₦airaland Forum

chloride6:
No sir. Study engineering and open your mind!

Be prepared to take positions in programming, banking, engineering, consulting, accounting etc.

Nobody promised you a job when you studied engineering.

jesmond3945:
I am a computer engineer myself. However, I love the mathematical side of things more. Becsuse in comp science you deal with maths and software. In comp eng you deal with maths, software and hardware. I can see you like hardware more than software. You would need to be good in cplusplus and fpga design thats were the money is. In comp science, you have software dev and all its aspects, thats were the money is. Maths gives you the thereoretical foundation. So i would say go ahead and do the comp engin, with time you would know which area you would be comfortable in

GerogeI:
I am an Engineer.
The first thing you need to do is to make a distinction between Engineers and Technicians. Engineers are designers, solution crafters or inventors. Technicians on the other hand are the hands for the skill labour to execute and produce the Engineers designs or carry out maintenance works.

In Nigeria lay people call Technicians Engineers. Frankly, Engineers cannot do what technicians do, because they are specilized skills that require years of practice. Even though an Engineer can adapt to learn on the job easily.

Industrial outfits do not need a lot of Engineers to function. Rather they need a lot of blue colar workers or technicians, such as mechanics, machine operators, welders, fitters, undsea welders, foundary operators, etcs. A technician cannot do what an Engineer does.

What is it that Engineeers do? They design solutions in such a way as to meet all kinds of stringent requirements on the first try. That is without room for trial and error. A civil Engineers must design a bridge or building to fully function on completion, without room for re-building. This is what we call Reliability. So even in designing a maintenance program for a machine, and Engineer must achieve significant machine uptime regardless of the challenges.

There are very few Engineering Roles in Nigeria. While they are few, they are actually well paid, especially in the oil industry. They are also mostly maintenance or consulting roles, not design roles. A junior Engineer with a Nigerian Local company earns about N400k to N600K per month. Engineering Managers earn upwards of double these amounts.


Why are there few Engineering roles?
Nigeria has very little manufacturing and production outside the oil industry. A typical small scale factory does not need an Engineer to funtion. Rather they need Technicians.

Whay are there so many Engineers Teaching in schools?
1. Mass production of Engineers rather than Technicians by Nigeria's 6-3-3-4 system. Higher Colleges were neglected. This system is so ridiculous that it planned to produce technicians at Junior secondary level, with courses such as Introductory Technology which failed as we were too young to work or even understand. Meanwhile it created no room for Polytechnics and Colleges of Higher Education. So everybody that was technically inclined went to study Engineering at University, especially with initial demand for Engineers from the oil industry.

2. Poor quality, education and generationally poor quality lecturers. The first set of Nigerian Engineers were trained in other countries, but coming back without avenues to practuce or demonstrate technical concepts. Each new generation of Engineers are worse than their predecessor.

3. Cultisim in Universities. I am sure you've heard of Engine Boys. They are the cultist in schooĺ. Climbing in and out through windows during academic works. Being weaponized for campus politics. Eventually they graduate with unearned scores given by their fellow cultist lecturers. Some of them are the Engineers you see in your class rooms. They are unable to compete and win those few available Engineering Roles.

4. Nigerian Engineers are not designing and inventing to create new opportunities. The worlds richest man is making money from Engineering- Elon Musk. The previous one also made money from Software Engineering, before it became a Technicians Job for programmers ( mathematical typist). In each era, the Engineering that creates the products for future and advancement, earn the most reward. Nigerian Engineers are not producing anything new or old, hence are not earning significant rewards. They are also not solving our most pressing problems. Our mechanical Engineers are yet to design cars, truck, trains, airplanes to fast track our economy. Our civil engineers are yet to find ways to make our roads last for 100 years without erosion. Our Electrical Engineers cannot provide enough power to meet our common demands. Our Electronics Engineers are yet to build a radio, talkless of liquid crystal displays, smart traffic light, our local computer processor. Rather they are all trooping out to work as software technicians.

If you want study and succeed as an Engineer, you must desire to truly solve problems via technical designs, and also be dedicated to study and understand the difficult concepts that engineers before you surmounted.Your study should be as rigorous as that of Doctors for your to stand a chance of competing with well mentored Engineers from other parts of the world.

othermen:
As a young fellow getting started in his career, you are doing great observing what may be prevalent.

I think young people should try to get some education about their chances- as you have or as you desire before going to the university to study any course.

You have to consider which is foremost to you- is it to have a successful career in whatever endeavour or to become a successful engineer; if it is the former, such that you are desiring a career for the success output, you may need to assess other courses aside Engineering that may provide readily available opportunities for you.

Increasingly, renowned courses like Law and Engineering needs to be re-assessed by those aspiring for a career in either. Most people are rather desiring for paid employment, when the fields actually has several opportunities to be self-employed, becoming a consulting professional or getting into some start-up.

Engineering is a wonderful course- however the formal labour market in Nigeria may not be so much great or wonderful for the discipline.

While there seem to be far limited formal opportunities for engineers than there are engineers, for those that persevere, and got opportunity to practice in their field- they often have the best outcomes in terms of prosperity when compared with other disciplines. (Check Aerospace Engineering).

There are some engineering courses that gives you significant edge in the informal labour market. Such that you can start your own enterprise right away and become an employer of labour as well. Now, the difficulty with this is the cost of start up and the competence we have instilled which is not geared towards self sufficiency or entrepreneurial spirit. Engineering, accounting or finance, medicine among others are all professional courses that don't require additional post-graduate degrees to maximise the opportunities they may afford. You just have to have right mindset of problem identification and solving to being a structural analyst.

