.

ola olabiy:

^^^^
good point.
but, experience is good only/especially where you don't 'know' people. as far as nigeria is concerned, 'knowing' people is the best way out.
if you don't 'know' people, get experience and loads of palis.
the children of the powerful will always get want they want.
i live in london and i know what i am talking about.
these kids don't even attend any rigorous interview. they don't struggle for good jobs. FACT!
get real, guys.

Well, na so e be everywhere. Not only Nigeria.
But I don't agree with you. In my company currently, there are lots of returnees with Ivy League MBAs, who are obviously children of the 'rich and powerful'. Same with the place where my wife works.
It's only those among them that have good experience that are able to deliver. Some of them have even confided in me privately that they are shocked at the ability of the chaps they left at home.
Don't develop that mindset. Wherever or whoever you are, you can rewrite your own story, and become one of the so-called 'rich and powerful' over time. Gba!

.

.

^^^
Good one bro. All the best.

ha ha ha ha !!!
Interesting and insightful thread.

Alex_D:

The belief that just having a foreign degree automatically puts you on a pedestal is laughable and at best naive.  

Don’t get me wrong, a foreign degree has its advantages; like being able to compete internationally right off the bat, you’ve got a better chance of working for McKinsey or Bain straight out of university than a Nigerian counterpart who will most likely need years of excellent work performance to do that. You also get more opportunities than in Nigeria to develop soft skills through numerous projects and extra-curricular activities which to my friends in Nigerian Universities only mean taking ICAN lessons and partying. A foreign degree also gives you credibility when you want to strike out on your own especially if you went to a top school and got top grades.

A foreign degree isn’t an end in itself, it’s the leverage and opportunities it provides to build your skill set that makes it valuable. Spending £20,000 a year just so you can get a foreign degree is so not worth it, a strategy has to accompany it. I’ll rather employ someone from OAU or Nsukka than a graduate from a D-level UK  university with no experience.

[b]My personal opinion is with a foreign degree, work abroad for a few years, get a strong track record, get professional qualifications which you can do while working and then think of jumping into mid- positions in Nigeria with a fast-track to C-level exec.

I’ve got a rule of thumb that you should only take 2 years out to do an MBA if
i) you've plateaued at your current job and want a fresh challenge
ii) that’s the only thing stopping you from being considered for a management position
iii) you are guaranteed a job after. No use having CFA, MBA, ACA and still be stuck in back office.

For high flyers, taking two years out to study what you can learn on the job or for the network is not worth it, it could mean up to $500,000 in forgone earnings. Instead of a Harvard MBA, I’d prefer to get the company pay for one of Harvard’s comprehensive leadership programmes, that way you get the Harvard prestige, the teachings, don’t take years off work and get an even stronger network as everyone in the programme is already a high achiever and executive bound in large organisations.[/b]

CHINEKE!!!

Do I have multiple personality disorder that I am not aware of?

Am I sure I am not the one that wrote this, especially the bolded?

Exactly my thinking and approach.

GBAM!

BlueDiva:

An applicant with an MBA from Nigeria is still better off than the one who has a foreign B.Sc only.

I couldn't disagree more.

Depends on the quality of the foreign BSc and the work experience accompanying it.

^^
From the HR perspective, she's right. The dude from Nigeria is technically more qualified, if you're looking at entry work positions.

AjanleKoko:

^^
From the HR perspective, she's right. The dude from Nigeria is technically more qualified, if you're looking at entry work positions.

MBA for entry positions? That is quite low level for such comparison.

I think for experienced position, it is totally dependent on the quality of the education, quality and relevance of work experience each individual brings to the table and the gravitas they can put on the ground.

For Banking for example:

I think an Oxford PPE grad that has 8 years experience working for Boston Consulting Group and 2 years working with the internal strategy team of UBS will be more preferred for an AGM position with UBA to a UniCal grad with an ABU MBA holder that has 10 years working for Zenith bank. All things being equal.

It really depends on the list above.

