What's the best way to determine whether or not an opportunity is a waste of your time?

Simple.

Ask yourself what you hope to get out of it, and whether or not the effort is worth the investment of time and risk.

Some people would say to ask others who have been there, but I disagree to a point. Yes, advice from experienced persons is always helpful, however, it should never be your preferred method for weighing your options. Because every person's experience is different.

For example, I notice there are a lot of threads on Nairaland written by people wanting to know if the NYSC is a waste of time or a benefit to their futures. There's is considerable argument on both sides, but ultimately it boils down to 1.) what you hope to get out of completing the program, and 2.) how you're going to leverage the experience, knowledge and certifications (if any) you obtain while there.

The worst mistake anyone can make is to make decisions on their future based on other people's thinking and ideas. What may be a waste of time for one, could potentially be the very opportunity you need to springboard your career. So consider the source (the mindset of the individual, their career objectives, work ethic, etc) before seriously considering applying any of their "advice" to your circumstances.

Personally, I evaluate my options by weighing them against 5 simple questions:

1. Are the skills and experiences re-investable into the current or other activities?
2. Will I learn anything useful from it that I can leverage later in life?
3. Is it profitable?
4. Is it meaningful to ME?
5. Does the activity give me lasting pleasant memories?

I would usually require at least two of these to be true before deeming the opportunity worth my time and effort. And if not, I move on to something else.

I prefer to invest my time in things that are going to allow me to move closer to my goals, and make me a better, more wiser person in the future. But this doesn't always work out the way I want. Sometimes I find something that seems beneficial upfront, only later to discover that it's not. But that's just how life goes. There are no guarantees.

The most you can hope for is to make the best decisions given the knowledge you possess, put forth your best effort, and pray things work out in the end.

Hope this helps!

Be blessed!

Ra