Most engineers that went through Nigeria universities have had little exposure to practical training in Engineering. The universities have focused more on theoretical engineering- when engineering is mostly a practical course. The faculties could have been innovative in building massive workshop that can help instill the requisite skills that would propel a desirable career in most of their alumni; however they are frustrated by the nonchalance of the FG which has crushed what should be the faculty imagination.

What then is the option left to the engineer who can’t get a chance in the formal engineering labour market or who don’t have the resource for a start up?

So a civil engineer for instance could personally take on the supervision of construction or re-construction of housing units or other building structures- massive ones and the small residential ones. In many residential areas in Lagos, you have civil engineers approach owners of old building structures with great plans to pull down and reconstruct the buildings at their own cost, while such arrangement gives them some form of leasehold on the newly constructed building say a two flats now devolved into a six flats. They could have a long term leasehold on 2 of those flats. Now you don’t have to be a civil engineer to do such, you just need to have the requisite skills. However the Engineering discipline gives a confidence in such prospective customers that non-engineers approaching can offer them. Some civil engineers have made more money more than those working in Shell BP by exploring such.

Mechanical engineers on the other hand, also just need a little support to get started in the informal labour market; in sane schools- they are taught the competence to be able to design about anything. As at today, the universities may not offer as much technical skills as you may see in a polytechnic or some technical schools. The mechanical engineer must be humble enough to realize this. After getting around such, the issue then may be the cost of designing whatsoever they desire designing which may be highly demanding and in a nation that don’t support innovation, you have to look elsewhere. I know mechanical engineers that specialize in plumbing for very big building construction firms - designing and supervising the plumbing. Now, some ignorant mechanical engineers sees plumbing as a mere apprenticeship exercise, but with one’s credentials- you become even more feasible for opportunities. This is aside those, that are probably into constructions or repairs of factory machines and intensive trucks such as drilling machines.

I think ultimately in addition to what you may acquire from this thread - you have to understand that becoming successful as an engineer is a function of your own mindset. And for some people with the right mindset, it is in a place like Nigeria where several things don’t seem to work- that there are opportunities. There is no electricity / then there is a market for affordable power plans such that an electrical engineer who is innovative and adaptable can provide affordable solar energy technology to people. Get on LinkedIn, take a look at the profiles of engineers working in great firms, look at the unique skills they have, look at the career choices they have made. It could help you create your own template.

Don’t make costly assumptions based on what you may find in your immediate environment. Many of those people are products of a dysfunctional mindset or of a mindset compelled by the tragic realities of Nigeria. However if you have incorporated such reality in your methodological mindset, you should excel well in engineering or in any discipline you so choose. Those working in the manufacturing that you have interacted with are mostly products of technical education, and they provide supports and take instructions from the engineers, while those who attended universities that you interact with have little to no technical expertise. Again, if you build a methodological mindset towards your career, engineering can give you so much.

selmansee:
I have become skeptical about Engineering in Nigeria

Ever since I was in secondary school, All my teachers who taught me science and mathematics are grduates of engineering, my futher math, physics, Agric ,math and chemistry teachers all had degrees ( B.Sc./B.Eng.) in Engineering. Some studied Agric engineering, civil I can still remember one who studied electrical. From FUNAAB

This got me thinking why do they end up like this, Are there no job market for graduate engineers anymore.
Mind you, I live in a highly industrialized area, where I stay, PZ Cussons, African Steel, Kimberly Clack, Dangote Flour, GB foods e.t.c all have their major facotories here..trust me there are many more but these are the highly ranked onced whom I believe many of you might be familiar with.

But when I interact with many of their engineers who work in these factories and live close to my house, I have never see any one of them who are graduates..not a single one..but they work as in engineers in these huge factories especially PZ cussons, African steel and GB foods.. they are not educated
The educated engineers with degrees, I mostly see them in private schools like mine and they earned nothing more than 28,000. They may be be extra from home teaching and the likes

While I was in SS 1, My geography teacher although didn’t study engineering but material science from FUTO (one of my dream school) and he was my teacher in his early 30s earning less than 30k..
The man who tutored me for my WAEC studied Mech.eng from UNIBEN. another tutor whom I wasn’t so close to but I got to know from colleagues that he also studied Mech.eng from Yabatech.
I know a friend whose father is a university dropout but works in Promasidor at Oshodi, they make Cowbell milk and Onga (I think).. and the father is an engineer there..I am confused, How?

I have passion for engineering but I don’t want to foolishly think that my case might be different.
Nairalanders who know a thing or two about the realities engineering in Nigeria
Please, what extra things do engineering students need to learn to ensure after graduation they are able to practice in their field or work in major manufacturing firms like I aspire.


I want to study Mechanical engineering or elect elect. I am still confused..Please I’ll really appreciate if y’all can help

othermen:
As a young fellow getting started in his career, you are doing great observing what may be prevalent.

I think young people should try to get some education about their chances- as you have or as you desire before going to the university to study any course.

You have to consider which is foremost to you- is it to have a successful career in whatever endeavour or to become a successful engineer; if it is the former, such that you are desiring a career for the success output, you may need to assess other courses aside Engineering that may provide readily available opportunities for you.

Increasingly, renowned courses like Law and Engineering needs to be re-assessed by those aspiring for a career in either. Most people are rather desiring for paid employment, when the fields actually has several opportunities to be self-employed, becoming a consulting professional or getting into some start-up.

Engineering is a wonderful course- however the formal labour market in Nigeria may not be so much great or wonderful for the discipline.

While there seem to be far limited formal opportunities for engineers than there are engineers, for those that persevere, and got opportunity to practice in their field- they often have the best outcomes in terms of prosperity when compared with other disciplines. (Check Aerospace Engineering).

