₦airaland Forum

Chiscomax:
you want to judge now shey. what he is bluntly saying is that countries without crude/natural resources put more effort in their educational system. read his post again abeg




according to what he posted, he said;



"By, contrast, says Schleicher, “in countries with little in the way of natural resources — Finland, Singapore or Japan — education has strong outcomes and a high status, at least in part because the public at large has understood that the country must live by its knowledge and skills and that these depend on the quality of education. ... Every parent and child in these countries knows that skills will decide the life chances of the child and nothing else is going to rescue them, so they build a whole culture and education system around it.”

yemstok:
Nice thread o.p, but that won't stop my dream of working in an oil&gas firm.

I've learnt Never to measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.

Every height is attainable it all depends on ur attitude towards it.

#teamEngineering

patrickkkk:
Exactly, you on point. The engineers of our generation are not driven by passion or interest for the job rather driven by comfort e.g fat salary. Am afraid it will only get worse as long as we continue to have wrong people for the engineering profession.

Cutehector4u:
Who is this human being dats sayn dat oil and gas engineers sit down in d office doin nohin and at the end of the day they will collect 1.2million naira... R u crazy?

bushdoc9919:
Another commonsense post on Nairaland!

If our engineers did what the OP is proposing...Nigeria will beome an industrial superpower.

But Nigerians want their share of the oil candy at eight am every morning, thank you very much.

Oil is a CURSE.

(p.s-1.2million naira a month? Are you kidding me?)

lomomike:
Feraz, I'm glad you brought this topic up. Its an eye opener and I'm glad about that. I believe this is a wake up call to everyone out there to set sail, achieve something, do something you'll be remembered for. The reason why politicians and job employers still play pranks with graduate and why some of our graduates are looked down upon is because they felt they've studied hard, and now its time to enjoy government money or white collar jobs. This is a worrying trend because I know engineers and other technical based experts are suppose to be on the field coordinating things think deeply and create new things, bring up new innovative stuffs rather than justling for Bank jobs, oil and gas company jobs or other jobs.
I have a friend who is a 1st class engineer still carrying certificates and jumping from one interview to another seeking white collar job. The last time I spoke with him I told him its not where you are employed that matter, what matters is what's your vision, to be a slave or a master, you've got to choose.
Now folks would criticize me for saying out there in the developed world there's no much opportunity to start up something new, grow, expand and become a force to be reckoned with. But trust me, there are much more people in the developed society who are much more experienced than you, have much more at their disposal than you. You are at a greater disadvantage because you're an alien, you're not part of their government's plan. The only advantage you have there is favourable policies.
I recalled back then when I dropped my resignation letter at my parents firm because I wanted to start achieving my dream of going into the building construction industry. They were shocked and offended. But today, I am doing better than they expected.


To you youth corpers, I learnt you guys are now forced to learn Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurial Development (SAED) think well, don't underestimate that scheme use that NYSC/SAED scheme to your benefit. Get to know more people, acquire as much skills as you can, save some cash, start up something when you're done. Be your employer start from somewhere.

To you Engineers, architects, builders, teachers, scientists, etc wake up stop dreaming and wasting time thinking about working in shell, instead think about how to make a name for your self, carve a niche and people would rush come find you. Let Dangote, MRS oil, mittal steel co pvt., microsoft, globacom, etc be an inspiration for you to break sail and don't let anything, anyone kill your dream. If you can dream it, you can be it.

I just had to write this to encourage people to achieve something.

Suley316:

You should be in your late 20s or early 30s yet you don't behave like one

If you want to defend your 1.2 mill do so but you don't to be aggressive

Adiwana:
Op,you're right but who no want better life..my big couz who studied mech.eng. Works in schulmberg in Kenya..last he was working in port,anoder london,anoder Netherland,anoder Dubia&so on..he changes cars like clothes..he recently refused to wed in my villa,cos he has rich frends in port who go gve him smth,i hav never seen him in my life time enter bus&many more is what hes life has been since he entered oil/gas sector&you want me to finsh my education&come dey invent wat?thats wat Nigeria is for you

iCool:
lool, I understand your anger but it wasn't necessary.

