Electricboy:


good day sir, i dont really understand this..is it that you already had a bsc in nigeria , or you had all your higher degrees starting from your bsc in the UK ?

If you read my post thoroughly, I believe you'd not have had to ask this question. But that's irrelevant, i shared my story to motivate the OP and everyone in the same situation that's considering giving up, so they know that they can achieve anything with hard work and God's grace. It's not about me, so if you don't understand the content of my post, that's also great. You don't need to worry about it.

Akinwole007:

This is really informative. Thanks for sharing.
I sent you a PM. I will like to ask some few question about software development privately.
Thanks

I think some of us Nigerians need to cultivate how not to be selfish and think of others. Since my response to the OP's post, the volume of emails i have received from people wanting to have private conversations with me is unreasonable, in Europe time is expensive and folks back home need to understand this, if i spend my time responding to everyone individually; i won't have the time to continue my self development.

Whatever folks want to know, should be asked here for the following reasons:
- Asking questions on the thread ensures that other folks that have same questions can benefit from the answer.
- Other experienced folks on here can also contribute and maybe even give better answers than i probably can.

But most importantly, we need to learn how to research and figure things out for ourselves. Some of us never had the benefit of guidance (other than personal research) before embarking on our respective journeys. Let us have consideration for others.

ShyWhale:
I am a Nigerian in Germany with a German Masters degree. It's quite difficult to get professional jobs in Germany as an African as we are usually the last of the pack. The only luck I ever had was to get internships, internships that takes several months to get and usually only for short periods. The high percentage of Africans even with German Phds doing menial jobs is highly discouraging and depressing. Most are trapped in the race for survival and I can't imagine myself living life like them. I feel I could do better with my skills and education that spreads across Europe's top countries.

You are quite right about the difficulty in getting professional jobs in Germany, but this is not a problem with Germany; it's a problem in every advanced economy. The system in these countries is to always protect the interest of their citizens (rightfully so in my opinion), it's in Nigeria that foreigners would come into the country as expatriates and enjoy the quality of life that its citizens cannot enjoy.

Now you won't like the next few paragraphs. You are entitled. Germany never asked you to come and neither were you promised a job on completion of your studies. You made the decision to integrate yourself into it's society. Have you ever considered that a country like Germany that offers tuition free studies up to PhD level will not have shortage of skilled talents to choose from? So why should you be picked over other talents available? Because you have a masters degree? Do you know how many people have the same masters degree? Or even higher qualifications?

Advanced societies are selfish and only care about integrating the best foreign talents into their societies. So invest in yourself and make yourself stand out. Before you try to make excuses, i will briefly share my personal story and hopefully it will help reinforce believe in yourself and know that you can do it. I was your age when i came to the UK for studies, having no one except God as my friend and family. I discovered quickly that this place called the United Kingdom is a battle ground and i have my work cut-out for me if i am going to make success of it (i won't bother giving examples of what i experienced that informed this thinking as i think it's irrelevant to key points in your post).

During my studies, i did cleaning, support work, care work, kitchen staff (i did any kind of menial job to survive) and i always had a smile on my face because my life was better than when i used to hawk in Nigeria. However, I didn't get discouraged and i completed my bachelors as the best graduating student for my cohort. Based on this, I was lucky to get part scholarship from the University to do my masters which i completed in flying colours. Then the UK had a post-study visa for 2 years, got a job as a software developer with this PSW visa. When my 2 year visa was about to run out my company sponsored me and I got a work visa for 5 years.

Fast forward to the present, i have completed a bachelors, 2 masters and almost a PhD (in my 5th year of my part time PhD programme), I am now a British citizen with qualitative and extensive work experience spanning several EU countries (which incidentally includes Germany, I worked in Berlin for eight months, staying at the Westin Grand at the expense of my employers) and am now a software architect consulting for companies with the remit of providing technical guidance to their software development teams. Even during my work, I continued investing in myself, hence the other masters and my PhD (despite now having my own family).