There are some engineering courses that gives you significant edge in the informal labour market. Such that you can start your own enterprise right away and become an employer of labour as well. Now, the difficulty with this is the cost of start up and the competence we have instilled which is not geared towards self sufficiency or entrepreneurial spirit. Engineering, accounting or finance, medicine among others are all professional courses that don't require additional post-graduate degrees to maximise the opportunities they may afford. You just have to have right mindset of problem identification and solving to being a structural analyst.

Most engineers that went through Nigeria universities have had little exposure to practical training in Engineering. The universities have focused more on theoretical engineering- when engineering is mostly a practical course. The faculties could have been innovative in building massive workshop that can help instill the requisite skills that would propel a desirable career in most of their alumni; however they are frustrated by the nonchalance of the FG which has crushed what should be the faculty imagination.

What then is the option left to the engineer who can’t get a chance in the formal engineering labour market or who don’t have the resource for a start up?

So a civil engineer for instance could personally take on the supervision of construction or re-construction of housing units or other building structures- massive ones and the small residential ones. In many residential areas in Lagos, you have civil engineers approach owners of old building structures with great plans to pull down and reconstruct the buildings at their own cost, while such arrangement gives them some form of leasehold on the newly constructed building say a two flats now devolved into a six flats. They could have a long term leasehold on 2 of those flats. Now you don’t have to be a civil engineer to do such, you just need to have the requisite skills. However the Engineering discipline gives a confidence in such prospective customers that non-engineers approaching can offer them. Some civil engineers have made more money more than those working in Shell BP by exploring such.

Mechanical engineers on the other hand, also just need a little support to get started in the informal labour market; in sane schools- they are taught the competence to be able to design about anything. As at today, the universities may not offer as much technical skills as you may see in a polytechnic or some technical schools. The mechanical engineer must be humble enough to realize this. After getting around such, the issue then may be the cost of designing whatsoever they desire designing which may be highly demanding and in a nation that don’t support innovation, you have to look elsewhere. I know mechanical engineers that specialize in plumbing for very big building construction firms - designing and supervising the plumbing. Now, some ignorant mechanical engineers sees plumbing as a mere apprenticeship exercise, but with one’s credentials- you become even more feasible for opportunities. This is aside those, that are probably into constructions or repairs of factory machines and intensive trucks such as drilling machines.

I think ultimately in addition to what you may acquire from this thread - you have to understand that becoming successful as an engineer is a function of your own mindset. And for some people with the right mindset, it is in a place like Nigeria where several things don’t seem to work- that there are opportunities. There is no electricity / then there is a market for affordable power plans such that an electrical engineer who is innovative and adaptable can provide affordable solar energy technology to people. Get on LinkedIn, take a look at the profiles of engineers working in great firms, look at the unique skills they have, look at the career choices they have made. It could help you create your own template.

Don’t make costly assumptions based on what you may find in your immediate environment. Many of those people are products of a dysfunctional mindset or of a mindset compelled by the tragic realities of Nigeria. However if you have incorporated such reality in your methodological mindset, you should excel well in engineering or in any discipline you so choose. Those working in the manufacturing that you have interacted with are mostly products of technical education, and they provide supports and take instructions from the engineers, while those who attended universities that you interact with have little to no technical expertise. Again, if you build a methodological mindset towards your career, engineering can give you so much.

selmansee:
I have become skeptical about Engineering in Nigeria

Ever since I was in secondary school, All my teachers who taught me science and mathematics are grduates of engineering, my futher math, physics, Agric ,math and chemistry teachers all had degrees ( B.Sc./B.Eng.) in Engineering. Some studied Agric engineering, civil I can still remember one who studied electrical. From FUNAAB

This got me thinking why do they end up like this, Are there no job market for graduate engineers anymore.
Mind you, I live in a highly industrialized area, where I stay, PZ Cussons, African Steel, Kimberly Clack, Dangote Flour, GB foods e.t.c all have their major facotories here..trust me there are many more but these are the highly ranked onced whom I believe many of you might be familiar with.

But when I interact with many of their engineers who work in these factories and live close to my house, I have never see any one of them who are graduates..not a single one..but they work as in engineers in these huge factories especially PZ cussons, African steel and GB foods.. they are not educated
The educated engineers with degrees, I mostly see them in private schools like mine and they earned nothing more than 28,000. They may be be extra from home teaching and the likes

While I was in SS 1, My geography teacher although didn’t study engineering but material science from FUTO (one of my dream school) and he was my teacher in his early 30s earning less than 30k..
The man who tutored me for my WAEC studied Mech.eng from UNIBEN. another tutor whom I wasn’t so close to but I got to know from colleagues that he also studied Mech.eng from Yabatech.
I know a friend whose father is a university dropout but works in Promasidor at Oshodi, they make Cowbell milk and Onga (I think).. and the father is an engineer there..I am confused, How?

I have passion for engineering but I don’t want to foolishly think that my case might be different.
Nairalanders who know a thing or two about the realities engineering in Nigeria
Please, what extra things do engineering students need to learn to ensure after graduation they are able to practice in their field or work in major manufacturing firms like I aspire.


