Nairaland Forum

Firstly Moderator this thread should make front page.

Good quality advice has been given by previous posters.

NYSC to ♍ƺ has lost whatever relevance it has when it was started. Since the government is not ready to provide anything to its citizen job inclusive, the service year should be used wisely to think and channel out a career path. It is the first time that some younger ones are leaving home so they should use that to test our independent they can be from family influence and take a firm grip on their life.

'The world turns aside for any man who knows where he is going'- Norman Jordan

@AyoPMP: dat was a nice delivery. Quite educative and impressive

Me after my NYSC by the grace of God I go. Study MD by the grace of God a practising US doctor

tnx alot @ AYO PMM... that was very insightful

I will be passing out in some days time.. And I have bn thinking of what life holds for me after service. I invested a little on myself during this service year, wrote ICAN exam and now qualified as a Chartered Accountant despite having my first degree in another field entirely.. I have really learnt alot from all your post but if I could have my way, I would go for my MBA but currently facing the challenge of how to finance it. This has made me to start forwarding my CV all around. I have written some tests and now in second or 3rd stage of some of the offers. As a result of the financial constraint, I have decided to work for 2 years and proceed for my masters in 2014. I would appreciate it, if an experienced fellow in this forum can further advice me if there is any other alternative to my plans..

Mcnoble: I have decided to work for 2 years and proceed for my masters in 2014. ..

Good 'un imo

Mcnoble:
I would appreciate it, if an experienced fellow in this forum can further advice me if there is any other alternative to my plans

www.nairaland.com/938415/work-experience-further-study

yamakuza: ^ You really took your time to deliver that lecture.

I learnt a lot. Thanks.

Hope to keep seeing you around.

No problems yamakuza, will try to spend more time here.

seyibobo: @AyoPMP: dat was a nice delivery. Quite educative and impressive

Thanks Seyibobo. Took me yeeears to learn this and I look back and wonder why? was focused on the wrong things. So hope it helps

nell07: tnx alot @ AYO PMM... that was very insightful

@nell07. Thanks



I forgot to add the books you should read

Laws Of Success By Napoleon Hill
Think And Grow Rich Napoleon Hill
As a man thinketh
Richest Man In Babylon
The Psychology Of Selling - Brian Tracey
Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey
Rich Dad Poor Dad - Very Popular
Good To Great - Jim Collins
Built To Last
In Search Of Excellence Tom Peters
The seven habits of highly effective people
Freakonomics - Levitt and Dunbarr(Not sure)
Emyth Revisited M.Gerber
The world is flat by Thomas Friedman
Jack - Straight from the gut.
The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid Pralahad
Mystery Of Capital - Hernandes De Soto

That is all I can recall right now. Think I have missed out one or two though. They are what I call essential readings for a graduate. Some people may disagree, but I have tried to arrange them in the order you should read them based on 'ease of readability' and your experience. If you can read all these books, I think your way of thinking will be changed - Unless of course you were born a geniu )


For those of you wishing to do your Masters one or two years out of school; You cant run a marathon like its a sprint, you will burn out. There are so many things that you will be taught that you will view and understand differently with five years experience behind you. This is especially true for the management courses and MBA. For the Specialist courses, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, perhaps not so much so. Also, please please and please, do not just go to any school abroad just because it is fashionable to get your masters abroad. For instance Lagos Business School may better for you than many of the schools popular with Nigerians in UK and some of the cheap less popular ones. Don't know much about America. Look for the best schools in your field and apply. This decision will impact the rest of your life and your family. So be careful about which school you go to. For those of you who do not have the time and money to go and study a masters degree abroad, there are many globally recognized professional certifications that will in my opinion will be better for you than doing masters degrees in Nigeria. I am not happy about it(It pains me to the bone marrow) but that is the fact.

Regards

Interesting read and great advices here.
But let me chip in a little bit.
For my fellow serving Corp members please you need to understand that this one year is a time to serve, so put your heart into the service, the law of karma doesn't only apply to people who have done bad deeds.
secondly you must plan....plan....and plan.
This is time to ask yourself serious questions,
What am I passionate about?
What are my opportunities like?
What skills do I possess?
Etc. Just do an extensive soul searching, tell yourself the truth and start planning from there.

after getting the Answer to your questions, you should start asking questions, do a research, get opinions, find out what it would take to get to where you want to be.

Thirdly, don't do a certification just for the fun of it, rather do it for the knowledge. Have a focus, everybody is doing HSE, PMP, NIM, etc does not mean you too will do it. Find out which cert. Relates to your passion and skills.

