₦airaland Forum

reeq:
Hey Bossman.. i just stumbled over this thread. Really interested in IT stuff, just need some tips and advice. I stay on the NorthSide (Granville)maybe we can talk more on phone. Sorry folks ,i hope i didnt derail the thread. God bless you all.

Okay. No problem. Just PM me.

I do not believe you can buy any TV here in the US these days that does not have an ethernet/Network port in the back and WiFi built in. All these TV's come with apps such as Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Pandora, etc. With unlimited access here, you just connect the thing and go!

Unlimited access cost varies depending on download/upload speed. But I would say between $35 - $70 depending on your package. The key thing is - it works uninterrupted. Or RARELY interrupted. A very good Smart TV, say about 50 inche,s can be had for about $500.

henrydadon:
what kind of tv is that? ..

i dont know there are tv that have internet access..

or is it the cable that is connected to the internet..?

and how much do you pay for unlimited internet access a month ?

As Hajji M said - do not listen to the person selling you tiles. More info on German floor http://buildingcontractorsecrets.com/2010/07/28/importance-of-german-or-oversite-concrete/

I develop in Java. I have worked at several firms all very BIG firms with head quarters here in Chicago. Insurance, Bank, Retail. These are all firms with huge IT shops. Doing Java/Java Enterprise (Webservices - both REST and SOAP, Spring/Hibernate frameworks, etc.) development at all these places. Database knowledge is critical as well. All the apps talk to some form of relational DB (Oracle, MySQL, etc.)

PS - Let's not derail this thread, as this technical stuff may not mean much to some. Please PM me if you have any specific IT/Programming related questions. Also, you can search the programming forum here for my ID. Have not posted there much lately, but I used to respond to questions there a quite a few years ago...Don't know if all that stuff is still accesible.

LadunaI:
Big thanks Bossman for all your post and insightful advice. Please if I may ask, what sort of programming language are you using in your firm to code or in high demand in US?

is it C/C++, C#, R , Pearl, Python etc,or a proprietary platform you are using for all your day to day coding?. From what you posted earlier regarding how lucrative it is to have computer programming skills I found somehow generic, that is why am asking this now. And beside is there any certification needed to enhance ones programming skills?.

Thanks . @FrankNetter we're really enjoying your thread, wishing you very best in all your undertakings.

I absolutely agree. They have taken over IT. As I type this, I am sitting in a room with 17 of us here cranking out code. I am the only non-Indian consultant here. I am a citizen of course. One of them has GC. The rest are all H1. crazy!

ttmacoy:
I think Trump may actually be good for the H1 visa programme as it is being abused by companies especially Indian IT outsourcing companies. It is well know the Indian IT outsourcing companies (Tata, Infosys, Cognizant etc.) play a numbers game with the H1 visa and flood the system with applications each year and as you mentioned they pay the workers the minimum they can get away with.

This makes it difficult for applicants from other countries e.g. Nigeria.

Looking at that picture of the main house roofing from the distance. What's that other small house next to it, security? It seems so close to the main house though, why, lot size may be?

rotecch77:
Work in progress

Some company (for example the Hospital the Medical Doctor works for or is applying to) has to apply on your behalf. Can't do it yourself. And you have to have some skills where there is a shortage. For example Medical Dortor, computer programming, etc. BTW, As a Computer professional, I work with tons of H1's from India. At my last contract, I met one Nigerian on H1. I was actually shocked! because it's very rare to see Naija on H1. He was a software developer working with the Indian IT consulting company Infosys, and they were the one that applied for his H1. Even he was complaining that he has to be with them for at least 3 years, and that they were paying him a very low hourly rate. Nothing is easy o. That's the way it rolls...the company that does your H1 holds you ransome till you complete your contract.

PS. I was just discussing this H1 thing with my colleagues last Friday. They were worried that with Trump now about to take over, he has vowed to put a stop to all the H1 visas.

falopey:
If you graduated as a professional in the US, you can apply for H1 visa while you are there and work your way to citizenship. Even if you are a professional from Nigeria, in as much as you have already set your foot on US soil, you can apply and get your H1 based on your profession even before you write exams to get license to practice.

Thanks. Peace!

richardbrandy:
God Would Richly Bless U Frank Netter,bossman,maternal,signature 2012,tw Woods And Others I Dint Mention Have Really Learned Alot From This Thread And U Guys Are Awsome Right From Childhood Have Always Dreamt Of Travelling To Yankee But No Help Am Already 23 Now And It Has Gotten Worse These Few Days I Cant Stop Thinking About Travelling Out This Thread Really Motivated Me And Inspired Me And I Know Now Anything Is Possible Thanks In A Million Guys

I highly doubt it.

charzyh2:
I'm coming as a student. Can I still work as an outsourced computer programmer + studies and and the 20hrs/week job?