I want to study Mechanical engineering or elect elect. I am still confused..Please I’ll really appreciate if y’all can help

bulletproofmonk:
As a graduate of Engineering (Graduated in 2008) and worked 12/13 years in Oil and Gas, here's my advise:

1. Follow the tech route (start with software development/engineering or computer science)
2. Apply for a relatively easy 4-year course. Enroll for either ICAN/ACCA simultaneously. Upon graduation, enroll for a CFA Level 1. Choose from the multiple and juicy opportunities the finance world will bring your way - Investment Banking, Trading, Private Equity etc.

eminemkayc:
Hello,
On the contrary, there are extreme and enormous potentials for engineers generally in this country and civil engineers, in specific. As a practicing structural engineer in close to two decades with extreme competence in finite difference methods of analysis, finite element methods, application of laplace transformation to the analysis and design of dynamic equipment structures/foundations, etcetera I can confidently inform you that in a developing society like ours and elsewhere abroad, there's a huge demand for structural engineers (for e.g) in industries such as the oil and gas, power plant, telecommunications, etc. These are people who design lattice tower structures, monopole structures, girder bridges, high rise building structures, fixed jacket offshore structures, pile foundations, combined footings, raft foundation, floating and fixed jetties etc. However, to fit in, you must be quite COMPETENT in engineering analysis and design (note that those persons you mentioned in factories are technicians and NOT engineers), both manually, with the use of SELF-CREATED intelligent spreadsheets and with the use of INTERNATIONALLY-ACCEPTABLE computer aided design applications such as STAADPro, SAP2000, SACS and ETAB (not ORION) together with detailing applications such as AUTOCAD, PDMS, E3D.
Additionally, you should be competent in internationally acceptable codes of practice such as the Eurocodes (EC0-9), AISC, API, DNV, and relevant yet-to-be-wiithdrawn BS codes. The problem(s) with the Nigerian universities is that you are taught the solution of homogeneous/non-homogeneous second order differential equations either by classical methods or special operator methods without being taught its largely used applications in engineering design such as its application is structural free damped vibration of rigid bodies, forced-damped vibration via externally applied forcing functions, application in the description of ground acceleration due to seismic motions, its application in the theory of thin plates and shells like analysis of thin-walled pressurized vessels, fracture mechanics failure theories like huber-hencky-von-misces theroy, etc Engineering is applied mathematics, is sweet and once you do not know its application and cannot deploy the right tools in engineering design, you would obviously be found floating either in Nigeria of elsewhere in the world.
Finally note that the world is in deep demand of those who study and are COMPETENT in STEM-related courses and the 'E' in STEM is obviously Engineering.

othermen:
As a young fellow getting started in his career, you are doing great observing what may be prevalent.

I think young people should try to get some education about their chances- as you have or as you desire before going to the university to study any course.

You have to consider which is foremost to you- is it to have a successful career in whatever endeavour or to become a successful engineer; if it is the former, such that you are desiring a career for the success output, you may need to assess other courses aside Engineering that may provide readily available opportunities for you.

Increasingly, renowned courses like Law and Engineering needs to be re-assessed by those aspiring for a career in either. Most people are rather desiring for paid employment, when the fields actually has several opportunities to be self-employed, becoming a consulting professional or getting into some start-up.

Engineering is a wonderful course- however the formal labour market in Nigeria may not be so much great or wonderful for the discipline.

While there seem to be far limited formal opportunities for engineers than there are engineers, for those that persevere, and got opportunity to practice in their field- they often have the best outcomes in terms of prosperity when compared with other disciplines. (Check Aerospace Engineering).

There are some engineering courses that gives you significant edge in the informal labour market. Such that you can start your own enterprise right away and become an employer of labour as well. Now, the difficulty with this is the cost of start up and the competence we have instilled which is not geared towards self sufficiency or entrepreneurial spirit. Engineering, accounting or finance, medicine among others are all professional courses that don't require additional post-graduate degrees to maximise the opportunities they may afford. You just have to have right mindset of problem identification and solving to being a structural analyst.

Most engineers that went through Nigeria universities have had little exposure to practical training in Engineering. The universities have focused more on theoretical engineering- when engineering is mostly a practical course. The faculties could have been innovative in building massive workshop that can help instill the requisite skills that would propel a desirable career in most of their alumni; however they are frustrated by the nonchalance of the FG which has crushed what should be the faculty imagination.

What then is the option left to the engineer who can’t get a chance in the formal engineering labour market or who don’t have the resource for a start up?

So a civil engineer for instance could personally take on the supervision of construction or re-construction of housing units or other building structures- massive ones and the small residential ones. In many residential areas in Lagos, you have civil engineers approach owners of old building structures with great plans to pull down and reconstruct the buildings at their own cost, while such arrangement gives them some form of leasehold on the newly constructed building say a two flats now devolved into a six flats. They could have a long term leasehold on 2 of those flats. Now you don’t have to be a civil engineer to do such, you just need to have the requisite skills. However the Engineering discipline gives a confidence in such prospective customers that non-engineers approaching can offer them. Some civil engineers have made more money more than those working in Shell BP by exploring such.

Mechanical engineers on the other hand, also just need a little support to get started in the informal labour market; in sane schools- they are taught the competence to be able to design about anything. As at today, the universities may not offer as much technical skills as you may see in a polytechnic or some technical schools. The mechanical engineer must be humble enough to realize this. After getting around such, the issue then may be the cost of designing whatsoever they desire designing which may be highly demanding and in a nation that don’t support innovation, you have to look elsewhere. I know mechanical engineers that specialize in plumbing for very big building construction firms - designing and supervising the plumbing. Now, some ignorant mechanical engineers sees plumbing as a mere apprenticeship exercise, but with one’s credentials- you become even more feasible for opportunities. This is aside those, that are probably into constructions or repairs of factory machines and intensive trucks such as drilling machines.

