Now that lectures have been cancelled due to the on-going indefinite strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the government’s intransigence and failure to meet a previously agreed upon contract, students have once again found themselves with free time that they did not bargain for. If you are a student who is affected by the strike and is unsure of what to do with this unwanted free time, we have put together three ideas that would keep you stay productive, avoid the trap of idleness, and improve your skills over the course of the strike.

Invest in your hobby

We are not necessarily talking about investing money here. If you have money to invest in your hobby, that’s great. But that’s not our focus. Invest your time in your hobby. And remember time really is money. Thus, when you are investing your time and energy in your hobby, your goal should be on continuous improvement and gaining mastery of whatever your hobby is. By getting better at what you do, you increase your personal satisfaction and also create the potential to turn that hobby into a revenue generator. For example, consider Folake Coker, the founder and creative director of the internationally recognized brand Tiffany Amber. Folake Coker never set out to become a world famous fashion designer. Instead, designing and sewing women’s clothes were simply a hobby that she invested in on the side while pursuing a law degree. She eventually turned her hobby for sewing women’s clothes into a lucrative business. But that transition was possible only because she became good at what she did. Becoming good or an expert at anything requires a time investment. In Folake’s case, the long breaks in-between law school gave her the time to invest in her hobby and gain expertise.

Read, Read, and Read

In your lifetime, you’ve probably heard someone complain about the lack of a reading culture in Nigeria, and the blame is usually pinned on the lack of infrastructure such as libraries or our broken education system. Well, here’s the kicker: in today’s competitive workplace, you cannot afford to have poor reading skills. Employers are seeking employees who can read critically and analytically. In fact, CEOs and HR managers across Nigeria constantly complain about the poor reading and writing skills among recent graduates. The good news is that these days, there is no excuse to not develop your reading skills, because a library is no longer needed to gain access to books. There are many ways to get reading materials. Thanks to the Internet and our mobile phones. Read the newspaper every day. You don’t need to buy a newspaper. All the major newspapers in Nigeria have websites that readers can access for free. You can also read articles in foreign newspapers, such as the Guardian and the New York Times, free of charge. Yes, free of charge. It’s worth repeating. But don’t just skim through the articles. Read critically. Ask yourself questions as you read. Do you agree with the point of view of the author and his or her claims? Try writing or coming up with rebuttals or responses to the editorials and opinion articles.

Now if you would rather stay away from the news, you can gain access to free and cheap books through websites and apps such as Amazon and Okada books. You can get a book for as little as 75 Naira on Okada books and open up a new world of endless imaginations and knowledge. (And yes, just 75 Naira! Our mouths are open too. That is only a fraction of the cost to see a movie, get on a bus, buy meat pie, or better yet, pay for a weave).

Get Involved in your Community

Finally, go out and volunteer in your community. You can seek volunteer opportunities with a local nongovernmental organization (NGO), or company. Just be ready to show them how you can add value to whatever they do. And before you say “volunteering isn’t a Nigerian thing. No organizations are looking for volunteers,” remember this: if you don’t ask the answer will always be no. So go out there and ask for volunteer opportunities with the organizations you admire. Alternatively, you can create an opportunity for yourself by doing something that makes a difference in your community. You can start the change you have been yearning to see in your community. It doesn’t matter how big or small the difference you make is. What matters is that you will be having an impact and touching lives—including yours. Your student government may be an excellent place to start. Help your student government organize protests and demonstrations against the ASUU strike. Something as little as coming out and holding a placard can help motivate your friends and other students to join in the protests. Together you can start a movement, and cause the government to take action.

So, don’t be a victim of the ASUU strike. Keep idleness, lack of productivity, and even worse learning loss, depression, trouble-making, and crime at bay by taking control of what you do with your time during the strike.

For more career and business resources, visit our website at www.professionalnaija.com

Thank you for the wonderful write-up

Thanks, thanks, thanks. I just hope we dont forget our mat.number before they call off the strike.

are we thinking d same way?? 2yrs

I was leaning more towards 3years

abeg ooo help us to ur boys oooo...i wan graduate

abeg ooo help us talk to ur boys oooo...i wan graduate

Great post @op

Superb write up, this deserves to make frontpage.

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Superb write up by the writer..totally! With God nothing is impossible..And the last I'll like to add is learn a new foreign language, I've come to realize that you probably don't need a tutor or guide to learn a new language given the availability of web resources at our disposal presently that guide you step by step on the formalities required.. French or spanish pending on your choice,I've had friends who did it in no time and wrote the delf international language exam which come at different levels depending on your capability, and guess what ? You are not only adding to ur cv but it gives you an unforseen edge over your peers likely ...you increase your vocabulary/geographical grasp and finally I think the universe is really too big and vast with lot of people we never interacted with for us to know only just english.. Give it a try guys..Its so really Easy