I just viewed the post from the angle of a Drilling engineer, only the high blood pressure associated with delivering a well successfully warrants him requesting for a 5m monthly salary.

naijababe:
Trust me sweetheart, leadership is everything. Human beings are essentially like sheep, we all like to think we are different but all we do is follow the herd. Hitler, Franklin, Bello, Awolowo, Ojukwu, Babangida, Steve Jobs..........all leaders who changed the fortune of millions.

There can only be bad follower-ship if good leadership is present, in the latter's absence, there is only follower-ship.

Feraz:
Thank you oh!
1. The amount there is just an assumption and not a fact.
2. That is the mentality some undergraduates have.
3. I appealed and said 'if there's anything I am ignorant about in the above write-up, please, do correct me as I am still acquiring knowledge'.

Pavore9:
Hmm.any engineering student who dreams sitting in an office doing nothing most of the time awaiting his salary alert is a waste of human resource where there are so much to achieve as their simple ideas & innovations can bring change to communities!

Pavore9:
Hmm.any engineering student who dreams sitting in an office doing nothing most of the time awaiting his salary alert is a waste of human resource where there are so much to achieve as their simple ideas & innovations can bring change to communities!

Elxandre:
Become a credible inventor, and you earn what he has been gathering up all these years in a shorter while if you are lucky.

Inventing isn't for the meek hearted though, as the rewards may tarry, but will be worth it when they come through.

There is no wrong in getting a job initially though, as you need money to start off in life, especially if you are from a not too rich family.

freshjayy:
First the regulatory bodies of engineering in Nigeria is a waste especially the so called NSE that does not know more dan collecting money from Nigerians and forgetting why they were created in the first place.
Secondly am an engineer in the power sector and I must say government no try, no motivation, no training, poor salary. I schooled in the UK and I know how very attractive the Power jobs are. The government is only paying attention to oil and one day that oil go finish and we would see what next.
We need a government for the future that can harness the potentials of very bright Nigerians not dem PDP that are enriching demselves

Feraz:
It is a well-known fact that when the average Nigerian undergraduate studying Engineering is asked what path of career to choose from after leaving school, the person echoes “Oil/gas”. When you ask the person the reason for choosing that path, they have various reasons majorly being the pay for entry level is very attractive and other reasons like “the stress in the oil/gas industries is not much compared to other professions. Imagine sitting in the office most times doing nothing and at the end of the month, your phone rings and you see alert of N1.2m. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live the good life? Hahaha!!!” and it gets you wondering what good life? Is it a life where you provide your own water supply, your own security, your own electricity etc.? Is that what one terms a good life?

From the above, one wonders if the only branch of Engineering being studied in Nigeria is Petroleum Engineering. In my varsity, there are various branches which include – Mechanical, Electrical/Electronics, Civil, Chemical, Computer, Petroleum and Production Engineering. The same can be said of other universities in Nigeria as some offer other branches of Engineering in addition to the above. If various branches of Engineering is being offered, then why the oil/gas mentality? We have so focused in the oil/gas industries thereby leaving other branches to go comatose.

According to Wikipedia, Engineering is defined thus “Engineering (from Latin ingenium, meaning "cleverness" and ingeniare, meaning "to contrive, devise" is the application of scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, and improve structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes”. From the above definition, it is seen that Engineering goes beyond the oil/gas industries.

Here is an excerpt from Greatman5’s post and I quote – He also goes ahead to say (Apologies to my friends in the Medical fields. I mean no disrespect to your noble profession).