I think ultimately in addition to what you may acquire from this thread - you have to understand that becoming successful as an engineer is a function of your own mindset. And for some people with the right mindset, it is in a place like Nigeria where several things don’t seem to work- that there are opportunities. There is no electricity / then there is a market for affordable power plans such that an electrical engineer who is innovative and adaptable can provide affordable solar energy technology to people. Get on LinkedIn, take a look at the profiles of engineers working in great firms, look at the unique skills they have, look at the career choices they have made. It could help you create your own template.

Don’t make costly assumptions based on what you may find in your immediate environment. Many of those people are products of a dysfunctional mindset or of a mindset compelled by the tragic realities of Nigeria. However if you have incorporated such reality in your methodological mindset, you should excel well in engineering or in any discipline you so choose. Those working in the manufacturing that you have interacted with are mostly products of technical education, and they provide supports and take instructions from the engineers, while those who attended universities that you interact with have little to no technical expertise. Again, if you build a methodological mindset towards your career, engineering can give you so much.



Very apt and instructive. I enjoyed this piece.

Gerrard59:
If you can't do computer science, study mathematics. Most engineering grads have ventured into tech because of the poor career prospects and low pay. Mind you, this is a global phenomenon (engineering grads pivot to finance, tech and consulting because of the meagre salaries for their jobs. Their numerical skills are a great advantage in those industries). For instance, most MBA students these days had their first degree in an engineering discipline. Additionally, you need to read the wailing by engineering grads on Reddit from all over the world especially in countries with low manufacturing contribution to the national GDP. Where engineers have great prospects are China, Japan and South Korea, but then, they earn less compared tech bros or finance grads. In Singapore, engineering grads enter the finance or tech industry because of higher salaries. Mind you, Singapore has an advanced manufacturing sector (https://www.wsj.com/articles/singapore-manufacturing-factory-automation-11655488002) with great universities and a strong math foundation for secondary school pupils.

Studying an engineering course in Nigeria that doesn't have a strong mid-tier manufacturing sector considering the plethora of universities and polytechnics offering sub-disciplines makes no sense to me. My major issue is ASUU strikes & associated internal school problems. What this means is that, your colleagues in mathematics, physics, chemistry are done while you are at risk of spending a year or two. Most developed countries don't offer five years for engineering but Nigeria does, another thing that is senseless to me.

In summary, choose mathematics or physics, make a stellar grade and japa for further studies. A lad who came pleading for travel funds on TwitterNG studied Physics both BSc and MSc and got a fully funded assistantship to do his PhD in Aeronautical Engineering. If it's tech you see yourself, computer science or mathematics will do you great help. Again, with mathematics or physics, you can can enter the finance industry.

Remember, passion cannot pay house rent or buy you food. Also, you're residing in Africa's poverty capital.

othermen:
As a young fellow getting started in his career, you are doing great observing what may be prevalent.

I think young people should try to get some education about their chances- as you have or as you desire before going to the university to study any course.

You have to consider which is foremost to you- is it to have a successful career in whatever endeavour or to become a successful engineer; if it is the former, such that you are desiring a career for the success output, you may need to assess other courses aside Engineering that may provide readily available opportunities for you.

Increasingly, renowned courses like Law and Engineering needs to be re-assessed by those aspiring for a career in either. Most people are rather desiring for paid employment, when the fields actually has several opportunities to be self-employed, becoming a consulting professional or getting into some start-up.

Engineering is a wonderful course- however the formal labour market in Nigeria may not be so much great or wonderful for the discipline.

While there seem to be far limited formal opportunities for engineers than there are engineers, for those that persevere, and got opportunity to practice in their field- they often have the best outcomes in terms of prosperity when compared with other disciplines. (Check Aerospace Engineering).

There are some engineering courses that gives you significant edge in the informal labour market. Such that you can start your own enterprise right away and become an employer of labour as well. Now, the difficulty with this is the cost of start up and the competence we have instilled which is not geared towards self sufficiency or entrepreneurial spirit. Engineering, accounting or finance, medicine among others are all professional courses that don't require additional post-graduate degrees to maximise the opportunities they may afford. You just have to have right mindset of problem identification and solving to being a structural analyst.

Most engineers that went through Nigeria universities have had little exposure to practical training in Engineering. The universities have focused more on theoretical engineering- when engineering is mostly a practical course. The faculties could have been innovative in building massive workshop that can help instill the requisite skills that would propel a desirable career in most of their alumni; however they are frustrated by the nonchalance of the FG which has crushed what should be the faculty imagination.

What then is the option left to the engineer who can’t get a chance in the formal engineering labour market or who don’t have the resource for a start up?

So a civil engineer for instance could personally take on the supervision of construction or re-construction of housing units or other building structures- massive ones and the small residential ones. In many residential areas in Lagos, you have civil engineers approach owners of old building structures with great plans to pull down and reconstruct the buildings at their own cost, while such arrangement gives them some form of leasehold on the newly constructed building say a two flats now devolved into a six flats. They could have a long term leasehold on 2 of those flats. Now you don’t have to be a civil engineer to do such, you just need to have the requisite skills. However the Engineering discipline gives a confidence in such prospective customers that non-engineers approaching can offer them. Some civil engineers have made more money more than those working in Shell BP by exploring such.

Mechanical engineers on the other hand, also just need a little support to get started in the informal labour market; in sane schools- they are taught the competence to be able to design about anything. As at today, the universities may not offer as much technical skills as you may see in a polytechnic or some technical schools. The mechanical engineer must be humble enough to realize this. After getting around such, the issue then may be the cost of designing whatsoever they desire designing which may be highly demanding and in a nation that don’t support innovation, you have to look elsewhere. I know mechanical engineers that specialize in plumbing for very big building construction firms - designing and supervising the plumbing. Now, some ignorant mechanical engineers sees plumbing as a mere apprenticeship exercise, but with one’s credentials- you become even more feasible for opportunities. This is aside those, that are probably into constructions or repairs of factory machines and intensive trucks such as drilling machines.