Sagamite:

MBA for entry positions? That is quite low level for such comparison.

I think for experienced position, it is totally dependent on the quality of the education, quality and relevance of work experience each individual brings to the table and the gravitas they can put on the ground.

For Banking for example:

I think an Oxford PPE grad that has 8 years experience working for Boston Consulting Group and 2 years working with the internal strategy team of UBS will be more preferred for an AGM position with UBA to a UniCal grad with an ABU MBA holder that has 10 years working for Zenith bank. All things being equal.

It really depends on the list above.

Hmm. You know for that kind of position, they won't put paper qualifications side by side, but look at experience. Entry level in Nigeria, they tend to look at how many certificates you have, as a way of further reducing the volume of applicants. Remember entry level in most Nigerian companies is all about sieve mentality, not that they are looking for a particular profile of candidate. Maybe the Big 4 (KPMG, Accenture, and co), but certainly not a bank.

So you studied PPE at Oxford? Na wa o. No wonder you dey always abuse everybody for NL

AjanleKoko:

Hmm. You know for that kind of position, they won't put paper qualifications side by side, but look at experience. Entry level in Nigeria, they tend to look at how many certificates you have, as a way of further reducing the volume of applicants. Remember entry level in most  Nigerian companies is all about sieve mentality, not that they are looking for a particular profile of candidate. Maybe the Big 4 (KPMG, Accenture, and co), but certainly not a bank.

I agree with you about the entry level stuff and the experience stuff but I have seen and experienced situations where Naija companies give high roles based on the quality of your experience and the reputation of the institutions you got your qualifications from.

I think grads from the top and most reputable US and UK unis would still be given an upperhand over local rivals for middle management roles and entry level especially when backed up (which is usually the case) with experience from top firms. It is not only the world-class educational training they bring but the work ethic, best practice, cutting edge knowledge/techniques/methodology and work quality mentality that the paucity of such is glaring in the local pool (it exists, but very few Nigerian professionals develop themselves to that level or get the opportunity to do such).

But the Naija firms are gradually dissociating themselves from hiring anyone with just any foreign degree as it has been proven that that does not necessarily imply superior quality over some local talents.

AjanleKoko:

So you studied PPE at Oxford? Na wa o. No wonder you dey always abuse everybody for NL

Me ke?

I no go university o! No mind me, na just example o. 

Sagamite:

I agree with you about the entry level stuff and the experience stuff but I have seen and experienced situations where Naija companies give high roles based on the quality of your experience and the reputation of the institutions you got your qualifications from.

Agreed, but not for entry level positions.
Entry level roles in Nigeria have greatly diminished in quality. Hardly do you find organizations paying attention to the quality of their hires at entry level. Most of them don't even have any graduate development program. In my industry it doesn't even exist. Which is why you find fresh grad hires mostly idling about, or being used as glorified office assistants. Some banks have even given up and are just getting OND holders to do those jobs.

AjanleKoko:

Agreed, but not for entry level positions.
Entry level roles in Nigeria have greatly diminished in quality. Hardly do you find organizations paying attention to the quality of their hires at entry level. Most of them don't even have any graduate development program. In my industry it doesn't even exist. Which is why you find fresh grad hires mostly idling about, or being used as glorified office assistants. Some banks have even given up and are just getting OND holders to do those jobs.

That is annoying. What a waste!

If I ever have any junior person under me, I always want them to feel they have learnt something and will try my best to develop them. I think that is simply a fundamental responsibility of a true leader.

Till this day, I am still grateful to the LBS French guy that took me under his wing and polished my analytical ability up with patience and immense support.

I will do my best to polish their strengths and diminish their weaknesses by looking at tasks that can do such and getting them engaged. I also believe in having classroom style bi-weekly training session on a variety of skills (soft and technical).

I would want all those that work under me to be future stars and for them to refer to my support to a point all grads will want to be posted under me.