Looking at Mechanical Engineering for example as that is my field, there are fields to specialize in like Robotics, Aerospace, Aeronautics, Energy, Automobile, Automotive, Marine etc. but you wonder why we do not have so many firms that focus on the above listed. Just recently, India joined the leagues of nations that have sent space probes to Mars and you wonder, where are the Mechanical Engineers in Nigeria? This same country also make various machines and export to nations and it was not long they started doing all these. USA has the likes of NASA, Boeing and other Engineering firms not related to the oil/gas industry. Japan the same with Toyota, Nissan, Kawasaki Heavy Industries etc. What about South Korea? We use their product Hyundai and they also design and build ships for nations. These are just few examples and they all have one thing in common, they are not related to the oil/gas industries. What crime is it if we as Mechanical Engineers come together and create our technology to match our climate while designing also, for other nations?

We may cite Innoson, ANAMCO and other firms the government has allowed to set up industries in Nigeria as examples but is that enough? We are well aware of the power issues we face as a nation. Energy development is still in its infancy stage in the country so why must we kill ourselves looking for a career in the oil/gas industry? Energy is the second most lucrative industry in the world after oil/gas so whatever happened to advancing this sector? This is time for us to come together and develop our power sector instead of relying on others to do so for us. We have the resources to push for constant power supply and other means of using energy but why is it not so? What of the ergonomics aspect of Engineering? Or do we think the way we seat and relax aren’t thought about? The chairs we use in the office, who do we think design them?

How about having firms in Nigeria that can rival that of Lockheed Martins, Rolls-Royce and co? Producing just engines to power automobiles (planes, cars, trains etc.) could employ nothing less than 10, 000. If opportunities abound in these, why do we rush for the oil/gas industries? Is it wrong to have a stake in the International Space Station? We always want to work in the oil/gas industry forgetting that some of the equipment needed there is designed and manufactured by the Mechanical Engineers. Just some days ago, we heard of the Dockwise Blue Marlin and opened our mouths in awe. Was that vessel not built by Engineers who saw a need for improving the transportation of water bodies instead of wanting to work in the oil/gas industry?

We should also not forget the bio-medical field where equipment like Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI, CT, Ultrasound machine, X-ray machine, Anesthetic machine etc. are designed to specifications, taking into consideration the materials to be used for the above since it deals with life which are all manufactured by the different branches of Engineering (components like the controls, the nuts, bolts, gears, shafts, the programming aspect of it, the micro-controllers to be embedded etc.)

Coming down to other fields like Elect/Elect, Computer and others, is it a crime if Nigeria is known to produce the best chips, processors and fiber optics cables in the world? When are we going to have our own Silicon Valley? What about having a large conglomerate like Schneider? What about aspiring to be like Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer etc.? We all use their phone – Samsung, even argue about how it is better than Nokia and we are yet to make one. I have a friend, my set mate who is already thinking of setting up her own electronics firm and believe me, with dedication to it, she’s going to be big.

The Civil Engineering in Nigeria is one field I must commend as they have tried as can be seen in the various constructions they are involved in but it still not enough. I believe we can still take this branch of Engineering higher by designing and constructing buildings that will make the world wow at our structures.

There was a topic I created about students’ inventions and check all; none has to do with oil/gas. What they all invented is something the world will come to later appreciate; inventions like 3D nail polish, the odorless toilet, the spidey suit, the gel that stops blood flow, the nail polish that tells if your drink is spiked etc. and they are all undergraduates.

Most times, we tend to insult our brothers across the Niger River but most are self-employed and not roaming the streets with this oil/gas mentality making things that we need. Things ranging from clothes to shoes to spare parts (we say it is substandard but have we ever thought of getting into this business and forming a firm while raising production to international standards instead of castigating them? I am not encouraging substandard products by the way).

And do not get me started with the supposed Engineering bodies – COREN and NSE of which I honestly do not see their functions in Nigeria except to depend on government handout and bribe while forgetting their primary function which is to advance Engineering in Nigeria. I have not seen or heard of any event being sponsored by them to aid students’ interest in the field of Engineering. Check the contents of both websites and tell me what you think. Check the contents of the Energy Dept. of Nigeria. No news on innovation except the never-ending promises of the government.