It is okay to do a masters degree program, but get this straight, if your Sole purpose is to get a high paying job, then you are in for a shocker cos guess what? There are so many people with masters who are yet to get jobs talk less of good ones.

And like others have said, never underestimate the power of networking.
Attitude is everything, treat people with respect and ALWAYS maintain your integrity, it is very important. Let people know you for what you stand for, it Will come in handy later in life.

Also, there are so many people who would want to take advantage of you, please vet every trainer, institution, or certification before you put your hard earned money into it.

Finally always stay positive. Your mind set matters a lot.
I am a serving corp member, but I have no fear of what the future holds cos I have this belief, that no matter the challenges that life throws at me I would find a way to overcome them with God helping me.

Stay focused, stay positive, and have the right attitude.
Meet me at the TOP.

Tytgirl: Am glad 2 c dis topic. I finishd servin feb last yr. I startd doing business(buying n selling) hoping dat 4rm their i wld b able 2 fund my msc, bt it didnt hapen because d business faild. I got a job wit an i.t firm bt i wz nt paid 4 3 months n i just quit yesterday. Ryt now am finicially down. Dnt knw where 2 start again. Anybody wit useful information dat will help me out of my present situation shld pls contact me tru my email: unikjessy@yahoo.com. Meanwhile am a graduate of chemical engineering.

Try another business, and this time do it with a long term goal and better market research, There's no successful businessman who doesn't have a string of failed ventures to boast of

ajayitp04: I believe the greatness america attained today is as a result of the mindset of the citizens. An average american has an entrepreneural mind. Our mindset realy matters. From the little income you have every month, try and save 40% at least. At the end of the service year, you realise it's something. No matter how meagre it may be, you can start up small business with it. Little drops of water they say, make an ocean. Corpers must'nt waste their precious time looking for jobs that do not exist outside there. The labour market is oversaturated. A word is enough for a wise.

You're a wise person, it would be too late before we realise the existing companies cannot absorb every graduate and a lot of us should take the bull by the horns and create employment for others

Ayo PMP: Corpers

Life in Nigeria is a bit harder than when I graduated. But the path to survival and ultimately excellence remain the same.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have 'finished studying'. Yes you have finished studying for your degree, but that is totally different from finishing studying. Studying never ends. In fact now you are going to study for a more important reason - Survival. For most of you your degrees are useless in that you will never earn a kobo using your what you learnt using what you majored in - be it medicine, Literature, engineering or computer science. You are going to have to start learning and learning fast things with which you will earn a living. Most of you will end up in banks or civil service and mostly disillusioned after years roll by and you have only been promoted two steps.

For the few that will go on to excel, most of you will have one thing in common, the unquenchable thirst for more knowledge. They will continue to study both in within their areas of specialization and outside it. You will have to read a lot of management and business books and these will form the bases of decisions you make in your places of work. I know the former CEO of a bank with 3 books that has reads 4 books a week for years on end. My most successful friends, 10 years out of school are those that have undergone the most training after their first degrees.

What to study? You will have to do some soul searching to find out what you want to do. Talk to people who have been there and done that. Learn from their experiences. Also read books by famous people all over the world so their experiences become your knowledge. You will not realize it but every book you read will change your outlook on life. I will give you a list of books you must start to read NOW at the end of the piece. You can do masters degrees. Many of you will choose to go abroad for your post graduate degrees and rightly so. But do this immediately as long as you are not putting in for an MBA or management PGD as experience impacts your perspective on those courses.

Do not waste three years agonizing over whether to do this course or that course. You have time to do them all. No knowledge is wasted or as Steve Jobs put it, 'You will only be able to connect the dots in the future'. He was referring to how an art class he attended after dropping out of school unexpectedly came in useful when designing the first Mac computer and has influenced the fonts on basically all computers in the world today. So go on act like a sponge, absorb all the knowledge you can from everywhere and everyone as the dots will b connected in the future. In fact make it a point of duty to learn something new everyday for the rest of your life, The cheapest and easiest ways to learn is from people and books. So it is important that you are selective about who you surround yourself with. Their attitude and outlook will rub off on you.