Hello Nairalanders,


I have been reading postings on this forum for a while and I must admit that it has been very informative. My question to you guys is this, with an Undergradute degree in Accountancy in the U.S (Graduated with Honours, a First Class equivalent in Nigeria) and currently pursuing a Masters degree in Accountancy. Once I am done with the Masters degree in Summer 2011, I am contemplating moving back to Nigeria to start a career. Realistically, what should I expect as salary per annum with either the Oil or Telecom companies? Is it worth it moving back immediately after school or is it better that I work here for at least three years before making the move? Bear in mind that I have received a job offer from one of the big accounting firms here in the states.

Thanks

^^
Take the Big Four job, and get some good overseas experience under your belt. You can appraise yourself in three years and decide if you still want to make the move back home. The experience will serve you in very good stead when you do move back home, as you can probably pick and choose.

@ Ajanlekoko. Thanks for your advice; I appreciate it.

^^
No problem.

@Topic,
I've decided to sticky this thread and make it a random Q&A thread.
Let's try to ask and answer career questions, and provide info and advice, particularly relating to the Naija work environment. All comers welcome.

Hey AJ, i really appreciate your contributions on this thread. this is my background/Question: i have a Hpnours degree in civil engineering, but always had a natural flare in IT.started out polishing my IT skills back in school and secured a job in a Telecoms company shortly after graduating as an NOC engineer. that helped me brush up on my skills in application development, server/network infrastructure.after 18months i moved to an ISP also as an NOC backbone enginner. i've gained microsoft certifications up to PRO level in windows server 2008, cisco CCNA, and Oracle.
i have fantastic and almost limitless exposure etc to network infrastructure(servers, routers, switches , routable IP addresses etc) as i manage them. My challenge is, i feel my career is on a plateau. what are the steps needed for me to move on to the next level?more studying, certifications(am working on CCNP) how do i get the exposure to the companies that require staff that possess my skillset etc. i really want to move . do i need to branch off and consider manager-level diplomas/certificates?. Any advice will be greatly appreciated

Hey AJ, i really appreciate your contributions on this thread. this is my background/Question: i have a Hpnours degree in civil engineering, but always had a natural flare in IT.started out polishing my IT skills back in school and secured a job in a Telecoms company shortly after graduating as an NOC engineer. that helped me brush up on my skills in application development, server/network infrastructure.after 18months i moved to an ISP also as an NOC backbone enginner. i've gained microsoft certifications up to PRO level in windows server 2008, cisco CCNA, and Oracle.
i have fantastic and almost limitless exposure etc to network infrastructure(servers, routers, switches , routable IP addresses etc) as i manage them. My challenge is, i feel my career is on a plateau. what are the steps needed for me to move on to the next level?more studying, certifications(am working on CCNP) how do i get the exposure to the companies that require staff that possess my skillset etc. i really want to move . do i need to branch off and consider manager-level diplomas/certificates?. Any advice will be greatly appreciated

@mikkyphp/mikkybrick,

Saw your locked post, it's been reported and hopefully should be visible soon.
II'll ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.

1. How long approximately have you been working, all in?
2. Tell us a bit about what your current job description is at the ISP.

AjanleKoko:

@mikkyphp/mikkybrick,

Saw your locked post, it's been reported and hopefully should be visible soon.
II'll ask you a few questions, if you don't mind.

1. How long approximately have you been working, all in?
2. Tell us a bit about what your current job description is at the ISP.

1: 4years
2: Maintenance and Operation of Mail Server and Web Server on a Windows Server 2003/ 2008 platform.
Maintenance, Configuration and management of backbone Cisco routers/ Switches
Weekly backup of all Production, Databases and Application servers
Maintenance and Operation of Primary/secondary DNS Name Server on Windows Server 2008/Linux
Maintenance, Operation and Updating of CRM Server, CRM Application, Intranet Instant Messaging Collaboration Suite and Helpdesk Software
Bandwidth Manager Installation/ Configuration, Maintenance and Operation
Server room Colocation and IP Address Resource allocation
Website Design/ Development and Software Product development
Installation and Configuration of Network Management System (NMS) Software for (Base Stations/ Access Points/ Servers/ Routers) Monitoring.
and numerous other activities.

