without any structure called "institute". Are we scared of change or something. We dont want to apply what's n vogue in learing and researches.

Anyhow, anywhere, anyway----- just dont let ur dreams die. Find a way, scream shout, waka round streets of lagos to make sure u dreams are realiized. when all is said and done, u will have a sweet story to tell.

The institutes u talked about, have u visisted any b4.? u wud be suprised that the people there just dey collect salary, dey travel around the world attending seminars and conferences.

Everything i have written here is based on my orientation and what i have experienced in this country. The way i think also goes inline with my dreams so I am PERSONALLY safe. I m praying hard, working hard to make sure i achieve it. May Allah make it easy for me.

Also, u have to undertand that not everyone dreams employemnt. I have neva tot about it. I want to employ and if u cant deliver,u r out!!!

I also believe in planning. I beleive everyone knows what he/she wants from life and what he/she intends to give back. To break the norm, u have to grab the bull by the horns Anyhow u feel u can achieve this, go ahead. If the "laws" "norms" "standards" dont work for u, set urs, its ur world!!!!