Dear Nairalanders, I need your very urgent and heart-felt advice.

This guy got two offers: A marketer in a bank being offered 140K and an Engineering job offering 60k. The bank branch this guy is posted to is just a stone throw from his house, he doesn't need to board a bus to work, but the engineering firm is KM away from home.

This guy has an engineering background and has passion for becoming a professional in the field. At the same time he needs money because non of his folks is in Lagos.

Should this guy take the Engineering job and hope for a better future? Or should he go for the banking job and make the money but uncertain if he would be able to meet the 200 million /3months target responsibility.

Nairalanders please reply. This guy's fate lies in your hand.

Thats simple,
He shud take the banking job 1st and still keep his eyes wide open for a better engineering job, since his heart lies in the engr field. Taking that 60k engr job with the distance, stress and all that wont be gud for him, especially since he reall needs the money.
I say, stick with the bankingh job for now

Best of Luck.

Pls stick to the banking job and believe that with God you will surpass your target
and get promoted with more fat salary. Gone are the days where you say you want to practise in your field.
Things have changed and who knows may be that is the will of God for you.Afterall, we work to get money.
My brother enjoy yourself.

Good Bro

Best of Luck !! Coz This Lagos wey we dey so is our own, My big bro Let kasi on kentro Lvl bcoz our Govt Bad oh them no won make gentle man shop Oh ! Please go ahead with the Bank job.

Therefore am also seeking for a better job bro please help me out.


Good Luck Bro.

Critical question: Will he be sacked from the bank job if he doesn't meet the target in 3 months?

We need to know the kind of Engineering job we are talking about. You will be surprised that a 60k per month job in 2008 can lead to a 300k per month job by 2010. If that is his passion; I think he should follow it. I think a 60k first job is not that bad especially if the prospects are good. Marketing job in a bank might be juicy for now but if you don't have rich uncles and friends; I pray you don't regret it, especially since he doesn't particularly like the industry.
Just my take and speaking from experience.

This is the simple reason Naija is where it is today; everybody wan chop today without thinking of tomorrow. Funny to see peeps using God to cloud their reasonings; supposing he doesnt meet the target? Dem go say na winch for village. This dude just left school perhaps proclaiming he's an Engineer with virtually no experience. Now, he's got an opportunity to build something under his belt, but hey, he's got connection with a bank and they double his dough. What experience does he have in bank and marketing? Zilch. What passion? Nada but he's seriously considering it because it's double his pay, short term. I would if I were in your shoes, no doubt but it's not like u are at the end of your career, dude. Time is on your side so whatsup with building on your strength and while u are at it evaluating your options? This reminds me of a thread in this section (can't remember the title) where someone explicitly remarked the decline in practical professions like this. In the Western world, u'd see students even taking up internship jobs with no pay just for the experience, why? because of the long term benefit. Goodluck!

@poster,
is your name goodswill?,cause my friend is in the same shit.

Hello, the question should be, does he wants to build a career in a bank or in an engineering firm? I have friends that are engineers, that have worked for three years in a bank and now are fed up. My suggestion is that he choose the engineering job if he has a long term career goals. Or the bank if he has a short term career goals.

hayo:

You will be surprised that a 60k per month job in 2008 can lead to a 300k per month job by 2010.Just my take and speaking from experience.

thats the truth. imy first job was n25,000/ month, and the salary was intermittent. from there i moved to a consulting firm at n35,000, which rose to 45,000. I'm now in oil & gas( downstream). a lot of people i meet in the flesh( after they've communicated with me over projects) often remark on how young i am; because they were expecting some old dude.

what you should do is provide details about the job. the job just may be waht we like to call a 'stepping stone' to bigger things. i have a colleague who started in CAt at n25,000, joined my current employer with me, and who is now in elf earning over 8million per year.

my stand is typically - so wjhat did you spend 5+ years in engineering school for? unless
you have dependents , i recommend that you stick with the engineering job.however, provide a few more details - is it a one man biz( a nono 90% of the time? ), what part of the industry are they in(telecooms, construction, oil and gas?) , how do you rate your superiors in the organisation(Would u like to be like the a few years down the line?)

cheers.

It depends on you. If its a Marketing job in a Bank, plz dont take it (am a Banker myself & since this Soludo Saga it has no been easy). If u can get urself into the IT Unit of the Bank , well I advise u to take it BUT definitely not Marketing

If it is clearly stated that he wud be sacked in three months without meeting wit the requirement and he is not certain about geting friends or uncle to help him out, i'll advise he make do with wat his passion linger for.
That is the engineering job.

A BANKING WHAAAAAATTTTTT!!!!!

what do you want there. my brother tell the guy to hold unto the engineering job. he stands to gain

1) emotional stability
2) improve on his engineering skills and knowledge while he is waiting for something better

that's to mention a few

pls tell the guy to take the engineer job joo

:p

i too think its better for him to get on with his career
the money isnt that bad
afterall in a couple of months he can say he has got some experience
and can move on higher

and trust me, he wont regret it
my contribution is
pay now, play later

congrats to this guy.take the bank job and do lots  of savings and if eventually he does not meet the target,he has something to fall on.a friend mine just recently survived the hurdle,he too can do it.gd luck :p

His fate lies in his own hands
Does he want a job or a career?
If he needs a job he should go to the bank
For a career, then he should choose the engineering option.

Well, It depends on a whole lot of factors. I am an Engineer by training but today I work in the aviation industry. It took me three years to get this job after graduation and today I would say God has been very kind to me. If I had waited for my engineering job, only God knows where I would have been today.

You need to supply us with more info like the kind of company, is it a one-man business and what happens if he doesn't make the target.

Otherwise , I would advice he grabs this juicy offer.  He should also commit it to God's hands and listen to what He tells him.