@AJ, did u get my reply?

mikkybrick:

@AJ, did u get my reply?

Yes I did.
Looks like you run the entire back office operations of the ISP! That's quite a lot you have on your plate, which is one of the problems I have with the work structure in Nigeria anyway.
I think what you need to do is find a focus, and set a target for yourself. Your work responsibility looks cluttered, so it's inevitable for your mind to be cluttered and become unable to focus. If you're interested in networking, I suggest you pursue the CCIE certification, it's very tough and rewarding, and can help you focus. It can even be a tool towards new opportunities that will have a more defined focus, rather than being the Man Friday of the IT department

Hope this helps.

Thanks AJ, i got your response. There's alot of insight in it. for some weird reason i can only view your replies and my posts when i use my phone.

Hello house,
Pls what do u think about a degree in architecture?
I am in a dilenma right now and ur advice will be fully appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Tochex101:

Hello house,
Pls what do u think about a degree in architecture?
I am in a dilenma right now and your advice will be fully appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Jesus!

Jesus Lord!

You are in dilenma (sic) about what? The man is suppose to read your mind to help you?

My God! Education is finished in Nigeria.

We are really going to have a generation that can not compete in the world for the next 10-20 years based on what I have seen of our youths and graduates. A generation our corrupt baastard leaders have wasted.

We are going to be importing a lot of Indian, Chinese etc grads to help implement any vision we have for the near vision. Most of these ones will hardly be able to add anything at the strategic, professional and intellectual levels. At best, they will be adding by trade (buy and sell, import and export) only.

Hey Ajanlekoko,
I just started out as a network engineer with a Systems Integrator located on Kofo abayomi VI (just to give u a clue). Part of my Job description includes overseeing/managing projects (which I didn't expect so soon but I'm up to the challenge). So I've decided to do a crash course on, and probably write a project management exam but I'm not sure which one.
PMI's PMP and CompTIA's Project+ have the same course outline. Though, I prefer to toe the compTIA line but I hear a lot more of prince2. Any experienced advice on the best choice?

DL:

Hey Ajanlekoko,
I just started out as a network engineer with a Systems Integrator located on Kofo abayomi VI (just to give u a clue). Part of my Job description includes overseeing/managing projects (which I didn't expect so soon but I'm up to the challenge). So I've decided to do a crash course on, and probably write a project management exam but I'm not sure which one.
PMI's PMP and CompTIA's Project+ have the same course outline. Though, I prefer to toe the compTIA line but I hear a lot more of prince2. Any experienced advice on the best choice?

I know that company, the famous conglomerate of IT companies.
PMP is more recognized, and I think more prestigious. Prince2 is more of UK and SA. I tend to be biased towards the more global/American certifications, since most of the IT giants are American anyway.
Don't know much about CompTIA's certification. If you want to choose, make it PMP or Prince2.

Please help me out, i am almost a grad in accounting(btech-2nd class upper), d fact is that age is stil on my side, i am planning to go get an acca nd mba( london school of busines) nd come bak to 9ja to work. Can i fit into mid level managers post competitors or good job is guaranteed there(witout work experience)? Thanks.

nitrogen:

Please help me out, i am almost a grad in accounting(btech-2nd class upper), d fact is that age is stil on my side, i am planning to go get an acca nd mba( london school of busines) nd come bak to 9ja to work. Can i fit into mid level managers post competitors or good job is guaranteed there(witout work experience)? Thanks.

No, very unlikely.
MBA without any work experience can fetch you an analyst position in investment banking, or a trainee position in some other industry.

AjanleKoko:

No, very unlikely.
MBA without any work experience can fetch you an analyst position in investment banking, or a trainee position in some other industry.

so wat u are insunuatin is that witout experience,i can still get a nice job, overhere or there(outside the country)?