By Olanrewaju Sodiq:
This is, honestly, one of the few articles I happen to be all smiles while writing. A beautiful smile indicates happiness right? Of course I am happy. Happy that Nigerian youths have finally realized the need to try life outside the mundane “College/University education alone solves all” ideology. An ideology that has been in existence since time immemorial; pre-installed in the minds and brains of many, by parents, guardians, predecessors, unwarranted need to “fit-in”, the society, and lots more.
Recent outbursts on Nigeria’s largest online forum, www.nairaland.com (hereinafter Nairaland) by youths, who seem to have been augustly visited by the supposedly unavoidable friend one could ever have -a friend who’s dreaded by all, a friend that preaches nothing but the truth- “Mr. Reality”, incited this write-up. Or perhaps, let me say the fact that having a career has been successfully differentiated from having a job, served as an inspiration too. Just to inform those who don’t know, www.diffen.com definition of career goes thus: Career is the pursuit of a “lifelong ambition” or the general course of progression towards lifelong goals. Job, still as reported by diffen.com, is an activity through which an individual can earn money.
It is a regular activity in exchange of payment. If, by chance, you still hold the opinion that rants by these “fed-up” youths are overrated, I strongly recommend a rethink. Have you ever wondered why there seem to be an increasing number of online job search portal? Or why there are numerous job scam tales? Maybe you should count the number of times you've come across a job acquisition testimony and do a numerical comparison. Still not convinced? A trip to a nearby bookstore should do the magic. Make enquiries on how many copies of “Interview Questions & Answers” and other job acquisition related books are sold weekly. Only then, you can understand their plight.
This, in a sense, is for that Joe who has been labelled as lazy by friends, family and almost everyone he relates with. The Joe that pictures reading 2 pages of any book as cumbersome. That Joe who has decided to add the present situation of Job in the country and the newly-found ideology about school to his library of excuses of being unsuccessful in any field. Suli Breaks defined success as a ladder, which only few of us will find, and even less of us will have the strength to climb; afraid of the prospect of spending our whole life climbing. Also, the phrase “Readers are Leaders” is one that has profound meaning than the three words it embodies.
A genuine leader reads till the soul gets separated from the body, till his name get written in gold in the book of history. For only those who read are the ones being read about. This is for that lass currently topping the class. Your aunt gave you an inkling of the pathetic state of the job market, now all you want to do is lose hope and give up? Trust me, you won’t love the taste of regret. Reality only requires you to put your eggs in some other baskets, not leaving everything in one. Or worse still, throw the whole eggs away. Do not let the wheel of someone else’s life steer yours, don’t let their failure story get the best of you.
They can say what they want but don't let that distract you from achieving your goals. This is also for that Unemployed graduate, that sleeps and wakes right next to his curriculum vitae. That graduate who has walked round the whole city of Lagos, made a million phone calls to family, friends and even foes. Dear brother, this is not the time to shred that CV into tiny pieces. It’s just a “trying time”; every human experience one. Rather, it’s the time to explore, time to try something new. Lower you ego and meet that friend who once offered to tutor you on Programming, or that aunt that own a fashion design outlet. Trust me, they’ll definitely understand. I can also see that lady friend of mine who has a long list of ex-classmates working as employees for top companies in the Banking and Oil sector. Hey miss, this is definitely not the perfect time to establish a comparison chart of your life and theirs in your head.
In fact, there’s no perfect time for such. Fate still exists in the dictionary just because it is real. It exists, and forever will! In the words of Winston S. Churchill, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”. That comparison mindset you have is, literally, that dog you’re wasting your stones(time) on. Instead, you should use those stones to build the Rome you had always wanted to have. Write more aptitude tests, put in more effort because sometimes, only one more effort is required to break that jinx. This is also for that 23 year old, who seem to be considering making a U-turn on the decision to further his education; going for masters. All because a friend gave you the numbers of unemployed person possessing a masters degree according to some false figures from gullible peoples' Bureau of Statistics? I really urge you to think twice.
If possible, thrice. Did the friend give you figures on successful people in possession of a masters degree? No he can’t; because they’re uncountable! You desire the degree to better yourself, right? Then for the sake of you, please don’t turn. Think about it, if everyone was an entrepreneur, who will treat you when the illness comes? Who will teach your kids the right use of words? Who will fix your car when it breaks down on the way to your wedding? Think.
On a concluding note, while the fact that one could get inspired in the wrong way is profoundly undermined, the need to always check what works best for one, I strongly advise. Fingers will forever remain unequal, pebbles in a tonne of stones, also, aren’t equal. Engineers, Cobblers, Teachers, Drivers, Scientists, Students, Employed, Unemployed, Entrepreneurs, Lawyers etc. possess the power to change the world; because it all boils down to the person(s) with the best ideas. Again, in the words of Suli Breaks, “Google was once a scrap of codes, Skyscrapers were once slabs of stones”. Ideas are life changing. Sometimes all you need to open that door is one more good idea. Old ideas saved the world, current one sustained it, but only the crazy ones will change it.
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