I think ultimately in addition to what you may acquire from this thread - you have to understand that becoming successful as an engineer is a function of your own mindset. And for some people with the right mindset, it is in a place like Nigeria where several things don’t seem to work- that there are opportunities. There is no electricity / then there is a market for affordable power plans such that an electrical engineer who is innovative and adaptable can provide affordable solar energy technology to people. Get on LinkedIn, take a look at the profiles of engineers working in great firms, look at the unique skills they have, look at the career choices they have made. It could help you create your own template.

Don’t make costly assumptions based on what you may find in your immediate environment. Many of those people are products of a dysfunctional mindset or of a mindset compelled by the tragic realities of Nigeria. However if you have incorporated such reality in your methodological mindset, you should excel well in engineering or in any discipline you so choose. Those working in the manufacturing that you have interacted with are mostly products of technical education, and they provide supports and take instructions from the engineers, while those who attended universities that you interact with have little to no technical expertise. Again, if you build a methodological mindset towards your career, engineering can give you so much.

Pilet:
A very big Scam! Don't try it. Op for Nursing or medicine, computer science or computer engineering, other than this two you are on a verge to poverty.

selmansee:
I have become skeptical about Engineering in Nigeria

Ever since I was in secondary school, All my teachers who taught me science and mathematics are grduates of engineering, my futher math, physics, Agric ,math and chemistry teachers all had degrees ( B.Sc./B.Eng.) in Engineering. Some studied Agric engineering, civil I can still remember one who studied electrical. From FUNAAB

This got me thinking why do they end up like this, Are there no job market for graduate engineers anymore.
Mind you, I live in a highly industrialized area, where I stay, PZ Cussons, African Steel, Kimberly Clack, Dangote Flour, GB foods e.t.c all have their major facotories here..trust me there are many more but these are the highly ranked onced whom I believe many of you might be familiar with.

But when I interact with many of their engineers who work in these factories and live close to my house, I have never see any one of them who are graduates..not a single one..but they work as in engineers in these huge factories especially PZ cussons, African steel and GB foods.. they are not educated
The educated engineers with degrees, I mostly see them in private schools like mine and they earned nothing more than 28,000. They may be be extra from home teaching and the likes

While I was in SS 1, My geography teacher although didn’t study engineering but material science from FUTO (one of my dream school) and he was my teacher in his early 30s earning less than 30k..
The man who tutored me for my WAEC studied Mech.eng from UNIBEN. another tutor whom I wasn’t so close to but I got to know from colleagues that he also studied Mech.eng from Yabatech.
I know a friend whose father is a university dropout but works in Promasidor at Oshodi, they make Cowbell milk and Onga (I think).. and the father is an engineer there..I am confused, How?

I have passion for engineering but I don’t want to foolishly think that my case might be different.
Nairalanders who know a thing or two about the realities engineering in Nigeria
Please, what extra things do engineering students need to learn to ensure after graduation they are able to practice in their field or work in major manufacturing firms like I aspire.


I want to study Mechanical engineering or elect elect. I am still confused..Please I’ll really appreciate if y’all can help

othermen:
As a young fellow getting started in his career, you are doing great observing what may be prevalent.

I think young people should try to get some education about their chances- as you have or as you desire before going to the university to study any course.

You have to consider which is foremost to you- is it to have a successful career in whatever


endeavour or to become a successful



engineer; if it is the former, such that you are desiring a career for the success output, you may need to assess other courses aside Engineering that may provide readily available opportunities for you.

Increasingly, renowned courses like Law and Engineering needs to be re-assessed by those aspiring for a career in either. Most people are rather desiring for paid employment, when the fields actually has several opportunities to be self-employed, becoming a consulting professional or getting into some start-up.

Engineering is a wonderful course- however the formal labour market in Nigeria may not be so much great or wonderful for the discipline.

While there seem to be far limited formal opportunities for engineers than there are engineers, for those that persevere, and got opportunity to practice in their field- they often have the best outcomes in terms of prosperity when compared with other disciplines. (Check Aerospace Engineering).

There are some engineering courses that gives you significant edge in the informal labour market. Such that you can start your own enterprise right away and become an employer of labour as well. Now, the difficulty with this is the cost of start up and the competence we have instilled which is not geared towards self sufficiency or entrepreneurial spirit. Engineering, accounting or finance, medicine among others are all professional courses that don't require additional post-graduate degrees to maximise the opportunities they may afford. You just have to have right mindset of problem identification and solving to being a structural analyst.

Most engineers that went through Nigeria universities have had little exposure to practical training in Engineering. The universities have focused more on theoretical engineering- when engineering is mostly a practical course. The faculties could have been innovative in building massive workshop that can help instill the requisite skills that would propel a desirable career in most of their alumni; however they are frustrated by the nonchalance of the FG which has crushed what should be the faculty imagination.

What then is the option left to the engineer who can’t get a chance in the formal engineering labour market or who don’t have the resource for a start up?

So a civil engineer for instance could personally take on the supervision of construction or re-construction of housing units or other building structures- massive ones and the small residential ones. In many residential areas in Lagos, you have civil engineers approach owners of old building structures with great plans to pull down and reconstruct the buildings at their own cost, while such arrangement gives them some form of leasehold on the newly constructed building say a two flats now devolved into a six flats. They could have a long term leasehold on 2 of those flats. Now you don’t have to be a civil engineer to do such, you just need to have the requisite skills. However the Engineering discipline gives a confidence in such prospective customers that non-engineers approaching can offer them. Some civil engineers have made more money more than those working in Shell BP by exploring such.

