Hello Nairalanders,

This post will be controversial but my assurance is that I am merely sharing facts with you. This post is not for everybody but for those who are not desperate to settle for less by becoming underemployed in a job they will resent, otherwise my apologies if you find this post offensive. You shouldn't read any more.

I do realize everybody's circumstance is different and so I am willing to say for those who are destined to work under a boss, don't see this as me trying to discourage you from searching, it is more of a wake up call than a grim reminder of what the job search and employment in Nigeria really entails. Here are 5 reasons why I believe the self-employment path is a better option than the job search/paid employment.

1. High Competition for few Job Slots
This is for freshers in the job market or recently laid off former employees. Even a Master's degree cannot guarantee an entry level position these days. The labour market is just too saturated and competitive. Last year nearly 1 million Nigerians entered the labour market (900,000+). Here is statistics from NBS 21 million Nigerians were unemployed as at July 2018. The economy grew by less than 3% last year and will not likely fair better which means much less than 400,000 jobs will be created this year by government and companies. This means that the jobs are just not there and even when you find them they aren't anything near a decent working experience. It will be like trying to push your way through a stampede just to grab a paltry prize that anyone close to it can snatch at anytime.

2. Low Return on Time and Effort Invested
If you start your job search today, how long will it take you to get a job and start earning a salary? Let me help you out with your guess, more than 2 years. That is the mean time the average employable job seeker takes to secure employment. But if you were to commit 6 months to learn a marketable skill, you could become self-employed almost immediately (I have been making a decent income for 5 years now going to 6 years after quitting my job thanks to a marketable skill I acquired prior to my employment and in fact it was what earned me my job in the first place, not my computer science HND).

3. Most Meaningful Job Vacancies are already taken
Can someone please remind me the last time they saw mass recruitment into CBN or heard of FIRS job vacancies posted in national dailies? Well chances are that a lot of newly employed persons in these very high paying organisations have been called privately and recruited. The less prestigious employers are inundated anyways with too much applications that they have their own databases of candidates who they will readily contact by email, sms or phone calls when there are any openings.

4. Most Employers use networks and recommendations
Employers are becoming weary of employing people they will still need to train after employing and so they opt for those who have proven work experience and skills, because it saves them costs. What are the chances that you fall into their network or may be recommended to the them by someone in a respectable position you know?

5. Career Advancement and Prospects
Let's say you get employed eventually, what are the prospects on the job 5 years down the line compared to a self-starter that aggressively improves his productivity, constantly seeks self improvement and has bagged considerable productive habits that have shaped his work ethic?

Those are my 5 reasons and I am so eager to hear objections and contributions. Waiting on you Pals!

O.p you tried.

Wow! Lalasticlala

Easier said than done.

How do you raise the capital and sustain your "self employment" when the government is over taxing the citizens?

Entrepreneurship is unnecessarily hard in Nigeria

100% kwarrect

Job hunting and job hunting get levels sha.

How do you expect me to be working under Ministry of Agric and be earning 70k monthly when there are places like NNPC, PPPRA, NCDMB?

OP.. Hustle your hustle oooo make I dey hunt my job. Las Las... We have passion for different things.
Make them give you work for NIA na... If you no go trowey that your hustle over night.

Its not a lie

You are correct but op if I may ask do you mean buying and selling? If it is buying and selling my brother there are so many constraints to it compared to employment oooo. When you are in a corporation there are ethics and codes that guides you whereas buying and selling is pure street and on the street there are no codes or ethics.

Honestly, education is very good and vital but business and handwork(skills) even talent definitely beats them all...

True talk

A good read.

I got tired of dressing to impress, tweaking my CV everyday so that I can be the best employee and help someone else achieve their dream. I started my company Rent-A_Cock, I employ 10 people, we are currently in 19 states and growing. It's never easy in the beginning and some months you don't even have money to pay your staff let alone pay your bills, but I promise you, if you take a chance and stick to the game plan, you will succeed in due time.

Entrepreneurship is overrated in Nigeria and it's a ploy used by the Government to cover their inadequacies!

You pay your self and stress. All hardwood is for you and you alone.

As an entrepreneur you have the privilege to dance and make money.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtMCI-IcKsw

Textbook points not a Nigeria situation

Great.

I remember earning #45,000 as a young Mechanical graduate.

Wake up 4:30am, set out 5:00am.
Most times still get to work late.

Pay transportation, feed, pay rent.

Before 2weeks, you are back to square one.

Not forgetting the queries and Yes sir's.

Las Las, you can start something small even while working your paid job.


However, there is nothing wrong with being employed. Everyone can't be a boss.

There's a lot you can gain from being employed.

Example: skills, tolerance, management, resilience. And many more.

But bottom line is, no when to quit.

#quickstandard

i really hate people with fixed boxed up mindset

The day you stop searching for job because you listen to many unfurtunate half baked entitled graduates thats when you shot yourself dead in life

while enterprenuership always appears lucrative to outsiders, it takes some level of discipline and finacial capacity that you can only get after working in corporate nigeria to start..

how many people have the discipline to manage time, source for fund, manage fund, create product and service, market it and expand without having major work experience from an organised sector?


..

This school of thought is why we have so many one man businesses and we know how good those are to society.

You need an enabling environment to keep pushing this entrepreneurship thing.
Nigeria does not offer you that. Pick your damn poison when it comes to this country...

Alright

If you can't self employ then leaving the country for another country that acknowledge your worth, skills and credentials is the best option. Only a wicked person will brainwash you from traveling and say you should stay and compete with few available jobs that offer peanut salary with no benefits and job security.
Only in Nigeria you hear a person advicing a graduate to accept a job of N20,000, convincing him that it will add to his job experience. Rubbish

SultanOfPuna:
I just want to say as a strong Catholic
I just read the Koran for the first time
To be honest, I have more respect for prophet Muhammad.The Same Angel Gabriel that visited Virgin Mary is the Same Angel Gabriel that visited Prophet Muhammad in the caves.
Allah is the same as God.. We are all One just different messengers saying one thing.

coming from a Sultan of Puna

SultanOfPuna:
I just want to say as a strong Catholic
I just read the Koran for the first time
To be honest, I have more respect for prophet Muhammad.The Same Angel Gabriel that visited Virgin Mary is the Same Angel Gabriel that visited Prophet Muhammad in the caves.
Allah is the same as God.. We are all One just different messengers saying one thing.

Keep quiet...

Seconded

7thLemonLOVER:
Easier said than done.

How do you raise the capital and sustain your "self employment" when the government is over taxing the citizens?

Acquire a skill, you render services not buying and selling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QCSYCCCmFI