I recently graduated from a UK university with a Masters degree ( with Distinction) and i also hold a BSc (2.1) from the University of Ibadan but i am finding it hard to find employment. I do have pockets of experience here and there, but not a long experience in one place. My field of study is Natural Resource Management and my work relates to NGOs and rural development. I intend to set up my own NGO in the future, but prefer to gain some significant experience first. But the situation leaves me wondering whether work experience is actually more important than the class of your degree. In Nigeria grades seems to be everything and we expect to land a decent job as soon as we finish with a 2.1 or first class, but does it really work this way elsewhere (or even in Nigeria). My experience in developed countries is that work experience counts more than your degree. Whats your opinion?

^^
I think they are equally important. 50-50 in fact.
If you have work experience without some sort of formal qualification, you can only go so far. Ditto if you have formal qualifications without work experience.
At the end of the day, you need to find the right balance. Get qualified, work a bit to get some experience, then get further qualified, then work some more, and so on.
Personally I think Nigeria is not different from the Western world; we are just shorter on opportunities, because of our primitive economy. Anywhere you go, it's still the firsts/summa cum laudes or 2.1/magna cum laudes that get first crack at the Microsofts and Goldman Sachs of this world.

the money you makes. in nigeria, your certificate is almost non relevant compare to who you know, who you are and how lucky you are

@lekside,
I don't agree with you.
I have always gotten jobs on merit since I graduated. And I didn't go to a particularly stellar uni in Nigeria, or graduate with a particularly outstanding grade. I have never gotten a job through connections. In fact, where I have applied connections, I have always been unsuccessful.

And I know lots of people like that.

lekside44:

the money you makes. in nigeria, your certificate is almost non relevant compare to who you know, who you are and how lucky you are

You are wrong,i have never gotten jobs through the influence of anybody and i am in my second job.

AjanleKoko:

@lekside,
I don't agree with you.
I have always gotten jobs on merit since I graduated. And I didn't go to a particularly stellar uni in Nigeria, or graduate with a particularly outstanding grade. I have never gotten a job through connections. In fact, where I have applied connections, I have always been unsuccessful.

And I know lots of people like that.

You are right man.


@poster,you need both

I landed a wonderful job without
knowing anybody, i lost hope after the interview cos
of the job status and d status of candidates dat i saw
but i was d only one that was taken, still a shck to me till date,
experince is quite gud anyway, cos most interviews are based
on wat u have done and wat u can do

In my opinion, your qualifications grant you an audience with potential employers after which
your experience then enables to you clinch the job.

I once had an IT boss that had little certification (Na oyibo sha)

You can be as qualified as you like but if you dont have any experience you have very
little chance because the job is not done by certifcates or grammar but your experience and skill.

I have seen people talk about networking like pros but when they come across a router they
dont even recgnise it and all they have read in classes go out the window.

The truth is that your experience will take you further than certifications but you need
certifications to make more sense of the practical skill implementation.

After all if you go for a network job interview and you have previously been managing a large network with remote sites,
all your new employer will do is verify if that's true and you have a good change.
He wouldnt care so much about your paper work.

This is why freshers are not easily finding jobs.

Bottom line is : get certified but give priority to experience.

you are got me wrong. surely, you must have your cert. before you are even considered for interview at first. the man you know only comes in when the job is highly competitive and the pay package very promising. i am not saying that this is always the case as some organization are very strict and do not follow the Nigerian factor. for example

1) the nigerian defence acedemy (NDA) admits only maximum of 6 cadets: 2 for army , 2 for navy, and 2 for the air force. your o'level and entrance exams are paramount for your call up to the interview, so that even if you are the son of the president, you will not be called. during the interview, not less than 40 prospective cadets will then applied for the 6 vacant post. this is where who you knows comes in: a general, senator, etc all fending for their own candidates are chosen. anyway, some few individuals who are nobody still finds their way in.

2) the daughter of the former NNPC chairman in person of Kupolokun sat for the NNPC job interview. She failed both the oral and the written exam, but the interviewer still gaveher the job because of the fear of oga.

3) there is a job i applied for recently. the application which was to be filled online. but to our greatest surprise, the portal of the site was closed the 2nd day after the registration started. it took almost a riot style complaint before the mgt put up the site again.

^^
@lekside,
That happens to some degree everywhere, not only Nigeria.
The only thing is, in Nigeria, outside the 'establishment' there are very few job opportunities. Which is not exactly the case elsewhere.
But they still need the smart 'nobodies' to get the actual work done; which is where you and I come in.

banks44:

I recently graduated from a UK university with a Masters degree ( with Distinction) and i also hold a BSc (2.1) from the University of Ibadan but i am finding it hard to find employment. I do have pockets of experience here and there, but not a long experience in one place. My field of study is Natural Resource Management and my work relates to NGOs and rural development. I intend to set up my own NGO in the future, but prefer to gain some significant experience first. But the situation leaves me wondering whether work experience is actually more important than the class of your degree. In Nigeria grades seems to be everything and we expect to land a decent job as soon as we finish with a 2.1 or first class, but does it really work this way elsewhere (or even in Nigeria). My experience in developed countries is that work experience counts more than your degree. Whats your opinion?

