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I'm aware of quite a few people in the US and the UK who have been very successful in their careers as IT consultants/software programmers etc., without having completed formal university education.  In the I.T. industry, experience is key.  From the Naija perspective, I have a friend who dropped out of University many years ago and started his own web-designing firm.  Before he eventually left Naija for the U.S. he was doing very well indeed.  He had acquired some rather high profile clients and had a few people working for him.

I think you should try to build up more practical experience and approach potential employers/clients on this basis.

I'm shocked that people still offer as low as N15,000 as a graduate starting salary in Naija.    That said,  I agree with dwonder's post.  Sometimes you've just got to take a little bit of the brown smelly stuff in order to get where you want to!

Let the tests commence! About time too!

Well, I'm proud to say that I put in the lion's share towards my wedding, though my lovely wife did contribute as well . I was not shy to accept extra help from the in-laws and my parents. Pride fit kill person o! I believe it's a manly thing for the guy to fund the wedding, but funds in themselves (for the wedding) should not stop the couple from getting together if the wife is more able to assist. It's risky, though, (in my humble opinion). I think as men we're more likely to get more respect if we are in a position to pay up!

Here's food for thought (apologies if anyone's already pointed this out): I think in some cultures, e.g. England and parts of America, it's the bride's family who are responsible for planning and paying for the wedding. Not sure how many still follow this tradition, but isn't it weird how things can be so different in different places?

I went there a year ago to get a passport for my wife. The fun started with a phone call to the place. I had hardly asked my question when someone barked back:

"It's on the website! It's on the website! Check the website!" Actually, my question was not answered on the website, as the guy on the other end of line eventually realised.

The visit was quite an experience for my wife and I! I really didn't expect what I saw; it was hot and uncomfortable, the staff were not the most friendly I've ever encountered and the whole show was disorganised. The service was veeeery slow, in my opinion, due to the extremely casual manner in which the staff carried out their duties.

I recall one guy shouting something like, "Are we animals here? This is an international high commission!" The fact that he felt the need to shout that in the first place saddened me.

Personally, I don't think exams are a good test of knoweldge, but agree that we have no real option to exams.  I have known many people who are very skilled/knowledgeable in their chosen fields, but tend to perform averagely (or even poorly) in exams.  This could be down to poor exam technique or nerves, not a lack of knowledge.

When all is said and done, potential employers need a way to select from the vast field of applicants, and exams are the best solution our society has come up with so far.  An imperfect system, but by and large it gets the job done.

I'm affected on some level, though I try to see past a lot of the marketing tricks. For example, a particular type of ice cream advertised during the summer is likely to make me want to buy that when next I want ice cream. However, on the whole I don't think I'm consciously affected by most adverts.