Mechanical engineers on the other hand, also just need a little support to get started in the informal labour market; in sane schools- they are taught the competence to be able to design about anything. As at today, the universities may not offer as much technical skills as you may see in a polytechnic or some technical schools. The mechanical engineer must be humble enough to realize this. After getting around such, the issue then may be the cost of designing whatsoever they desire designing which may be highly demanding and in a nation that don’t support innovation, you have to look elsewhere. I know mechanical engineers that specialize in plumbing for very big building construction firms - designing and supervising the plumbing. Now, some ignorant mechanical engineers sees plumbing as a mere apprenticeship exercise, but with one’s credentials- you become even more feasible for opportunities. This is aside those, that are probably into constructions or repairs of factory machines and intensive trucks such as drilling machines.

I think ultimately in addition to what you may acquire from this thread - you have to understand that becoming successful as an engineer is a function of your own mindset. And for some people with the right mindset, it is in a place like Nigeria where several things don’t seem to work- that there are opportunities. There is no electricity / then there is a market for affordable power plans such that an electrical engineer who is innovative and adaptable can provide affordable solar energy technology to people. Get on LinkedIn, take a look at the profiles of engineers working in great firms, look at the unique skills they have, look at the career choices they have made. It could help you create your own template.

Don’t make costly assumptions based on what you may find in your immediate environment. Many of those people are products of a dysfunctional mindset or of a mindset compelled by the tragic realities of Nigeria. However if you have incorporated such reality in your methodological mindset, you should excel well in engineering or in any discipline you so choose. Those working in the manufacturing that you have interacted with are mostly products of technical education, and they provide supports and take instructions from the engineers, while those who attended universities that you interact with have little to no technical expertise. Again, if you build a methodological mindset towards your career, engineering can give you so much.

othermen:
As a young fellow getting started in his career, you are doing great observing what may be prevalent.

I think young people should try to get some education about their chances- as you have or as you desire before going to the university to study any course.

You have to consider which is foremost to you- is it to have a successful career in whatever endeavour or to become a successful engineer; if it is the former, such that you are desiring a career for the success output, you may need to assess other courses aside Engineering that may provide readily available opportunities for you.

Increasingly, renowned courses like Law and Engineering needs to be re-assessed by those aspiring for a career in either. Most people are rather desiring for paid employment, when the fields actually has several opportunities to be self-employed, becoming a consulting professional or getting into some start-up.

Engineering is a wonderful course- however the formal labour market in Nigeria may not be so much great or wonderful for the discipline.

While there seem to be far limited formal opportunities for engineers than there are engineers, for those that persevere, and got opportunity to practice in their field- they often have the best outcomes in terms of prosperity when compared with other disciplines. (Check Aerospace Engineering).

There are some engineering courses that gives you significant edge in the informal labour market. Such that you can start your own enterprise right away and become an employer of labour as well. Now, the difficulty with this is the cost of start up and the competence we have instilled which is not geared towards self sufficiency or entrepreneurial spirit. Engineering, accounting or finance, medicine among others are all professional courses that don't require additional post-graduate degrees to maximise the opportunities they may afford. You just have to have right mindset of problem identification and solving to being a structural analyst.

Most engineers that went through Nigeria universities have had little exposure to practical training in Engineering. The universities have focused more on theoretical engineering- when engineering is mostly a practical course. The faculties could have been innovative in building massive workshop that can help instill the requisite skills that would propel a desirable career in most of their alumni; however they are frustrated by the nonchalance of the FG which has crushed what should be the faculty imagination.

What then is the option left to the engineer who can’t get a chance in the formal engineering labour market or who don’t have the resource for a start up?

So a civil engineer for instance could personally take on the supervision of construction or re-construction of housing units or other building structures- massive ones and the small residential ones. In many residential areas in Lagos, you have civil engineers approach owners of old building structures with great plans to pull down and reconstruct the buildings at their own cost, while such arrangement gives them some form of leasehold on the newly constructed building say a two flats now devolved into a six flats. They could have a long term leasehold on 2 of those flats. Now you don’t have to be a civil engineer to do such, you just need to have the requisite skills. However the Engineering discipline gives a confidence in such prospective customers that non-engineers approaching can offer them. Some civil engineers have made more money more than those working in Shell BP by exploring such.

Mechanical engineers on the other hand, also just need a little support to get started in the informal labour market; in sane schools- they are taught the competence to be able to design about anything. As at today, the universities may not offer as much technical skills as you may see in a polytechnic or some technical schools. The mechanical engineer must be humble enough to realize this. After getting around such, the issue then may be the cost of designing whatsoever they desire designing which may be highly demanding and in a nation that don’t support innovation, you have to look elsewhere. I know mechanical engineers that specialize in plumbing for very big building construction firms - designing and supervising the plumbing. Now, some ignorant mechanical engineers sees plumbing as a mere apprenticeship exercise, but with one’s credentials- you become even more feasible for opportunities. This is aside those, that are probably into constructions or repairs of factory machines and intensive trucks such as drilling machines.

I think ultimately in addition to what you may acquire from this thread - you have to understand that becoming successful as an engineer is a function of your own mindset. And for some people with the right mindset, it is in a place like Nigeria where several things don’t seem to work- that there are opportunities. There is no electricity / then there is a market for affordable power plans such that an electrical engineer who is innovative and adaptable can provide affordable solar energy technology to people. Get on LinkedIn, take a look at the profiles of engineers working in great firms, look at the unique skills they have, look at the career choices they have made. It could help you create your own template.

