Nigeria is a blessed country with naturally endowed skills and thoughts. Nigeria had produced the world and African best in career over years. It is a privilege for you to belong. In history of Africa and West Africa in particular, Nigeria had the first pharmacist, the first lawyer, the first business tycoon and so on. I know you will make the list also. The world is never complete without our expertise in field of career. To date, Nigerians are still excelling in career despite her odd environment and few social amenities. Nevertheless, I wrote this chapter to encourage you despite the pains and fears that surround choice of career in Nigeria. Let's look into problems associated with career development in NigeriaPolitical And Professional Corrupt Practices
Since the birth of Nigeria, the tussle to lead the country fills the air, and anyone and everyone wants to be part, just to serve but to acquire wealth and leave the scene. Not only in politics, the professionals in companies and institutions also are guilty of all kinds of corruption. It is the normal system in Nigeria for dishonest people. All that should be used for development is spent on themselves and families. Anyone who comes up to sanitize the institution will be trapped unjustly. Nevertheless, you must pursue your career to sustain positive change and honest practice in Nigeria and beyond.
Inadequate And Old Facilities For Tertiary Institutions
Most universities and polytechnics have facilities that were installed from the premier point of the school. This challenge will surely affect career development for some students. The schools admit thousands of student to combat for few and old facilities on ground. Nevertheless, you can still strive hard to be one of the best in the school despite the dilapidating state of our school structures and facilities.
Incessant Labour Strikes
The history of Nigerian schools is not complete without mentioning labour strike. This menace saps the strength to pursue career in Nigeria when students are spending meaningless years in school than necessary. The labour fight for right. The government keeps promising but the students keep suffering. Meanwhile many private universities have used the opportunity to gain ground and save the education section from crumbling to dust. Nevertheless, you must keep your career alive in this terrain.
Unstable Educational Policies
Every time a new government emerges, new educational policies come up. It was 6.3.3.4 system before, but now it is 1.6.3.3.4. Every policy has gain and pain. It favours some people while others suffer. The old programmes of tertiary institution have not been reviewed to give room for modern development in career. Nevertheless, you need to read wide within and beyond curriculum. If policies change, you remain unchanged in your dream career.
Blinking Future For Career Growth An Practice
The dream of anyone that pursues career is to practice one day. However, Nigerians with power have hijacked the top with act of nepotism, bad policies and irregular structures. Many successful career men and women who have pledged loyalty to serve fled the scene due to corrupt offer of inferior service for huge money. For example, a civil engineer knows what to do in constructing good road but the contract will be sideline and cut to penny and still expect good road. It is impossible. Nevertheless, you must stand your ground to sustain good service in your career.
Exposure To Career Hazard Without Sustainable Insurance Policy
Some careers/professions have work hazard that can reduce or stop one's productivity due to loss of health or disability. Many have lost their pursuit when there is no active and prompt insurance scheme for them. Whatever you wish to go for, count the cost and the risk embedded. Nigeria has lost some of her labour forces to foreign business men who care less about the life after hazard of labourers. As a student, try to understand your dream career and start to strategize positive and safety caution for your career.
No Space For Career Youngsters On The Top
It is in Nigeria that old and potential retired workers refuse to leave the scene for young ones. After retirement, they still seek contract appointment. The career development needs upward flow from rear to the front. Nigeria has old and active professionals whose dreams are to outlive many generations. Nevertheless, you must strive hard to discover new things that will retire the old and allow the youngsters to appreciate intuition in career.
Other problems are: analogue versus digital - when old ways of doing things in career compete with modern days discovery. Scholarship and grants are for few privilege ones in Nigeria. First hand employment is always for Nigerians who schooled abroad. Lastly, Nigeria does not often celebrate her career celebrities. This is the scenario of career development in Nigeria.
As a Nigerian student, you are expected to create a strong and sustainable environment for yourself as you study and learn so that the negative environmental effect of society will not affect your dream. You are to study hard to beat the precedence record. You are to calculate the risk involved, reasons to endure, right to uphold, rough road to go through and the glorious reigns to share from.
The challenges of career in Nigeria can be solved through your commitment and hardworking to pursue your dream career when you get to the top. Let me shock you: anyone who studies and graduates excellently in Nigerian schools in order to pursue a career will be at the top in any tertiary institution around the world because our learning environment is tough and rough. There is a saying that, “Tough time never last but tough people do”. However, I can also say, “Tough country produces tough people to solve tough problems that world nations cannot solve. Nigeria is still the best place to be if you understand yourself and the career. Going abroad to school without having first taste of learning in Nigeria is not healthy for our economy. Such people will only come to inject foreign and diluted culture into our country. We need career man and woman who know our plight and be ready to lead the affairs of our nation. You are the next in your generation. Do not give up on your dream career. Change can still come up in our country.
Allen Olatunde
The Career Blogger
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