@OP,
Why not try Canada, like some people recommended.
Alberta/Calgary has some good schools, and it's an oil province.
Plus, the UK has canceled post-study work, which means you will have to come back to Naija. You should think twice about the UK.

@iv4real, now thats some reality talk from u pal, we all lead different lives and cos one man has'nt succeeded wouldn't mean dsame about another man who's trying out same thing!, Now life's about risk, face your life and go past ur fears, equally be responsible for the outcome of ur steps!, Its good one follows his/her mind so u don't put the blame on someone else who has advised u wrongly!

Uk is hard Uk is hard, some pple will still make it there this year!

Thanks iv4real, thats just the truth about life u have tried to pass accross!

getting an unbiased, honest advice is very rear, so face ur fear and lift ur cross urself!

@Gunpoint, I recieved a revelation from God that there will be trouble with a bank at a future time that fits into your Four Year Cycle, now you reconfirming to me with your empirical data.

@ POTUT- Your Post  is very deep in implication and your story applies to all bankers, though we hate to admit it believing our sanctuary will always exist, I will find a way of preserving your posts and read as often as possible.

@bountimore
If life is all about risk then surely we ought to be taking calculated risks.

@jay bee, lol, yes ofcourse CALCULATED RISKS!, you are on point pal!

Important facts
1)I'm really not happy here in banking
2)Banking pays way less than bankers admit(I got in cos I was handed jumbo annual pay on paper but don't earn that much in reality)
3)I do have a 2.2 in my 1st degree hampering my chances in imperial and co. . .
4)The next cycle really will come as witnessed by bankers that got pushed out the last time and dreaded by those of us still in the system.

I will travel to the UK(later in the year) to assess the school myself though before I take the offer and hopefully talk to students in the Msc class I should join 6months later and people generally in the locality about the school and the course.

Staying in banking really isn't an option, like some respondents have noted, there isn't anything you can do or any certificate you can obtain to guarantee you security when the next tidal wave hits, and we all know the unwritten rule in banking(or maybe life as a whole)"the higher you go, the better bulls eye target you become".

south bank univerisity is known as Lagos here because of the  many nigerians who attend.  SB is a good univerisity if you can stomach the surrounding area that is.  But jokes aside getting  a job in the UK really depends on knowing your field very well.  Doing some practicals (in that area of interest)  while you study. Make sure practicles go on CV to make you look bigger than you really are.  Theres nothign wrong with thsi since thats what they  want to see.   The thing that employers dont like are  students who knows the theory but cannot  apply it practically or do nto know the industry somewhat.  Know your field and its language and idioms which means invest time in reading practicle magazines or go online talk to people in that field.

Put to practice if possible what you are learning

Unless you happen to work for a bank like JP morgan sometimes where you get your degree  is important, its about needing  leverage here .   Enjoy what you do and have a vision as to where  you want to end up and work towards it.  

If its Nigeria you intend to work in a hear any British degree (though i cant see the hype really since UK  employers here are not so respectful of degrees here as they use to be).  is respected

What has helped me in the UK is a number of things - number  
1 God has blessed me for no particualr reason except his love.  Ive gotten jobs i should not have had.  
2 i know my stuff but im know guru.  I wouldnt be able to explain for instance the Linux kernels internals.
3 CV is consistent.
4 linkedin - so that folks can verify without doing a security search on you.
5 No facebook - the little they know of you the better.  
6 Also and this might be a surprise to you but Nigerians are respected in the IT industry and others.  I have met a few folks but very small that sneer but all in all they respect nigerians even though they do not say so.  being Nigerian has helped -

hope this helps

@ GunPoint.

You sound a very smart man, age is on your side and you know what you want. That's 3 points for you.

But I would urge you not to consider London South Bank. As many people have pointed it's NOT a well ranked University. As you may or may not know, after you complete an MSc here in UK you would no longer have the option of getting the post study visa. The options you would have left is a career in another country - You want to go to a well known University with great ranking who have alumni and international presence in other countries.
People talk about packaging yourself or selling yourself e.t.c but one can always learn that later anyway, if you make another mistake in choosing the wrong University. That's basically the end for that. You have not made that mistake - so you can still choose wisely.

I would encourage you to consider USA for your degree, yes the visa is harder, it's 2 years instead of 1 year - which would give you more time to do your research e.t.c and an engineering degree there is more hands-on and practical compared to the UK. I honestly feel the UK postgraduate is too rushed. I came out not feeling much wiser than when I went in.
Lastly, if you do consider US. You might want to look at University of Houston for an petrol engineering degree, all the Nigerians I know who studied there are working in Saudi / Dubai now. Best of luck

jay bee:

Have you ever gone through the graduate recruitment exercises in the UK?