You have found yourself in a place many Nigerians find themselves in the UK. The UK as a society does not place emphasis on qualifications like other advanced countries. There are several companies in the UK with CEOs that do not have first degrees. They place more emphasis on experience because the people at the top do not always have the qualifications. This is unlike what you find in Germany, Japan, or the US.

Secondly, obtaining a masters degree without experience is usually the route for individuals who want to go the research/lecture route. The ideal situation is to get some experience before going for a master's degree. The minute you get a masters degree without significant experience, you become over-qualified but inexperienced. There are many Nigerians who have taken this route and found out the hard way. You may either have to go the research/lecture route or apply for volunteer positions. What makes the situation worse is that, if you are looking for a job in this recession, you are competing with a lot of people with significant experience in a high unemployment economy.

Its going to be difficult, but your best bet is to concentrate your efforts in rural places in the UK. Forget the cities, you have to concentrate in areas such as Wales and Scotland or the coal regions in the North of England.

Katsumoto:

You have found yourself in a place many Nigerians find themselves in the UK. The UK as a society does not place emphasis on qualifications like other advanced countries. There are several companies in the UK with CEOs that do not have first degrees. They place more emphasis on experience because the people at the top do not always have the qualifications. This is unlike what you find in Germany, Japan, or the US.

Secondly, obtaining a masters degree without experience is usually the route for individuals who want to go the research/lecture route. The ideal situation is to get some experience before going for a master's degree. The minute you get a masters degree without significant experience, you become over-qualified but inexperienced. There are many Nigerians who have taken this route and found out the hard way. You may either have to go the research/lecture route or apply for volunteer positions. What makes the situation worse is that, if you are looking for a job in this recession, you are competing with a lot of people with significant experience in a high unemployment economy.

Its going to be difficult, but your best bet is to concentrate your efforts in rural places in the UK. Forget the cities, you have to concentrate in areas such as Wales and Scotland or the coal regions in the North of England.

Katsumoto has said it all.

@poster

Even if you’ve got good work experience from Nigeria, you’ll still run into the conundrum of ‘UK Experience’ requirement by potential employers. Most volunteer work is usually not paid but you’ll get your valuable UK work experience and references. You don’t have to state that the experience is voluntary unless you’re asked. It should be easy to get volunteer positions for field. In addition, cast your search further afield. It might be easier to get jobs initially in all those places that Katsumoto mentioned than in places like London, midlands and South East.

^^ The last two contributions have explained two things to me:

1. Why increasingly large numbers of masters grads from the UK (MBA in particular) are returning to Naija in droves, and

2. Why you have so many well-experienced British professionals in Africa, but are far less educated than their African peers and subordinates.

I was just reading someone's profile on LinkedIn, a British chap who has been a CTO in the MEA region, and only records a high school education.

AjanleKoko:

^^ The last two contributions have explained two things to me:

1. Why increasingly large numbers of masters grads from the UK (MBA in particular) are returning to Naija in droves, and

2. Why you have so many well-experienced British professionals in Africa, but are far less educated than their African peers and subordinates.

I was just reading someone's profile on LinkedIn, a British chap who has been a CTO in the MEA region, and only records a high school education.

Your observations are correct. The choices for professionals with post-graduate degrees in the UK are very limited.
1. There are a good number of professionals working as unskilled labourers i.e guards, bus drivers, etc
2. A good number work for the civil service since they tend to hire more ethnic minorities to meet quotas
3. The private sector hires the least for many reasons such as subtle racism, over-qualification, accent, etc

The longer you stay out of work after graduating, the more difficult it becomes. Ethnic minorities, Nigerians in particular, need more skills and resources than the average professional in the UK. It is not uncommon for many highly experienced and educated minorities to work under very young and very often, non-degree holding managers. As working conditions in Nigeria are improving, many Nigerians are returning home. This trend started with Ghanaians in the mid-90s.

both are good @ topic

Katsumoto:

You have found yourself in a place many Nigerians find themselves in the UK. The UK as a society does not place emphasis on qualifications like other advanced countries. There are several companies in the UK with CEOs that do not have first degrees. They place more emphasis on experience because the people at the top do not always have the qualifications. This is unlike what you find in Germany, Japan, or the US.

Secondly, obtaining a masters degree without experience is usually the route for individuals who want to go the research/lecture route. The ideal situation is to get some experience before going for a master's degree. The minute you get a masters degree without significant experience, you become over-qualified but inexperienced. There are many Nigerians who have taken this route and found out the hard way. You may either have to go the research/lecture route or apply for volunteer positions. What makes the situation worse is that, if you are looking for a job in this recession, you are competing with a lot of people with significant experience in a high unemployment economy.

Its going to be difficult, but your best bet is to concentrate your efforts in rural places in the UK. Forget the cities, you have to concentrate in areas such as Wales and Scotland or the coal regions in the North of England.

i like your intelligence and analysis.you have said it all.i have learnt that experience matters more.
certificates will always be obtainable when you are ready but experience?