Fortunately, not unfortunately, there are not enough jobs to go around for all of you - many before you are still jobless. I say fortunately because that means many of you will have to resort to business to keep body and soul together. Please please and please, do not think business = buying and selling and do not mistake it for self employment(although self employment can be a stepping stone to building a business). GTBank is a business, so is Lagos Business School, TFC, This Day, Con Oil etc. Some of you have to step out and build these institutions so more of your contemporaries can be employed. You can do it but not without knowledge of business which you get from reading books of successful businesses and business people and practicing what you read, joining a management trainee program, going for an MBA in a reputable school - reputable does not mean abroad, in fact Lagos Business School is better than many of the schools popular with Nigerians in the UK. Yes you can do this. These institutions were started by people like you. Fola Adeola started GTBank - he went to a polytechnic in Ogun state, Tony Elumelu started Standard Trust and took over UBA - he went to UNIBEN and the list goes on. Many people can build institutions stay stuck in paid employment or even worse spend their time looking for work. I know a few people who started business after failing to get a job and their businesses have turned out to be very successful. There are also internationally recognized professional certifications you can do such as CAPM/PMP, A plus, Cisco, CFA, ACCA,etc

Also please do not chase money. Money is a by-product. It comes naturally in exchange for value which you add to an organization/business. Where does this value come from - investing in yourself. For example, many of you cant wait to buy your first cars. But imagine this. if you and a colleague were to get two million Naira today. You buy a car and the other uses 1.5 million for one, two or three courses and uses 500,000 to start a business or even survive till a she gets a job, who do you really think will be better off. The car will start to depreciate immediately whereas the knowledge in your colleagues head will mean that she can apply for far more jobs than you and her earning potential will be significantly more than yours. even if you both start a job together, she will soon become your boss.

All the Best

I wanted to contribute, but anything I say would be dwarfed by your concise yes expansive narrative

Am realy inspired by all of you guys posts. Thanks alot.

exciting thread~i believe the way to go is ENTREPRENEURSHIP.it takes time and much learning to come out but there are Great rewards later

Youth corpers and job applicants there is a world of opportunities for you to set up your own business and create wealth for yourself. The opportunities from this international company are there for the asking. Send your email address to adeostar@yahoo.com for details

Such an educative thread. The present Nigeria we are in calls for people who will take their own destiny in there hand.
I think we will start to get it right when we understand that we owe ourself the duty of becoming what we ought to be. The world is not fair, so do not expect fairness from anybody, Be in charge of your life.
I run a thread on free tips for self-employment creation, here on Nairaland. The topic is 'How to Turn Yourself into A Multi Million Brand'. It is under the business/money sub-category by keemax. It is my contribution to your success.
Thanks.

Some of us has finished our service year, go back home and stay idle without work, some of us is still serving and we will soon pass out from national service. That means we will not be receiving alert anymore from Federal alawy. What a sad news! Like it or yes, that is the fact. Of course those that are extremely very lucky or those that are vigilant of the present economic trend in Nigeria will strive to success. Those that will earnestly search for knowledge and opportunity will succeed, those that know the dig dong search strategies will eventually find opportunities, those that are ambitious will find a lucrative business to do and those that are lazy will go back home and stay after to realize when they are old. So which category are you. Are you ready to make a division today so that you can enjoy tomorrow.

Take a look at this link http://www.latestjobsinfo.com/search/label/Self%20Employment%20Tips,

I have a long list of self employment ideas, profitable small business you can do with very little capital for free access. you are free to read the contents,ask any question that you need clarification in this forum or in the site. My dream is to help you make it in life.
See you on top

I finished serving in june and from the little I have seen, nigeria is going through a big change. I mean we are moving towards ict(information communication technology). When you go for a job test. Nowadays it is computerised. When you get called for the interview. The first thing they will ask is what you can do with microsoft office. I found an interesting piece and I felt I should share with everyone. http:///bxt2zZRn

Phonon: Join the booming and thriving unemployment market....:-D On a more serious note,many graduates have no idea what they want in the first place.They just keep gathering pieces of paper:PMP,CCNA,HSE etc that they think would give them an edge.In most cases,IT DOES NOT.This country has failed its youths.Countries such as China,Brazil,India etc are sending their brightest to go to the best US schools to study in various fields and then tap that knowledge to develop their economy.What do we do here?FG gives limited scholarships to people(some by merit) who want to study only Oil & Gas related courses and in rare cases,some non oil & gas scholarships to "obscure" countries like Russia,Ukraine etc.PATHETIC!
As for me,just waiting to write my GRE Physics Subject Test and GET OUT.

hi phonon aw was d physics subject test because I wud like 2 write dat 2.pls help me wit necessary info @ richieontyme@gmail.com