Do you realise that applicants get screened out cos they haven't attended a red brick university especially when it's a highly technical discipline.

Why would you advice someone to waste thousands of pounds only for them to add to the statistics?

In answer to your questions,

1. Have you ever gone through the graduate recruitment exercises in the UK? Yes and I got numerous job rejections too. Yet I got my graduate job before I completed my final exam for my first degree in Computer Science.

2. Do you realise that applicants get screened out cos they haven't attended a red brick university especially when it's a highly technical discipline? That is not true. I did not attend a Red brick university in the UK. I am now one of those who screen new graduates for my employer in the UK. Red brick or not, you can still fail to secure a job. Work hard in any university in the UK to score high grade and that is the secret.

3. Why would you advice someone to waste thousands of pounds only for them to add to the statistics? Different people have different motivation. While some people work hard to gain progress, others depend on other factors. If I can get an excellent job among UK nationals and other international people, there is nothing stopping anybody else from doing the same.

Fellow Nigerians, please do not expect to fail because somebody else failed. Your failure or success can depend on how much you put in.

I'd advice you ALSO consider other option outside of Petroleum Engineer, Supply Chain, Operations Management, Engineering and Management etc

With SIX years experience in banking and ZERO engineering work experience at your age, competition from younger fresh graduate will be tough as most position will be for entry level and other options will require industry experience

People interested in careers like oil and go should ideally go to countries with huge industry and if it's UK Scotland is nearer to the industry


With six years experience you should be looking at courses that will propel you into supervisory/managerial roles in varied industry and in the nearest future something you can rely on to have you own business

^^
Nice one.

Wherever you choose to go, remember two things: 1) God; and 2) Networking.

That's all.

Best of luck

beknown:

In answer to your questions,

1. Have you ever gone through the graduate recruitment exercises in the UK? Yes and I got numerous job rejections too. Yet I got my graduate job before I completed my final exam for my first degree in Computer Science.

I think i stressed the technical aspect. Most engineering graduate jobs which are relatively few due to UK being a relatively low manufacturing country requires you to have a top notch degree from red brick uni. I am not saying 100% for certain that people aren't going to be able to get jobs if they don't attend such schools but why take such risks when dude would be spending ridiculous amount of money to attend the course.
Besides, some of these non red-brick uni don't have a fully functioning career advisory department that invites ftse 100 companies for recruitment fairs. I am closely related to the engineering field and i have people close to me that have studied Petroleum Engineering.

beknown:

2. Do you realise that applicants get screened out cos they haven't attended a red brick university especially when it's a highly technical discipline? That is not true. I did not attend a Red brick university in the UK. I am now one of those who screen new graduates for my employer in the UK. Red brick or not, you can still fail to secure a job. Work hard in any university in the UK to score high grade and that is the secret.

High grade degree is not enough in the UK my friend. Dude is still a technical graduate and doesn't necessarily possess the much needed experience that might have propelled him ahead of other willing job seekers. If he attends a Uni with proven links to industries then he will most certainly be left with slightly better odds/options.

beknown:

3. Why would you advice someone to waste thousands of pounds only for them to add to the statistics? Different people have different motivation. While some people work hard to gain progress, others depend on other factors. If I can get an excellent job among UK nationals and other international people, there is nothing stopping anybody else from doing the same.

Fellow Nigerians, please do not expect to fail because somebody else failed. Your failure or success can depend on how much you put in.

No one is expecting or advising anyone to fail but statistics is gotta be looked at when making informed decisions.
The money that the dude will be shelling to undertake this course is best utilized in a uni/country that will help with greater ROI. At the end of the day that's why he wants to further is education.

@Poster,

This is my last contribution to this post. You should be able to make up your mind by now.

Read this article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/253497.stm

Education

Surrey students first to find work

Cambridge's student population has the wealthiest social profile

Students from Surrey University are the least likely to be unemployed after they graduate - while students at the University of Cambridge are the most likely to come from a wealthy background.
An analysis of graduate employment and the social background of students shows that young people from well-off backgrounds are still filling blue-chip universities, but that students from red brick and 'new' universities often can find work more quickly when they leave.



Students from new universities are finding work as quickly as more prestigious institutions
Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that several new universities, including Oxford Brookes and Nottingham Trent, are among the top 10 universities with the best records on recent graduates finding work.