Your relative has not disclosed to you exactly how he got the green card. Definitely not based on his masters! Unless may be the masters is a very rare one and there is a need for people with that particular masters. I just can't imagine that's the case.

MISTAICEY02288:
Lol. What if i tell you i have a relative here in the US that came in as a student for masters and now has a green card and didn't get it thru any employer or whatever? Infact, he is already an employer here in US himself. Only say what you know. Im not sayin you're wrong buh don't say im wrong too.

May be they are not aware they can have dual/triple citizenship. I carry the 3(Naija, USA, British) passports na. I just show the appropriate one as needed.

CFCman:
I don't know why some people decline to not apply for citizenship.
I had a British classmate in college whose parents had been living here for over 15 years as Permanent Residents, but not wanting to become citizens. She told me that her parents do not want to lose their 'Britishness'

FrankNetter:
Good news guys, my permanent residency card just arrived in the mail.

Happiness is too mild an adjective to describe how I feel right now,



Do you know what this entails?

This means the level of success I would attain in this country is directly proportional to the level of hardwork I put in. Nothing can dampen my enthusiasm for life at this moment. The sky is not just my limit, it's my stepping stone.

Congrats! Yep, nothing is stopping you now. It's all on the amount of hard work you can put in. As I have already posted, this is the land of opportunity that rewards hard work and education accordingly. You do not need to know anyone to get ahead in life. Just work hard and do the right thing.

What an idiot! Can't believe some women will go this low. If he atually owns a club, folks should get the word out and boycott the damn place!

With all the pictures that have already been uploaded, someone is still complaining. What a joke!

sledjama:
this thread derailed because FrankNetter will rather talk than upload pictures.
thought it was yankee through the eyes and not mouth of a village boy

Make sure you are on the look out for better opportunities. Though 30k sounds a little low, after a few months, start applying to other places.

Atamc:
Truly nobody cares.

I remember how I searched for job when I Finished service, I sent applications to numerous places, but all to no avail. Instead of just sitting at home, I went for a masters programme. Graduated April 2016 and searched for jobs till November that I managed to get a 30k job in Lagos. I didn't mind the pay, I accepted the offer and relocated to Ota upon advises from friends, despite the fact that my father was against it. Now I am in need of assistance so I can secure a place close to my workplace, all the friends that advised me to relocate disappeared. I hope when I make it in future and decide to be selfish, no one will raise nose.

The skills that can help land a job with good pay are Computer programming, any of the engineering fields (civil, electrical, etc), Medical Doctor, Nurse, etc. As an IT consultant (Application developer/programmer), I can certainly tell you that even a fresher with only 2 years out of college can command upwards of $60/hr, depending on experience. Everything is getting automated, so you can't go wrong with programming and any of the fields above. BTW, I have been doing this for a very long time.

Not saying the other fields are not ok, but these ones will land you a job quickly.

PS. The certifications, computer programming degree, etc. should be done after arriving. Anything computer related from Nigeria will not hold any weight here at all. We do serious coding/programming in the schools here.

Successjoy:
what skills thrive there for a lady?

Do you think learning here in Nigeria and getting certificate before coming over is okay or get there and learn?

How do you get certified over there?

Am awaiting your reply please. Thanks

Usually, you'll see that those that are complaining about the country are those that are having a hard time doing well in the system, for one reason or another. Be it lack of education or not hard working, not legal, etc. If you are legal, have the proper education, and can work hard, you will do well.

lakesidepapa:
Well said! Education this, education that. I had my first degree and i don't wish to further anymore for second degree but I got a skill of fork-lifting and little experience, Is the system okay for people that have vocational skill?

As long as you have the skills and are hard working, there is always an opportunity.

As others said, this is a country that rewards hard work and education. No, it's not easy. But if you can get the required education, and you are hard working, you will succeed. The system is well structured, so you do not have to make tons to buy a modest home and live comfortably. As a software developer that works downtown Chicago, I take the train into the city daily on weekdays for work. I come across tons of tons of Nigerians/Africans doing the same thing. Working in corporate America and commuting into the city from the suburbs. The opportunities are here. You just have to take the bull by the horn and go after it. OTOH, there are tons of Nigerians that are not doing the right thing and find themselves in unfortunate situations. Heck! Majority of the cab drivers in the city of Chicago are Nigerians/Africans, and most of them are doing okay as well.

I will not neccesarily say nobody cares at all. There are multiple issues here - There is just not much job creation taking ppace that will assimilate the number of graduates that Nigeria produces. The lack of infrastructure (especially light) is making it very difficult for bright-minded folks to get their ideas implemented. Also, the education system just does not prepare some of our graduates well. For example, how can you have a computer science graduate that has not written/compiled/tested a single line of code. These are just some of the so many issues facing us in Nigeria. With that said, there are still some opportunities to get started. I know it's not easy.

Are all of GLO/MTN sims LTE enabled, or you have to swap to a LTE enabled sim? GLO's use of that very rare LTE band 28 is another story...very few phones support that band.