I love the various posts on this thread but come to think of it, the best best plan a corps member can make is to go into business during his or her service year. I have done so and now I'm currently managing a viewing centre of my own along the way seeing other opportunities coming my way. Many corps members will benefit if they follow this path. Follow my threads to read how i managed to do it.
www.nairaland.com/1144340/how-start-business-corps-member/3#13659479 You can also read about how i started my viewing centre plus challenges and how i overcomed them.
www.nairaland.com/1127338/ex-corps-member-making-it#13309013

Am currently doing my HND in Civil Engineering. Since i know that people can't do without food, am going into crop production and animal husbandry with the little knowledge i have before . . . . I was really touched by what i read here, so i don't know if i can do my PGD in agricultural science or wait till i will do my MASTERS. . . . . . . . Urgent answer is needed please.

mission08:

I could remember the day I wrote my last paper at the university, there was excitement in the air, coursemates were busy taking photographs but in the midst of it all, I was pensive. Not that I wasn't happy but to me graduating comes with responsibilities. I felt that I no longer had the right to request for allowance from my dad (my mum was late anyway),I had to be in charge of my life.

During pre-NYSC months, I knew I could not afford waiting for NYSC call up letter doing nothing. I designed my CV and started looking for job. Most of the companies visited demanded for NYSC discharge certificate but I later got a job with an indian company for a meagre salary (N23,000). Though the salary was poor, it was a learning experience, I used the opportunity to gather some skills.

Then came NYSC, I was posted to Rivers state (by sheer luck). I went to camp with high hope thinking PH here I come . But I was taken aback when I was told that all corpers would be posted to schools. While in camp, I learnt that some companies/banks looking for cheap labour codedly come for CVs so when that opportunity presented itselt, I submitted mine. (Some corpers never bothered coming to camp with CV and I wonder why). To cut the long story short, NYSC posted me to a school but I had my secondary assignment with a bank.

While serving, I did a 6-month professional course and was very prudent with money. Unfortunately, I lost my dad that same year. (meaning no mum, no dad)

After service, I lived on my savings for 7 months before getting a job.

Well, I could remember telling a colleague that I was home for seven months without a job, the next thing he said was," you should have gone 4 for Masters immediately". The truth is I for one couldnt do that; job comes first before Masters.


Looking back now I can say all is well that ends well.

Ur story iz touching!I can also rem my last paper back then in school. I was just unusual and N̶̲̥̅̊☺ one knw ђã†̥ was hovering in my mind. A̶̲̥̅♏ presently serving now wiLl pass out by feb. I pray I get a job to sustain myself and family.

ichidodo: wuld b goin in july, like 2 serve at where i live. Abj. I have no need 2 seek 4 work as i am self-employd already

pls shear with d room what u do so dat we can learn . Are u already engaged in a white caller job or self employed

mission08:

I could remember the day I wrote my last paper at the university, there was excitement in the air, coursemates were busy taking photographs but in the midst of it all, I was pensive. Not that I wasn't happy but to me graduating comes with responsibilities. I felt that I no longer had the right to request for allowance from my dad (my mum was late anyway),I had to be in charge of my life.

During pre-NYSC months, I knew I could not afford waiting for NYSC call up letter doing nothing. I designed my CV and started looking for job. Most of the companies visited demanded for NYSC discharge certificate but I later got a job with an indian company for a meagre salary (N23,000). Though the salary was poor, it was a learning experience, I used the opportunity to gather some skills.

Then came NYSC, I was posted to Rivers state (by sheer luck). I went to camp with high hope thinking PH here I come . But I was taken aback when I was told that all corpers would be posted to schools. While in camp, I learnt that some companies/banks looking for cheap labour codedly come for CVs so when that opportunity presented itselt, I submitted mine. (Some corpers never bothered coming to camp with CV and I wonder why). To cut the long story short, NYSC posted me to a school but I had my secondary assignment with a bank.

While serving, I did a 6-month professional course and was very prudent with money. Unfortunately, I lost my dad that same year. (meaning no mum, no dad)

After service, I lived on my savings for 7 months before getting a job.

Well, I could remember telling a colleague that I was home for seven months without a job, the next thing he said was," you should have gone 4 for Masters immediately". The truth is I for one couldnt do that; job comes first before Masters.


Looking back now I can say all is well that ends well.

Wow i love this comment above it looks as if i typed the above exactly what i'm doing now we seem to have the same plan. I will be going for service with the next Batch by Gods Grace and i cant afford to sit at home for 4Months all the places i took my CV to demanded for my NYSC certificate but i know i will get a Job to keep myself busy now no matter how small the salary.