I've just discovered this site. I've been living in the UK for 6 years as a mature student. After over 15 years of working in Nigeria in the financial sector, at the managerial level, I felt there are untapped academic potentials in me awaiting in-depth exploration.  Moreover, I didn't find my work in Naija intellectually demanding and challenging. Of course it had it's own challenges and demands. Money wasn't any problems, and I had no fears about future job prospects. The thing was, I had insatiable appetite for further education and wanted to give it a go. So, I decided to come over to the UK. Initially, I got a full scholarship to do my MBA in a top UK business school: it's in the 1-10 category. The scholarship paid for everything (return flight, accommodation, feeding, books, arrival allowance, departure allowance), and I was obliged to sign an undertaken that I wouldn't work during the 12 months period of studying for my MBA. So, I didn't WORK. As I was completing the MBA, my professor encouraged me to apply for PhD admission and funding. Luckily, I was successful. Again, over the following three years, I squarely faced my studies and completed my PhD in record time. I felt really satisfied because that’s what I really wanted to do. So, for the first four years. I didn't work because everthing was fully catered for.

Upon graduating, job opportunities came and I chose to go into the industry working in a multinational and multibillion pound corporation as a financial analyst. Excellent pay: I couldn’t, realistically, wish for anything better for the moment. Besides, the job is intellectually very challenging—which is wanted I had always wanted. Upon resuming work, and as days and weeks go by, I realised that I've, in the previous 4 years been living in 'a fool's paradise.' Life and relationships in the ivory tower as a student isn't the same as in the REAL WORLD. I really didn’t know this people and had always felt they’re great, lovely, honest, straightforward people. When I heard people talk of discrimination I felt it was because of their low paid job and status. I’m now experiencing it, FIRST TIME and BIG TIME. Although my co-workers pretend to be friendly, my gut feeling is that they’re really not. They’ll tease me with anything in the news relating to Nigerians, even if it happened in such remote places as Afghanistan, Peru, etc, and not making news here in the UK. They’ll Google it, I presume, and bring it up in the office, seeking for my opinions. I always think it’s rude and unwarranted. About my work, when my immediate boss can’t find anything wrong with what I’ve done, then he’ll say, ‘these seem fine, but can we explore other ways of dealing with this data,’ and I’ll say ‘if you show me precisely how else, then why not, we can try other avenues’ and he’ll say, ‘go and think of other ways of dealing with this, we need more creativity here.’ To cut the whole story short, it’s just about witch-hunting and giving me hassles, and two years into the job, I’m jokingly telling them they better get used to me or else I show them I’m Erelu Aya Apena from Egba Ile.

Those of you who’s been in the system longer, please advise.

Hmmm very interesting and fortunate man you're, but i suppose you shouldn't mind the racial discrimination thingy because it happens everywhere. Life wasn't meant to be easy anyways, mind em less and be well focused about your future adventures;-) believe me man, the sky isn't even you limit.