I recently got a CV of a chap looking for work in Nigeria, in telecoms.
The guy has a PhD from the UK, but absolutely zero work experience.
I have no idea what to do with the resume, as he's probably overqualified already for the UK market, talk less of Nigeria.

ola olabiy:

i like your intelligence and analysis.you have said it all.i have learnt that experience matters more.
certificates will always be obtainable when you are ready but experience?

Thanks
Experience gives practical knowledge (effectivenes but not necessarily efficiency); education gives theoretical knowledge (efficiency but not necessarily effectiveness) while experience with education gives both efficiency and effectiveness.

^^^^^ well said

AjanleKoko:

I recently got a CV of a chap looking for work in Nigeria, in telecoms.
The guy has a PhD from the UK, but absolutely zero work experience.
I have no idea what to do with the resume, as he's probably overqualified already for the UK market, talk less of Nigeria.

Individuals with Ph.Ds in the UK write articles, lecture, and work in research. When you find Ph.D holders in industry in the UK or US, they are usually brought in for specific projects or to solve paticular issues like when Jack Welch hired Jim Baughman from Harvard and Noel Tichy from Michigan to develop a generation of leaders aligned to GE’s new vision and cultural norms.

It is a Nigerian mindset to obtain a PhD first and then attempt to find work. It is a very misleading mind-set. There are many Nigeria PhD holders who drive cabs or work as guards.

BTW, I would like to pose a question to you but off-line. Please send an email to me (address on my profile) if you can. Thanks

Both. For your field, I think volunteer experiences and/or internships would really help you. It’s actually a broad field and there’re so many volunteer positions you can get into.

Yield:

Both. For your field, I think volunteer experiences and/or internships would really help you. It’s actually a broad field and there’re so many volunteer positions you can get into.

as if those volunteer jobs are readily available these days.if not so,then tell me where to get volunteer jobs in the field of insurance in the uk.

^^^^^ or project management/business analysis/software testing.
they ain't that easy again.

It is good that this question is asked. This is what many Nigerians go through. After 1st degree and serving, the person runs and goes abroad (especially the UK cuz its faster as it's one year), gets Master's degree and run back to Nigeria thinking that he/she will be offered that 6 figure salary. I always advice people to look for volunteer work while at school as it shows commitment plus its the only valuable way to gain experience.

the open university, who started it all, it is the British. it was a program which was designed so that those who are already in the field can have a degree thereby increasing the personal integrity of the employee. city and guilds is a body that was formed by the industry to certified many apprentice who are undergoing industrial training. they set exams and award cert to those that passed.

,

ola olabiy:

as if those volunteer jobs are readily available these days.if not so,then tell me where to get volunteer jobs in the field of insurance in the uk.

ola olabiy:

^^^^^ or project management/business analysis/software testing.
they ain't that easy again.

I said, "For your field." Who said anything about the insurance field, project management/business analysis/software testing? My reply geared towards OP's field of study and interests. And just because you can't find volunteer positions in those areas doesn't mean OP won't be able to find any in his. If you're looking to volunteer in those areas and can't find any (and I'm not surprised if you can't because volunteer activities in those fields are hard to come by), and can't find a job either, then perhaps you should be looking into other ways to improve your chances of getting a job rather than looking into volunteering. Everyone's case's different. But you've to be willing to put in a bit more effort and make some necessary changes if they'll open more doors for you. I don't know what your situation is and I'm not going to make any assumptions. No one said anything'll be easy.

^^^^^ cool.thanks.

AjanleKoko could you please contact me at danamipu@yahoo.com. U may find this message on many topics you always visit, please note I am not stalking you I just need to talk to you about a private matter. Thank you.

Both are very important. A simple way to think of it is that your formal education is just “theoretical” knowledge while an actual experience is “practical” knowledge. Both types of knowledge might not necessarily compliment each other but they’re still important in evaluating what you’re capable of.

The bottom line is that it all comes down to return on investment (ROI). A potential employer will make more money if he doesn’t have to spend a lot of time training you. In some fields, it might take about a year before a new employee starts turning profit for the company.

Imagine owning a company and having to spend your time babysitting a new employee because he can’t use a computer? Having the right experience presumes that the employer won’t have to spend that much time bringing you up to speed which might not be a bad bet, assuming your resume is not padded.

Also, having work experience or a valid excuse can somewhat make up for a bad GPA.

Persevere…winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win!

I must confess that am really impressed with the responses made about this topic. I can see clearly that the future of our generation in terms of intelligence and initiative would be more than vast commendable. You guys are the kind of people i would love to relate with.You have really shown how pragmatic you can be.

I bet my story would show how important work experience is.I finished with a 3rd class in physics and i couldnt fund the fees of my pgd.I worked in four different small organizations as a either a sales person/customer service/network admin. In 2009,i got a job with standard alliance insurance where they dont pay salary but commission,i endured for some months and was called by Guaranty Trust for an interview.The interview was based on my experience so far and was employed in june 2009.

I can categorically say experience is key but you need a certificate to attract organization cos that i can confess affected me in a way but all the same ,doing good now.