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My Career Dilemma - Career (4) - Nairaland

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I'm An Orator: What Are My Career Chances? / I'm Caught In A Career Dilemma And Don't Know What To Do / Career Dilemma: Someone Please Advice (2) (3) (4)

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Re: My Career Dilemma by AjanleKoko: 6:22pm On Sep 01, 2014
temi4fash: Thanks very much for your time sir. More grace to your elbow. Sir, you have really explained some very cogent points. Sir, what will say to some considering M.sc after school would that in any way broaden their chances for companies in category 3 - 5. I know for a fact from reading and surfing online that some industries prefers M,sc holders in some cases e.g oil and gas. Would you say the same for the ICT sector. And what are the area you would recommend with the current trend in the sector. Thanks again. Sorry for the many questions.

The issue of masters degree (as well as the type of masters degree) is dependent on the organization you're applying to.
You just mentioned oil and gas sector. I actually omitted in my previous post that you have a category 6: IT department of any organization, be it financial, FMCG, Services, Oil and Gas, or whatever. Let's call that category 6.
To get a category 6 job, say, the ICT department of one of the oil majors (MNCs), the requirements would probably be similar to what obtains across other departments within the organization. Typically a very good degree (2:1 or higher), and a masters degree if you have 2:2.
The interesting thing here is that, in addition to the base requirements I outlined here, they also expect you to have IT experience somehow. Maybe by working in Category 3 companies. Generally you don't find too many entry level in IT departments in non-IT sector.

If you're applying to an OEM, the requirements may be similar (they are also MNCs after all), though for sales and pre-sales people, an MBA might be interesting for them. For the large systems integrators, the requirements would be similar to an OEM, though for them they would be very much interested in experienced candidates as opposed to freshers with Msc or certifications.

To cut to the chase: Is it safe to assume that the following applies to you?

1. You have graduated. Your discipline isn't necessarily Electronic engineering, computer science, or computer engineering.

2. You graduated with a 2:2 or lower.

3. You have done NYSC (or currently doing NYSC).

4. You haven't graduated, but 1 and 2 will apply to you once you graduate.

If that is the case, I must be frank with you: The most important thing for you to do right now is to find category 1 and/or 2 employment.
Everything else can come in parallel, whether masters degree or certification. Experience is very important, such that when you do get an opportunity to interview for a category 3, 4, or 5 job (which isn't impossible), you will have something to talk about.

2 Likes

Re: My Career Dilemma by AjanleKoko: 6:36pm On Sep 01, 2014
As a follow- up:

Every discipline in IT is lucrative in Nigeria, and can scale.
Everything depends on the type of skill and experience you are able to gather.

In the past, we talked about computer engineering, networking engineering, application and software engineering, and so on.
Today, you have ICT cutting across networking and connectivity services, infrastructure services (including cloud), application management, security, Architecture, and service delivery.
Then you have the 'soft' disciplines: IT project management, IT governance and administration, IT Operations, and then the IT sales and pre-sales functions. Cisco actually have a certification called Cisco Sales Expert, which is focused on developing sales people who sell Cisco products.

The ICT professional of today generally have a bit of everything, while maintaining a core competence which morphs over time into a business competency.

For example, you could start your career as a networking professional, develop yourself into a solution architect that has competencies in infrastructure, networking, and application management, add some project management skill via training, and eventually end up as an IT Business Manager.
Similarly you could start as a software engineer/programmer, develop into an application architect that has competencies in software engineering, middleware and database management, add project management skill via training, and end up as an IT Business Manager.

I personally started as a programmer, later software engineer, then business analyst, and then I went commercial and became a product manager. I don't sit on the technical side of the business but I have solution architects and project engineers in my team. They work with developers and network engineers on the technical side to develop and implement solutions.

What is an IT Business Manager? That's the modern-day CIO in any organization. The typical CIOs have these business managers reporting to him. They usually cover Service Management, Infrastructure and Architecture, and Governance.

I'm sure I have lost you somewhere there wink But the point is, for you and some of the other chaps that hopefully now understand IT better, being an IT professional is no different from being a professional accountant. You need the fundamental (base qualification), and you need to progress up the ladder with the appropriate mix of experience, training, and qualifications.

Vendor certifications do not substitute for academic and/or professional qualifications. Don't make that mistake.