Nottingham Trent, with 2.3% of its graduates unemployed six months after leaving college, compares favourably with Cambridge on 2.7% and Durham with 4.8%.

A spokesman for Surrey University, which heads the table with 0.7%, says that this reflects its emphasis on vocational courses, such as engineering or management studies, which are shaped around preparations for the workplace.

Industrial experience

Many of these courses also include a year spent in industry, which again is seen by the university as a factor in helping students find work upon leaving college.

Eight of the ten universities with the highest rate of recent graduate unemployment are taken by former polytechnics, with Coventry at the bottom with 13.2%.

Figures analysing the social class of students entering university, gathered by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, show that 81.2% of Cambridge and 79.7% of Oxford students are from "professional or managerial" families.

This compares to 33% for the University of Central Lancashire and 41% for the University of Dundee Abertay, which also features in the top ten for graduate employment.

The national average for UK universities is 54%, with 'old' universities tending heavily towards an intake of middle class students, broadly reflecting the social profile of applications.

For example, the University of York, had 66.5% of its applications from students from professional families, matching an eventual intake of 66.6% from such a background.

Three London universities which appear in the bottom ten for graduate unemployment - South Bank, North London and East London - also appear among the ten universities with the fewest students from wealthy backgrounds.


Universities with the highest proportion of students from high-income families:
Cambridge
Oxford
Bristol
Edinburgh
Nottingham
Imperial
Durham
Birmingham
St Andrews
Newcastle


Universities with the lowest proportion of students from high-income families:
University of Central Lancashire
Thames Valley
South Bank
East London
Paisley
Newport
North London
Wolverhampton
Ulster
Middlesex


Universities with the lowest unemployment rate for former students, six months after graduating:
Surrey
St Andrews
Bristol
Birkbeck
Hull
Nottingham Trent
Oxford Brookes
Dundee Abertay
Nottingham
Oxford



Universities with the highest unemployment rate for former students, six months after graduating:
Coventry
Lampeter
East London
Thames Valley
North London
South Bank
Luton
Salford
London Guildhall
Essex

beknown:

@Poster,

Universities with the highest unemployment rate for former students, six months after graduating:
Coventry
Lampeter
East London
Thames Valley
North London
[size=16pt]South Bank[/size]
Luton
Salford
London Guildhall
Essex

GBAM

lmao, South Bank sha don enter trouble today! , please any one with advice and info on[b] UNI OF NORTHAMPTON[/b], cos i will be heading there for my MBA by sept!

@Poster

The university you go to matters. The better the school you go to, the better your chances of being hired.  That's just the way it is.  I went to a top 20 school in the US and the difference between my school and Harvard, Stanford, Wharton etc is light and day when it comes to employment.  Did I get a job? YES.  Was it easy? NO.  Would it have been easier if I had gone to those top school? YES.  The better schools have the better alumni network (trust me, searching for work is all about who you know, even in the U.S) and more importantly, the best companies go there to recruit. They also have a lot more companies coming to recruit there than your average joe school.  So while I was busy chasing companies up and down the whole of U.S, my Harvard peers were having recruitment cocktails and dinners with companies in their school.

The way I look at is this.  Getting a job is like running a 10,000 meter race.  If you go to the top schools, you get to start at the 5,000 meter mark; while going to the worst school means you start at ZERO.  The guys at Oxford is already 5,000 meters ahead of you.  Of course, you can catch and over take him if you are Haile Gebreselassi, but I would rather start at 5,000 if I can.

So you need to weigh what you want to do after you are done with your MSc carefully before you make a choice.

Good luck

gunpoint i will advise u lik (dis guy) wrote that u should look into supply chain. with ur long banking experience i can bet you dat supply chain might jus giv u d very next opportunity u are lookinb out for . i am an engineer mysef (mechanical) but started out with shell as a production support services while i took CIPS(chartered institute of purchasing and supply),uk on the side tooday i am a contract engineer moved up the leader twice within 4yrs to my surprise, supply chain is gaining alot of grounds in nigeria today especially in the oil and gas where it has come into acceptance.while still in the bank u can take a course in CIPS preparin ursef for d oil industries as open positions are thus comin up daily in the supply chain units of different oil and gas firms.trust me hv been with shell for 7yrs ,was with mobil olil for 2yrs and hv some good first hand infosss

Gunpoint,
I actually was not going to add to this thread, but it seems that a large percentage of the advise you are getting, rather than encourage you, are geared towards discouraging you. You need to understand that the world is your oyster, your future is what you make of it, be it in the petroleum industry or otherwise. I won't tell what to do, but you need to understand that the school does not make you a great engineer, you do.
The ranking of the school is not relevant in the large scheme of things, if you are good at what you do, you'll always rise to the top. I have friends who are unemployed and unemployable that went to Harvard and Imperial. One of our employees went to Notre-Dame and her direct manager never finished high school but worked his way up through the ranks. So note, you are what you make yourself, also note that nothing beats doing what makes you happy.
My two cents,


PS : I'm a graduate of SOUTHBANK, and I've never regretted it for one second

@rhea, as a matter of fact I am an EshOotite, are you one too?