Congrats and welcome to the US. Duluth is actually just another city in the state of Georgia. More like a suburb of Atlanta proper.

MISTAICEY02288:
As i stated in the above quote, i am finally in yankee too now. Arrived today. Came with Delta airline and its a direct flight to Atlanta Georgia. Im staying at Duluth presently,another state in Georgia... Seriously, Yankee na the place to be. Everything for here too make sense and set die. Chai, i wonder if Naija go ever reach this level in future.

Will post more updates later.

Most LTE enabled devices sold in Nigeria should work on the other networks except GLO. GLO uses LTE band 28, a rarely used band, and so is not supported by a lot of low/mid range devices sold in Nigeria. There is a thread on here that indicates which devices work on GLO's LTE.

Nice work going there rotecch77. Did you have to do anything special to the foundation, considering the potential for flooding in this area? I am assuming that black stuff is some type of moisture protector may be?

Also, for anyone in Naija that can chime in - Land seems to be somewhat reasonable in the Ajah area compared to say the rest of Lekki area. I know Ajah is a little far from Lekki, so besides that, is the potential for flooding a reason why land may be somewhat reasonable here?

Yes o. My wife received 2 of those last year. Both of them for not coming to a complete stop at the red light before making a right turn. Besides the picture with time/date of offense they mail to you, they also include the url of video online that shows exactly what happened. You can't dispute it. Picture/Video no dey lie. And if you do not pay the fine by the time specified, the fine doubles. LOL!

FrankNetter:
See as everybody dey obey traffic. If you misbehave (or run red light), cameras would take a photo of your vehicle, your plate number and mail it to your house along with your ticket.


If i can find the one they sent to my mum, I'd snap and upload it. On two occassions, she had to pay $200 each.

that's $400 just for disobeying traffic. How much is that in naira again?

lillaowow:
trump towers from East Ohio street

Yup! I walk past the Trum tower every weekday as I head to the office from the train station.

OP, I think the consensus is that you stay put right where you are. The job seems to be stable and there is potential for increased salary, as you alluded to. As someone in IT, I can tell you that bank jobs are being eliminated slowly because we are automating everything. Here in the US you rarely see more than one or two bank tellers in any bank (and there are just there doing nothing waiting on the rare customer that will come into the bank). Everything is automated. I expect the same in Nigeria as time goes on. So, skip the bank job period. No stability in it. Good luck!

Welcome to Chicago. I am in Chicago myself. Live in the NW suburbs, but work downtown. So, I take the train into the city during the week. You already have some good advice. If you are good with computers (specifically programming/software), then a career in IT is what you can look into. If you have any questions relating to how to get into IT (compputer programming, etc.) and how to start, you can PM me. You are correct...Chicago is cold! And it's not evenJan/Feb yet. You just have to dress for it.

Edit - Now that I hjave seen more of your pictures, it looks like you are in the South Suburbs. I see you have visited on of the many Nigerian/African grocery stores we have in "Chi-town" . Good work bro!

Nice work rotecch77.

PoisonedOne:
For Etisalat you don't need a 4g sim swap for all their Sims are 4g enabled.

I'm yet to experience Ntel, I bought the sim since early October and the lady didn't register my line even after taking all my details. I visited their office later to rectify the problem but they said she was on leave and that it was only her that can register my line since she sold it to me. I've called and called but to no avail. She has even stopped picking my calls or replying to my chats. The worse is that she would pass by my office to go register new customers but won't come. She doesn't care because I've paid and I've already added to her customer base.
I'm only hoping the government could legalize the possession of arms so I can make out time and come to their office and shoot her right in the head.

This makes no sense! How can she be the only one that can register your line. They are all using the same system. They just need to log in and retrieve your information, or they can just register the damn thin again. What if she never comes back to work. I agree with you...there is a lot of frustration in that country, and something needs to be done.

passyhansome:
Sorry please what's the advantage of the band 28 over others

None really. It's just that a good majority of mainstream LTE capable phones do NOT even support the band. It's a rarely used band. less than 1% of the phones used in Nigeria will work on GLO LTE. If you have a phone that happens to support this band, then you should get pretty good connection and speeds (in locations that have LTE), because you are probably one of the VERY few using LTE on GLO. As I posted in other threads, GLO will have to deploy their LTE on one of the other common LTE bands (3,7, or 20), in order to get LTE to most of their subscribers.

GLO uses LTE band 28 (700 mhz). A very rare LTE band, so a lot of phones do not support this band. And the ones that do are not cheap. Very few countries use that band 28. The recent iphones, the high-end samsungs, and a few other phones do support that band.

My suspicion is that GLO is aware of that (they can determine how many LTE connections they are getting), and they are probably doing what they can to deploy LTE on one of the other common LTE bands used in Europe/Africa, such as 3, 7, or 20.