In the UK, they have the British Computer Society programmes, which substitute for university or other higher institution diplomas in computer science or engineering. Unfortunately we don't have that in Nigeria, so at the very least, try to go for a degree or diploma in NIIT or some other institutions, that is, for those of you who don't have the academic qualification required for a technical career in ICT. For the non-technical careers such as project management or governance, you only need training, certification, and experience.

5 Likes

Re: My Career Dilemma by xfire: 6:47pm On Sep 01, 2014
Wow. This is great, Ajanlekoko. Very comprehensive and extensive analysis on career in IT. Though I am not into IT, I have learnt from your posts.
Re: My Career Dilemma by temi4fash(m): 6:57pm On Sep 01, 2014
@ajanlekeko. Oh thanks very much... Well I did elect elect in FUTA and doing ma NYSC. Am not the certification person. Just decided to ask the questions to help some others who wants to sojourn into the ICT sector. As for me, I don't have interest the ICT sector for now thinking of the control and instrumentation or power sectors. Sorry but what's OEM?? Thanks for your time again..
Re: My Career Dilemma by AjanleKoko: 6:59pm On Sep 01, 2014
temi4fash: @ajanlekeko. Oh thanks very much... Well I did elect elect in FUTA and doing ma NYSC. Am not the certification person. Just decided to ask the questions to help some others who wants to sojourn into the ICT sector. As for me, I don't have interest the ICT sector for now thinking of the control and instrumentation or power sectors. Sorry but what's OEM?? Thanks for your time again..

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer.
Otherwise known as Microsoft, HP, Cisco, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, and so on.

control and instrumentation - interesting. My Msc dissertation was focused on industrial control electronics.
Though finding a job in that line will require a very good degree at Bachelors level, and a lot of grace wink
Re: My Career Dilemma by temi4fash(m): 7:06pm On Sep 01, 2014
AjanleKoko:

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer.
Otherwise known as Microsoft, HP, Cisco, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, and so on.

control and instrumentation - interesting. My Msc dissertation was focused on industrial control electronics.
Though finding a job in that line will require a very good degree at Bachelors level, and a lot of grace wink
hmmm now that's scary.. Talked to some people and they were like its a very good area of specialization.. But you saying something different and very scary. So which area in EEE requires just a good degree and grace. No lots and very good.. I hope you understand.. Thanks in advance
Re: My Career Dilemma by AjanleKoko: 7:12pm On Sep 01, 2014
temi4fash: hmmm now that's scary.. Talked to some people and they were like its a very good area of specialization.. But you saying something different and very scary. So which area in EEE requires just a good degree and grace. No lots and very good.. I hope you understand.. Thanks in advance

Of course control and instrumentation is very good. Excellent in fact.
But you would need to be working in high-end manufacturing or energy to maximize your potential. The opportunities are very very limited in Nigeria. In fact you can apply the same type of scaling I did for the ICT industry, only that the barriers to entry are steeper for control engineering.
Re: My Career Dilemma by temi4fash(m): 7:20pm On Sep 01, 2014
AjanleKoko:

Of course control and instrumentation is very good. Excellent in fact.
But you would need to be working in high-end manufacturing or energy to maximize your potential. The opportunities are very very limited in Nigeria. In fact you can apply the same type of scaling I did for the ICT industry, only that the barriers to entry are steeper for control engineering.
oh thanks very much.. Its really been great time with you today. Since you have a broad knowledge of EEE. Sir, can you tell us we upcoming guys in EEE others areas of EEE that are also viable and we could also make careers out off.. Apart from the general ones we know like ICT, Power, Electronics, control and instrumentation. these hopefully should be the last question for the day .. Sorry for taking your time. Thanks again.
Re: My Career Dilemma by AjanleKoko: 7:23pm On Sep 01, 2014
temi4fash: oh thanks very much.. Its really been great time with you today. Since you have a broad knowledge of EEE. Sir, can you tell us we upcoming guys in EEE others areas of EEE that are also viable and we could also make careers out off.. Apart from the general ones we know like ICT, Power, Electronics, control and instrumentation. these hopefully should be the last question for the day .. Sorry for taking your time. Thanks again.