@carnal, thanks for your advice man, that is something I was considering doing on the side along my msc in the UK.

@pablo 1000, always good to hear from someone who has been through it.

@ Poster, I'm a Pet Eng with three years exp in the UK graduated from HW and I must tell you I'm yet to meet one person who graduated from LSU working in the industry, The course is new and as others have told you, UK is a class society. If you don't graduate from Heriot-watt or Imperial in Pet Eng, forget it. Its like graduating from kebbi state uni and competing with UI graduates, The industry is geared towards recruiting people from same schools as the older folks in the industry all come from same schools. I must tell you as well that even some firms here by default will only take one of the two schools mentioned above. I have friends currently on the course at LSU and not even one employer has asked them "I kpo asara akposa ka i na ere ere?" meaning "Are you for display or sales", lol. Folks in  HW and Imperial wil tell you that employers will start hustling you from day one, starting with oyibo boys and filling the remaining spaces with najia if any at all and believe you me, its a tough competition even in these schools.

If you have money & 2.1 why not try HW or Imperial? Also consider your age and exp, it matters as well. Continuing in Banking or related subjects might be easier than starting afresh in O & G esp in UK.

My two cents.

pablo1000:

PS : I'm a graduate of SOUTHBANK, and I've never regretted it for one second

Who will agree that his mother's soup is not sweet?

iv4real:

Yes masters petroleum engineering just started three years ago in London southbank university but the programme is very good as well. I know several Nigerians that graduated from there with masters in petroleum engineering that have gotten good oil and gas jobs in the UK.

jikings:

@ Poster, I'm a Pet Eng with three years exp in the UK graduated from HW and I must tell you I'm yet to meet one person who graduated from LSU working in the industry, The course is new and as others have told you, UK is a class society. If you don't graduate from Heriot-watt or Imperial in Pet Eng, forget it.

Question jam answer

@bountimore, ranking is even more important for you.
It could make the whole difference for you in securing employment with a top firm.

I know that Nottingham is highly ranked in the uk, but you should check the financial times and economist mba rankings.

Let me add my 20 kobo to this discussion.

The truth is that no one can tell you how things will turn out, but like Jaybee said, you need to take calculated risks. Taking a higher risk might still pay off, but the chances are slim.

LSB is not a highly regarded school in the UK. While I'm not a pet engr, I work in engineering in O&G and personally haven't met anyone who attended these institutions in the O&G industry in the UK. While that doesn't mean they don't get picked, the majority are from Imperial, HW, Bath, Cambridge and the likes. You need to realise that you are starting with a higher risk by attending LSB.

Secondly, those telling you to 'work hard' in school and all that are really missing a big part of the picture. Most of these O&G companies require a 2:1 type qualification to even apply in the first place, so you are competing with the cream of the crop. Secondly, you get screened out by the content of your application form in many cases so you often don't get a chance to impress employers in person - some decision is often made on the basis of your qualifications.

Considering the immigration situation in the UK, it will get tougher to get work permits as time goes on. This means that if you don't get a job right out of Uni and get sponsored for a work permit, you might need to leave immediately.

It is important to note that you can still go to a 'red-brick' school and do well and still not a job, so there is still a risk involved.

With all this information, you need to take a decision and follow it through.

My personal advice would be to go to the US or Canada instead. In both countries you have a higher chance of getting funding, but considering you made a 2:2, you will struggle to gain admission into Canada. On that basis, I'd advise the US but if that fails, try the Saudi or UAE schools instead.

Happy for all the information people, clearly wahala dey wit LSBU, but then that's why we have a forum like this to expose us.

I do not intend to stay back and work in the UK by the way, but that's my present plan, I might get there and find need to pick up experience in the UK, but its not on my agenda.

Finally, staying in banking isn't an option in the long term as if you do not leave on your terms, you will be kicked out eventually.

Una don use numerous advice confuse the OP.