Do you know how i got Software development experience in the UK?
Before coming here, I had 5 years working as a programmer, on arrival here I knew between classes and doing all sorts of menial jobs; i wouldn't have the time to explore volunteer opportunities. So what did i do? I was going round all local businesses (when i had free time between classes) around the university introducing myself. I explained who i was, what i was doing here and how i can help their businesses. Most of them, told me to jog on (which is British slang for f*** off) in the most polite way possible. So in my first year, no one offered me nothing. But in my second year of my studies, I got lucky there was this care agency that got tired of seeing my face, gave in and asked me to build them an application for managing their staff rota (till today i don't know if they requested this because they thought i won't be motivated to do it for free or even be able to deliver it).

I gave it my best effort, spoke to my course advisor at the university about the project. She was impressed and helped me massively. She designed sprints for me in which i completed specific features each sprint. She helped with testing the software, she wanted me to succeed, I owe her everything. The agency liked it and i got other jobs through them (this was 100% free, i never got paid any money for this project). By the time i finished my degree i had done about 5 of such free projects (now i have a portfolio of my work).

Do you know how i got my first professional job?
I will tell you. I was doing a cleaning job in my university, i had a floor i cleaned every morning before going to class, my floor had about 20 offices or maybe more...can't really remember the exact number. There was a particular office that i hated cleaning, it was always messy and took me lots of time to clean (time that i did not have). Typically i finish my shift before the lecturers come in, but on this particular day, i was cleaning this useless office and the professor came in before i had finished. I greeted him like he was my creator and apologised for not finishing his office on time (even though he was the one who came early). The bastard just nodded and didn't even say a word to me.

I didn't know that moment was when my life would change. 2 weeks later i attended a seminar in the University and this bastard professor was one of the speakers! Next morning when i got to his office to clean, he was already there. I was taken aback and before i could say anything he asked if i was at his seminar the day before, i answered in the affirmative. We got talking, he told me a bit about himself and his research interest (the focus of the seminar) and he got to know i could write software. He said they needed a software intern that could do some work for the research group. I didn't even think, I said yes and that was "my first unofficial professional job", working for his research group. Bye bye cleaning job.

When i finished my masters degree, the research group recommended me to one of their industry partners. My interview revolved around discussing my portfolio (the free job i did for the care agency and the systems research group). I got the job and that was my "first proper official professional job" and I gave it my all. 4 months before my post-study work visa finished the company sponsored me for my 5 year work visa, my parents were crying when i told them over the phone. I will be honest and say that i was underpaid during the period i was on the sponsorship visa, other colleagues with same level of experience or even less were earning double what i was earning...but i kept telling myself, this will not be forever. But when i got my citizenship, it's like i was launched into a new world. I left the company and got a job with a Swedish company in UK that paid me a fortune compared to my previous salary. Not just that, by virtue of being an EU citizen 27 countries became open to me where i could go work and i took advantage of these benefits.

So you see, it can be done. Was it easy? Not at all, i went through hell. But i knew what i wanted for my life, had a plan and worked extremely hard and while i might not be rich, I think i have managed to achieve some of my dreams. You are still young brother, at your age i didn't have what you had. You CAN definitely do this.

So what is my advice?
Moving countries is not always the solution at times. If you haven't sorted out your approach and self-belief, regardless of wherever you go; you'll have the same problems. Also, whatever you do, get a second nationality before you return to Nigeria as that alone will open untold doors for you in future, even if things don't go to plan in Nigeria you know you can always activate plan b (second nationality). Start networking and investing in yourself, it won't yield fruits immediately but don't be discouraged, eventually your hardwork will pay off. The truth is advanced societies don't care about the colour of your skin all they care about is that you have something that they need! Make yourself that which they need!!

And when your situation improves and feel like you have achieved some of your dreams. Start investing in Nigeria. The country doesn't need more job seekers. It needs entrepreneurs. This is my story, I hope it motivates you to be strong.