Electrical Engineering: Aspirants and Practitioners
Re: My Career Dilemma by temi4fash(m): 7:35pm On Sep 01, 2014
AjanleKoko:

Electrical Engineering: Aspirants and Practitioners
Though have read the thread before.. Thanks for your time.. I really appreciate. Enjoy your week. If there are any questions you are just a mention away.. Thanks again..
Re: My Career Dilemma by mikkybrick: 10:11pm On Sep 01, 2014
Ok, Back to the Matter after the Lectures from our Knowledgeable AjanleKoko...

Mellorix: I agree with @mikkybrick everything struck on the head!

Just to add a little , i think the internet data speed and Rate in Nigeria is killing the full adoption of cloud technology. I like to think of the internet as the backbone of cloud technology - In fact cloud is internet .

@mikkybrick i remeber you were studying Netapp storage sometime ago , how's your progress or did you digress?

Bro, since that post in January, i haven't got the time. Though i finished reading it, but for now, it is shelved till further notice.
I have been on assignments in many african countries since then(green, yellow and red operators), each spanning from as little as 2weeks to 3 months. Telecoms sure has its demands, especially if you manage applications that grow revenue for the OpCo. As a consultant, i work from the hotel (using VPN) and office.

It is amazing the way Ajanlekoko broke it down. I actually started from #1 and #2 while still in the university many years ago, doing it on a personal level and as an independent contractor etc...then i broke into IT at level 3 based on my small experience fresh from school, even before my NYSC. The rest is history (kindly refer to My Original Post on the index page)

From my experience and what i could deduce from Ajanlekoko's post, in Telecommunications, forget about certifications. In IT, it does help. But it is wiser to break in first, and then based on your career direction, choose the appropriate certification.

My may-june venture to a yellow Operator in Conakry, required that my knowledge of server Hardware, LAN cabling, Routing & Switching and Unix came to the fore as it was a Stage 1 engagement. So just imagine? My Experience and certifications were handy Even though my role these days is as a Tech Business Analyst/Service Delivery Ops.

My take is: Don't do certifications in order to secure your next job, do Certifications in order to perform better and gain more responsibilities and experience in your present job. The next job/opportunity will come knocking in no time based on your Experience, then the cert will be the icing on the cake.
Re: My Career Dilemma by chimexcomm(m): 10:17pm On Sep 01, 2014
I read every thing on this thread and i must say that i gained alot. Am following xfire on Nairaland, seeing him here attracted me and am not regretting it. I just discovered that am still a learner in ICT though i am currently working in an ICT unit of one of the tertiary institutions. I do more of troubleshooting of wireless networks, work with xirrus, wavion and familiar with mikrotik and basic Installations/computer repairs. I just pray i will reach the level you guys have reached. Currently preparing for CWNA and CWTS. May God help me, cause i have not even started based on what i saw here
Re: My Career Dilemma by dasanchez1(m): 10:27pm On Sep 01, 2014
chimexcomm: I read every thing on this thread and i must say that i gained alot. Am following xfire on Nairaland, seeing him here attracted me and am not regretting it. I just discovered that am still a learner in ICT though i am currently working in an ICT unit of one of the tertiary institutions. I do more of troubleshooting of wireless networks, work with xirrus, wavion and familiar with mikrotik and basic Installations/computer repairs. I just pray i will reach the level you guys have reached. Currently preparing for CWNA and CWTS. May God help me, cause i have not even started based on what i saw here
the institution is UNN/UNEC. Hahaha. U tried 4 me o
Re: My Career Dilemma by mikkybrick: 10:38pm On Sep 01, 2014
PS: I not in the same dilemma as I was when i started this thread. I have "grown"/still growing in "depth" thus far, and it is paying off...

My eyes are opening up, and I am tending more towards a "Business Side"(role) of ICT. I can see an MBA, CBAP in the Horizon. grin

The people talking ICT make more Money cool
Re: My Career Dilemma by harthy007: 11:50pm On Sep 01, 2014
sir Ajanlekoko pls what steps would you advice me to take after school in getting experience ?

I am in my finals ,elect/elect engr,I am working towards a first class degree. During my IT +5mths strike...I went through a 3 months program in ttc and obtained my CCNP cert.my program in ttc was more of theory than practical though I was exposed to IT and Telcoms.Ryt now I am havin 2nd thoughts on why I prepared for d CCNP cert , because den I had a friend who encouraged me to sit for the exam as I had d opportunity .