But really, there are salient points raised by a few posters above which i believe the OP should focus more on rather than on school rating and all what not.

This dude has been in Banking for more than 3 years and has no "hands on" experience in pet eng. Implication is the someone who's got even 1 year experience in the same field and with same (masters) qualification will have an edge. where does this leave him in recruitment fairs? More so, what are the prospects getting a job in pet. eng. in Naija after the masters? since majority of peeps here believe the chances are slimmer in the UK. Like someone had earlier advised, a masters in supply chain or other business related field would be a more viable alternative. we've got a lot of FMCG companies rushing in and expanding into Naija (e.g Walmart and P & G's present expansion drive) as we'll see in the next couple of years. Nigerians need to position & arm themselves for these opportunities lest we'll have Indians, Lebanese and South Africans taking over them like we have experienced in other fields in recent times.

So dude, comparative advantage (you can leverage on) is the word!

i work in a bank and l have and l am seeing what you have seen truth be told you have said it ask yourself what do you want to do where do you want to be,weigh and then aim

GoldCircle:

Una don use numerous advice confuse the OP.

But really, there are salient points raised by a few posters above which i believe the OP should focus more on rather than on school rating and all what not.

This dude has been in Banking for more than 3 years and has no "hands on" experience in pet eng. Implication is the someone who's got even 1 year experience in the same field and with same (masters) qualification will have an edge. where does this leave him in recruitment fairs? More so, what are the prospects getting a job in pet. eng. in Naija after the masters? since majority of peeps here believe the chances are slimmer in the UK. Like someone had earlier advised, a masters in supply chain or other business related field would be a more viable alternative. we've got a lot of FMCG companies rushing in and expanding into Naija (e.g Walmart and P & G's present expansion drive) as we'll see in the next couple of years. Nigerians need to position & arm themselves for these opportunities lest we'll have Indians, Lebanese and South Africans taking over them like we have experienced in other fields in recent times.

So dude, comparative advantage (you can leverage on) is the word!

LOL.
True that about the confusion.
But regarding your comments, i think the OP knows what he wants, and what he really wanted to validate was the LSBU factor. OP, am I right?

LSBU dissapointed my friend. He completed his masters there and back to Lagos he came searching for work. After over 3 yrs in banking and some dough in your hands, bros it will be my last advice that you go and wish away your savings to Oyibo for worthless paper called certificate.

I share your profession and am also an engineer by qualification but I have my hands in so many businesses that I have relegated this banking job to mere routine. I do not know whether you are in marketing or operations. Marketers generally have more time than Operators. If you are an operator, you could move to marketing and become a business man. It gives joy to know that you can do without the job. You better start planning on how to settle down by marrying as I bet you are not younger than 29-30.

HI LOL,

THE CHOICE IS ACTUALLY YOURS TO MAKE - DEAL OR NO DEAL

HOWEVER, YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT THE CURRENT IMMIGRATION LAW IN THE UK REQUIRES YOU TO RETURN HOME AFTER YOUR STUDIES. SO DELETE WORKING IN THE UK AFTER YOUR STUDIES FROM THE LIST OF OPTIONS OPENED TO YOU.

AND IF YOU MUST RETURN TO NIGERIA, WILL YOUR PROPOSED STUDIES EQUIP YOU TO BE SELF EMPLOYED IF THE EXPECTED JOB SEEMS NOT COMING ?

UNIVERSITY RATING IS NO ISSUE. YOU DON'T GET JOB SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU GRADUATED FROM CAMBRIDGE. WHAT GIVES YOU JOB AT THE END OF THE DAY IS 1. GOD'S FAVOUR 2. YOUR PERFORMANCE. SO SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO COME, THEN MAKE SURE YOU ARE WELL BAKED IN WHAT YOU STUDIED.

WHY NOT ALSO CONSIDER USA/CANADA AS SOME HAVE SUGESTED? THESE ARE STILL OPEN TO YOU AND MORE LIKELY THESE COUNTRIES WILL ALLOW YOU TO INTEGRATE INTO THEIR WORKFORCE AFTER YOUR STUDIES (NOT TOO SURE, PLS CONFIRM)

COUNT THE COST BEFORE YOU JUMP AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CONTIGENCIES IN PLACE.
REMEMBER THE OLD SAYINGS - "THE HEAVENS HELP THOSE HOW HELPED THEMSELVES". PLS BE REALSTIC TO YOUR SELF

FEW WORDS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE !!!!!

i WISH YOU ALL THE BEST