If we really must advance Engineering in Nigeria, we need to do away with the mentality of working only in the oil/gas industry and focus on other aspects of Engineering that will help us solve the numerous problems we as a nation have; which will put us in the developed nations of the world while according us the respect we deserve and this in turn will make our African brothers pick up and realize their potentials reducing wars and dependency on aids being offered us by nations.

N.B: Apologies for any typos here as this was written under the influence of garri and egusi soup. Also, for anything I am ignorant about in the above write-up, please, do correct me as I am still acquiring knowledge. Then again, I am not generalizing in the above write-up neither am I saying one should not work in the oil/gas sector because every branch of Engineering is needed in the sector. Thank you.

Feraz:
The write-up was not aimed at discouraging people from working in the O & G sector or pursuing a career there, but to enlighten most of us of the opportunities we have left to waste away in the other fields of Engineering.

ndcide:
@op,

you should know that the oil and gas sector seem to be the only truly functioning engineering sector. close to it, is IT and telecom. the power sector has not woken up as it should. We know the government is trying to do something in the power and automotive sectors hopefully things will change.


In career, there must be rewards. I mean financial rewards. remove the financial reward in oil and gas and it'll start crawling. in career people experience burnouts; the finance keeps you going. Money motivates. Our systems looks down on engineering jobs. how many engineers really earn well. In my organization, we have lots of incompetent folks in the office doing nothing, but earn better than the engineers. some are giving official cars yet the engineer who do the core jobs are not well compensated. Again, money is a motivator. Remove the money in politics and see people uninterested.

put money in a sector and tell me if it wouldn't do well with committed individuals. I've seen a Germany trained Nigerian engineer going into buying and supplies. He needs to pay his bills. You can't pay HR officer 120k and pay and engineer 60k in what supposed to be an engineering organization.


guy think am na......

I'd rather go into the oil and gas. That's the sector that values engineers.


You can't be talking of technology advancement when the careers is not rewarding financially.


Put money in palm wine tapping, and that will be the biggest profession in the world, with daily research and innovations in it.

naijareferee:
Feraz... Nice Topic

But i have a few questions for you

1. |Did you finish from a school of technology or just a conventional engineering school?
2. If u did, have you ever taken time to go to the workshop archives of your school
3. what did you design or invent as your final year project
4. Do you think it is lack of innovation that push people into oil and gas
5. For the time you spent in school, has a government ever paid attention to your school final projects


I know your write up is deep and consciously you want to make a difference... But have you asked yourself what it takes to make a difference. The INNOSON you sited as example, Are u aware of the economic hardship he went through, during Obasanjos tenure. Do you know how long ago he would have started his plant. Do you know the hardship people who wants to make a difference (like those you mentioned across the Niger) go through before they become self employed and sustained.
In fact, do you know how much is budgeted for research and whose pocket it ends up in NIGERIA, in comparison to India.

The enabling environment has to be created, If u have to create one....then you must lean the ropes

N.B. A faculty mate created a fridge and an oven combo....they work inter-changeably using the just one power source, today it lies in the store of my schools workshop.

majekdom2:
leadership is key .. but Nigerians see leadership positions in a wrong way ... a leader is never successful without good followers ... thats why the success of any team is not just about the leader but also its members ... why do you think fashola is advocating lagosians to think right and always act right ... we need such people who see government as a team work.

naijababe:
We don't have true leaders in Nigeria now, we only have charlatans and egomaniac and power drunk ar5eh0les

nwanna89:
The major reason we cannot develop those industries in nigeria is funding. A lot of nigerians have bright ideas, but our banks and our govt never funds them. Research in universities are not funded properly either

CFCfan:
That's why I believe the Nigerian economy will only truly "take off" when interest rates are in the single digits. This would free up more funds for the creation of more businesses, and which would in turn, create more jobs.

naijababe:
Selling off the power sector is a good thing, unless we are truly fu-cked it should make a tremendous difference soon enough. In fact, the less in the hand of the government the better