I dont know anything about practical IT , it pains me so much.I really enjoyed preparing for d cert building virtual labs with gns3 but I don't know what the real thing is like.
Re: My Career Dilemma by AjanleKoko: 12:25pm On Sep 03, 2014
harthy007: sir Ajanlekoko pls what steps would you advice me to take after school in getting experience ?

I am in my finals ,elect/elect engr,I am working towards a first class degree. During my IT +5mths strike...I went through a 3 months program in ttc and obtained my CCNP cert.my program in ttc was more of theory than practical though I was exposed to IT and Telcoms.Ryt now I am havin 2nd thoughts on why I prepared for d CCNP cert , because den I had a friend who encouraged me to sit for the exam as I had d opportunity .

I dont know anything about practical IT , it pains me so much.I really enjoyed preparing for d cert building virtual labs with gns3 but I don't know what the real thing is like.

With a first class, you'll get a good entry position in a good company. Then experience will come. You don't need advice jare, just follow the script and get the first class or 2:1.
Re: My Career Dilemma by harthy007: 12:36am On Sep 05, 2014
AjanleKoko:

With a first class, you'll get a good entry position in a good company. Then experience will come. You don't need advice jare, just follow the script and get the first class or 2:1.

Thank you Sir
Re: My Career Dilemma by examdeal: 12:47pm On Sep 05, 2014
chimexcomm: I read every thing on this thread and i must say that i gained alot. Am following xfire on Nairaland, seeing him here attracted me and am not regretting it. I just discovered that am still a learner in ICT though i am currently working in an ICT unit of one of the tertiary institutions. I do more of troubleshooting of wireless networks, work with xirrus, wavion and familiar with mikrotik and basic Installations/computer repairs. I just pray i will reach the level you guys have reached. Currently preparing for CWNA and CWTS. May God help me, cause i have not even started based on what i saw here

Get latest CWNA study materials from www.examdeal.net 100% guaranteed exam material .
Re: My Career Dilemma by franconian: 9:31pm On Sep 07, 2014
AjanleKoko:

Good day Sir,

Thank you for your contribution to this thread so far.
I have read every of your comment on this thread n I have learned a lot, you seem very experienced in IT stuff.

I created this https://www.nairaland.com/1890050/university-degree-without-career-path thread some days ago. All my plea with the MOD to take it to frontpage so that people like u can c it has fallen on deaf ears. Though one or two persons have made important comments.

Please,kindly go through my thread. You have said a lot here already, but I believe you will have one or two things to say to me after you must have gone through my thread. I hope to hear from you soon.
Re: My Career Dilemma by funmies: 1:51pm On Sep 08, 2014
I'm also in a career dilemma. I have an offer with a bank and also have scholarship for Msc in petroleum engineering. I studied chemical engineering and I'm a lady. After Msc I would still be looking for how to secure a good job most likely in the oil and gas. But if I am in bank, I know I am working and gathering experience but would be looking for how to enter the oil and gas cos I have seen similar cases.But also looking at maybe I should do my Msc once and forget it. Pls I need good advice urgently.
Re: My Career Dilemma by nitrogen(m): 2:01pm On Sep 08, 2014
funmies: I'm also in a career dilemma. I have an offer with a bank and also have scholarship for Msc in petroleum engineering. I studied chemical engineering and I'm a lady. After Msc I would still be looking for how to secure a good job most likely in the oil and gas. But if I am in bank, I know I am working and gathering experience but would be looking for how to enter the oil and gas cos I have seen similar cases.But also looking at maybe I should do my Msc once and forget it. Pls I need good advice urgently.

A Commercial or an investment bank?
Re: My Career Dilemma by funmies: 2:06pm On Sep 08, 2014
nitrogen:

A Commercial or an investment bank?
Gtbank
Re: My Career Dilemma by mikkybrick: 1:20pm On Sep 09, 2014
funmies: I'm also in a career dilemma. I have an offer with a bank and also have scholarship for Msc in petroleum engineering. I studied chemical engineering and I'm a lady. After Msc I would still be looking for how to secure a good job most likely in the oil and gas. But if I am in bank, I know I am working and gathering experience but would be looking for how to enter the oil and gas cos I have seen similar cases.But also looking at maybe I should do my Msc once and forget it. Pls I need good advice urgently.