Goodluck!

Seun:

Critical question: Will he be sacked from the bank job if he doesn't meet the target in 3 months?

@poster

why not take the bankin job for d 1st 3 mths while searchin 4 a better job, then if u cant make their target maybe they fire u. all d same u don already chop their money 4 d 3 mths abi?

atleast u no loose completely

As i'm typing now am in the same crossroad as the poster's friend.I read Elect/Elect and got a 60k job in an automation company but recently got another offer from Zenith bank.I was supposed to resume in the bank yesterday and i had to call them to shift the resuming date to wednesday.But presently i have made up my mind to stick to my automation job.so if they call me tommorow,i will tell them i'm rejecting the bank job.

We sometime get so short sighted that we hardly see beyond our nose. For God sake, a fresh graduate got an offer of 60K in an engineering firm and still contemplating on going to marketing job in a bank just because of 60K extra. He completely forgot the long term advantage the engineering job is going to give in terms of exposure, marketability and experience which would be used for negotiation for future jobs. Bro. the start up pay in some engineering firm may be small but the experience would definitely spring leap you in not too long future.

okhey:

As i'm typing now am in the same crossroad as the poster's friend.I read Elect/Elect and got a 60k job in an automation company but recently got another offer from Zenith bank.I was supposed to resume in the bank yesterday and i had to call them to shift the resuming date to wednesday.But presently i have made up my mind to stick to my automation job.so if they call me tommorow,i will tell them i'm rejecting the bank job.

Just curious, what's the name of the automation coy? I've been looking for Automation consultants or Coys in Naija for a very long time.

Good luck with ur decision. I doubt u'd regret it!

the name of the automation company is Intech Process Automation

If he wants peace of mind then he should take the engineering job but if he wants to work long hard hours, sleep with all the sugar mummies in Lagos and any other thing thrown his way to meet his target then he should take the bank job.

My guy,

        Although, the banking job present the best option at the moment considering the better cash flow opportunity. Come to think of it, this is a marketing position; which means if you don't produce, there is a possibility of getting laid off or fired. The question is, Does your friend have the character/will to succeed as a marketer. Does he have the potential of holding the Job for a long time (5 years) rather than 3 months? Does he have the same passion for marketing as he does for engineering? I believe you can make career out of anything, so far you have passion for it. If all these are true; then go for the banking Job.

      My best option will be in the engineering field. It presents better career in terms of job experience that will land you your dream Job within 2 - 5 years if you play your card right. 60K is nothing @ the moment, but when you have the right experience, it might fetch you more than you can ever imagine. In terms of job stability on the long run; engineering gives you better option.

Tell your friend to weight his option.

My Advice for you is to take the Engineering job on these conditions;
1. If you have a passion for Engineering.
2.If the company is well Established(especially not a one man company).
3.If the position given to you would enable u get the experience that would be relevant to your progress.
Moreover you might end up going home with more that 60k a month, if your job entails travelling that comes with allowances and all that.
So equip yourself with these facts before making any decision so as not to end been miserable.
Job satifaction is very important as money too is. The Engineering company would satisfy and profit you in long run most especially if these conditions i listed above surrounds it.
Pray about it too. best of luck

Hi guys, I've read most of all the responses here and even though some suggestions seemed money focused, I wouldn't say money isn't an important factor to consider when making career decisions. However, I think that if one focuses more on getting the professional experience in a career, on the long run, one would be making more money in a few years.

It's important to differentiate between a job and a career, and if one can successfully do that, one can be able to decide what to do about a career change. From experience, it is better to focus on a job or career that is related to your passion, interests or career goal.

You can find tips on how to make the best career decision, if you are at a career crossroad, in this careers advice blog:
http://blog.careersnigeria.com/2008/02/11/successful-tips-to-help-you-make-the-right-career-decision-part-1.html

Have a great day!

What I understand about engineering is this: Every engineer should spend the first few years of their career gaining experience and building contacts in the engineering field of their choice, thereafter, if you have had your nose to the ground and your ears and eyes wide open you should be able to set up your own company and if you are good at what you do believe me the sky is your limit. With banking however, you tend to start off with a decent salary but in the long run I believe there is only so much you can achieve (based purely on my observations). Also here in the UK, engineers are the most satisfied professionals so you should give that some thought.

Take the Engineering job . . .unless he has a way of sourcing 200m in three months. That sounds like a pretty tall order, and his job could be on the line if the money is not raised.

The engineering job gives you experience which is what earns you big money in this field in the long run. Learn to delay gratification - work for less now and get the big payday later. No amount of money can buy peace of mind, the Bank job may give you more cash to spend right now, but for how long? Unless you don't really have a passion for engineering, I would never advise one to take a bank job over an engineering offer.

Truth is that theres no gain without pains. A lot of people complain of the bank jobs because of laziness. If you wanna get to the top, expect difficult times and NEVER settle for convinience

My advice is that if you are passionate about being an engineer, why not take the banking job, save hard for about a year and pursue a Masters degree in engineering (possibly abroad), will will make it easier to pick up a good engineering job later. It is when you are trying to climb up to management levels in your engineering field that you will see that you banking experience will give you an edge

You can try University of Aberdeen or any good school in Europe.

But if you settle for the 60K engineering job, you'll struggle to make a good living for yourself and what would you have achieved in the medium term, not much if you ask me.

I'll advise anyone anyday anytime to seek a career than a job.

If he desires a career in the banking industry (which is not influenced by Fresher's Package in the industry), then he should stick to his job.

If he desires a career in Engineering, he should zoom off to the Engineering firm.

If he desires a career in something else than is none of both, then he should remain in the bank and seek his career,


My 2 Cents

Common guys, he can kill two birds with one stone. Get money from banking to fund your engineering passion.

Think out of the box, guys!!!