Don’t make costly assumptions based on what you may find in your immediate environment. Many of those people are products of a dysfunctional mindset or of a mindset compelled by the tragic realities of Nigeria. However if you have incorporated such reality in your methodological mindset, you should excel well in engineering or in any discipline you so choose. Those working in the manufacturing that you have interacted with are mostly products of technical education, and they provide supports and take instructions from the engineers, while those who attended universities that you interact with have little to no technical expertise. Again, if you build a methodological mindset towards your career, engineering can give you so much.

Read4rmthend:
Am a Mechanical engineering graduate and I have been working with my degree since 3 years I went for NYSC and my job experience now include two multinationals.

I don't have time to begin list merits and demerits but I will give you for free some advices I wished someone gave me.

1) when you decide to continue being a Mechanical engineer ,take your studies seriously .leave the girls, the flexing, the sex, the buzz of uni live focus on your academia alone and graduate with the best available grade .one of the easiest way of leaving this hard shores to Europe or America is getting a first class degree in engineering -cultivate close relationship with decent lecturers and the intelligent guys in uni.

2) while at uni ,pick up skills like programming (python,c++), web design , graphics design etc. One of major regrets is abandoning web design half way through.While I am meaningfully employed now,I know fellas recking in close to half a million a month from ICT in Nigeria .

3)As a mechanical engineer ,you need to go for professional certification And courses like HSE, Quality control measurement and instrumentation . HSE 1-3 is enough to apply for a post of safety officer in companies in Nigeria thereby giving yourself an extra edge. If possible run a 3 month program in a qualified mechanic,HVAC,or heavy duty engine workshop to gain practical knowledge.

4) work on your dressing and confidence. Take chances. I literally walked into an expatriate logistics company in the East after the covid period, I told the workshop manager that I was a graduate looking for placement in his automobile workshop . He told me there wasn't a vacancy ,I said that's ok I was willing to work for free as long as I picked up a skill or two. And I did work deligently for free for almost 4 months. Experience gained there helped me get employed in another multinational firm into glass production.I have also received 2 employment offers from them each one bigger than the former and I might just accept the 3rd if it comes.

The point is fortune favors the brave. Goodluck on you journey and once again pls ignore the girls for now

trueSeeker01:
go learn work forget about school my grand pa was an engineer at big company in my state. his employer even took him to london to fix engines for them the old man did not attend any university may his soul continue to rest in peace

jesmond3945:
I think Engineering is a problem solving degree. We have need for Engineers and their services in Nigeria. However, the system is in a big mess. There is so much corruption. For example the 18 billion that was used to clear bush would have engaged at least 100k engineers for 6 months. Do you know how much government would have generated from the value chain? So thats the problem. Now as an engineer there are skills you have to build in order to break even. You need the theoretical know how which the University teaches. You need technical which you learn from internship, on the street, on your own and so on. You need marketing skills to sell yourself. You need political skills to engage government to take notice of your craft. However, most graduates stop at the first part thats why they end up as teachers. Those who reach the last part are the ones who are balling.
Finally, the engineering family in Nigeria is only on paper. If I am an Engineer and I get a billion naira contract, I am supposed to look for my fellow Engineers to do the job likewise you getting a contract and bringing me onboard. But what we see is sabotage. They prefer to bring foreigners and unqualified people.
The political class and the elite dont value our engineers, a good example is the Dangote refinery were indians ran the show. Imagine indians running the show in your country.
My advise Op is to go for Engineering but try and get IT skills especially programming.
With a programming skill you dont need a political and you need some marketing skill in order to monetize your craft.

Max247:
Can you design with Autocad MEP or Revit

eminemkayc:
Hello,
On the contrary, there are extreme and enormous potentials for engineers generally in this country and civil engineers, in specific. As a practicing structural engineer in close to two decades with extreme competence in finite difference methods of analysis, finite element methods, application of laplace transformation to the analysis and design of dynamic equipment structures/foundations, etcetera I can confidently inform you that in a developing society like ours and elsewhere abroad, there's a huge demand for structural engineers (for e.g) in industries such as the oil and gas, power plant, telecommunications, etc. These are people who design lattice tower structures, monopole structures, girder bridges, high rise building structures, fixed jacket offshore structures, pile foundations, combined footings, raft foundation, floating and fixed jetties etc. However, to fit in, you must be quite COMPETENT in engineering analysis and design (note that those persons you mentioned in factories are technicians and NOT engineers), both manually, with the use of SELF-CREATED intelligent spreadsheets and with the use of INTERNATIONALLY-ACCEPTABLE computer aided design applications such as STAADPro, SAP2000, SACS and ETAB (not ORION) together with detailing applications such as AUTOCAD, PDMS, E3D.
Additionally, you should be competent in internationally acceptable codes of practice such as the Eurocodes (EC0-9), AISC, API, DNV, and relevant yet-to-be-wiithdrawn BS codes. The problem(s) with the Nigerian universities is that you are taught the solution of homogeneous/non-homogeneous second order differential equations either by classical methods or special operator methods without being taught its largely used applications in engineering design such as its application is structural free damped vibration of rigid bodies, forced-damped vibration via externally applied forcing functions, application in the description of ground acceleration due to seismic motions, its application in the theory of thin plates and shells like analysis of thin-walled pressurized vessels, fracture mechanics failure theories like huber-hencky-von-misces theroy, etc Engineering is applied mathematics, is sweet and once you do not know its application and cannot deploy the right tools in engineering design, you would obviously be found floating either in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world.
Finally note that the world is in deep demand of those who study and are COMPETENT in STEM-related courses and the 'E' in STEM is obviously Engineering.