MSc abroad? if it is, then I would advice you take the Scholarship and go for your MSc. After all, you aren't paying for the MSc.
I had friends from school then who worked in the bank just to save up money for a Masters in Oil and Gas. And it paid off. Your case is different as you are on a full scholarship.

Since your passion is in the Oil and Gas sector, banking experience wont worth much.
Re: My Career Dilemma by funmies: 5:05pm On Sep 09, 2014
mikkybrick:

MSc abroad? if it is, then I would advice you take the Scholarship and go for your MSc. After all, you aren't paying for the MSc.
I had friends from school then who worked in the bank just to save up money for a Masters in Oil and Gas. And it paid off. Your case is different as you are on a full scholarship.

Since your passion is in the Oil and Gas sector, banking experience wont worth much.

Thanks
Re: My Career Dilemma by Praise5: 11:58pm On Sep 10, 2014
Pls where can a person who doesn't have an engineering background start building an ICT career? Your advice or guide will be appreciated, thanks.
Re: My Career Dilemma by mikkybrick: 6:24pm On Dec 22, 2014
Praise5:
Pls where can a person who doesn't have an engineering background start building an ICT career? Your advice or guide will be appreciated, thanks.
Start by acquiring a skill

1 Like

Re: My Career Dilemma by Nobody: 4:36pm On Jul 04, 2015
Del...
Re: My Career Dilemma by mikkybrick: 5:48pm On Jul 04, 2015
westmest:
I cant beleive i read every post. I also have a dilemma. Like the OP, i work with one of the OEMs that has been mentioned in this thread. I work as System Engineer( majorly SAN design, delivery stuffs and support), my area of specialization is storage. However i,m involved in delivery of cloud computing solutions( VDIs, datacenter Virtualization) . The problem i have is that we are not yet a strong contender in the market yet like EMCs and VMwares of this world, i would love to work with this companies, basically i want to be exposed to various technologies. However i discovered that they do require ppl that have experience with thier products,this is where im disadvantaged,because i dont use other OEMs product and solutions at all, but ppl that work with system integrators such as CWG, will definitely have this exposure, i,ve been trying to do some of thier certifications but the truth is i dont even know where to start, i couldn't get a free netapp data ontap, also EMC study guides and simulations, also training materials, i,ve only been able to get vmware materials, though i,m not yet ready for vmware. Ill prefer to do certifications on storage (EMC and NEtapp) because thats what i work on. Mehn! Ive rambled a lot. In short ill need help on how to get materials on EMC and netapp. I dont mind paying. Pls help a brother. Thanks


Modified
you might be wondering how i got into the unit without prior experience. I was drafted from another unit.

LOL, i feel you man! i have some physical books on Netapp Data onTap
i have CBT Nuggets CompTIA Storage + SG0-001, CBT Nuggets - Cisco CCNA Data Center 640-916 DCICT, VMware-VIMSetup-all-5.5.0-1312299(3.5Gb), Unix Shell scripting videos

The whole idea is to help ourselves. This industry requires us to mentor ourselves!
Re: My Career Dilemma by Nobody: 6:25pm On Jul 04, 2015
Bro. Thanks for your response. I have cbt nugget on netapp, but i have not been able to get any study material and also the data ontap simulator. Thats one of the setbacks i have in getting this certifications. If you have it. Kindly help a brother out.

Thanks
Re: My Career Dilemma by mikkybrick: 8:30pm On Jul 04, 2015
i will have to search for the simulator. i know i have it somewhere. it is vmware based - it runs within a virtual machine.
Re: My Career Dilemma by Eddodoh(m): 9:14pm On Jul 04, 2015
I studied Cooperative Economics & currently work as a Customer Care Rep in a Call Center/Telecom industry.
I have bin thinking on a career path and how to become a top notch in d industry. Is there any specialise course or something I nid to do?

I do apply for customer service related jobs but I am beginning to think i nid to be more specific & specialise in a particular field. Pls, advice
Re: My Career Dilemma by Eddodoh(m): 9:16pm On Jul 04, 2015
I studied Cooperative Economics & currently work as a Customer Care Rep in a Call Center/Telecom industry.
I have bin thinking on a career path and how to become a top notch in d industry. Is there any specialise course or something I nid to do?

I do apply for customer service related jobs & hardly get interviews but I am beginning to think i nid to be more specific & specialise in a particular field. Pls, advice

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