TEN LIFE LESSONS EVERY NIGERIAN STUDENT SHOULD LEARN BEFORE GRADUATING

As a student you probably would not believe us if
we tell you that are absolutely naive and no, you
are not on top of the world.
You will soon graduate from the university,
service year is going to be awesome (at least
according to the stories you’ve heard).
After service, you are going to get a job, have a
family, build a home, become a millionaire and
live happily ever after.
There is just one problem with your plan. The
only problem with your plan is the real world.
This article is to let students know things to look
out for before they graduate so they don’t get
railroaded.

1. A Degree Does Not Entitle
You To A Job
We all know getting a degree means a lot of hard
work and commitment but because you have a
degree does not mean somebody is going to grant
you an automatic job offer.
Gone are the days when all you needed to get a
good job was a university degree.
We were all told the same lies in secondary
school, get a university degree and a mouth
watering job would fall on your lap.
The smart people are the ones who figured out
this lie early in school and made sure the time
they spent in school would separate from other
students who were busy enjoying school life to
the fullest.
It’s time to get your head out of the sand.

2. Start The Job Search
Before You Graduate
Job hunting is a complicated thing and there is
no almighty formula for you to acquire a job.
Job seeking is not something you can “cram” for
and pour out everything during an exam. There
are no cheat notes for post-graduation
experience.
The job hunting business is an on-the-training
experience and the best way to get ahead of
your colleagues is to start your career
exploration during your service year or better
yet during your university days.
You can research branches of your field, do
internships (industrial trainings), find out what
size of company is for you, and practice job
searching techniques.
Put these tips in play and by the time you’re
done with service, you’ll be prepared for the
next phase of your life and it will be quite tricky
for reality to hit you with tons of bricks.


3. Facebook Is Forever
Not just facebook, but twitter, instagram, and
every other social network that you decide to be
a part of.
What does this mean to an average student? Well
it means that every obscure joke you post on
Facebook, every explicit picture you share, every
inappropriate comment will be visible to the
world when you become famous or when you go
job hunting.
At the very least, know how to manipulate your
social media privacy settings and restrain
yourself from littering your social media
accounts with unfitting content.
Being appropriate on the web is just as
important for a political career as it is for
finding employment. Your binge drinking photos
might be funny now but they won’t be so
hilarious in five years time.

4. Life Is Expensive
You are probably surviving on the allowance you
receive from your parents right now and you’ve
not realized that life can be expensive,
EXPENSIVE.
Just wait until you have to live on your own,
probably during service year or when you get
your first job.
By the time you pay for house rents,
transportation fare, recharge cards, light bills,
water bills, food, utilities, and every
miscellaneous expense. It won’t take long before
you realize that life is expensive.
Everything would suddenly become so expensive
that you would sometimes feel like crying.
This is one of the most painful things to learn.
EVERYTHING costs money.
Anytime from now, you should learn how to
create a budget for yourself. Otherwise your
rent will be due, your kitchen will be empty and
you will be busy dodging from the people you owe
money.

5. Never Be Scared To Take
Chances
This is probably the most important lesson you
have to learn before you graduate, never be
scared to take chances. You’ll never get
anywhere you want if you don’t take calculated
risks every now and then.
No one is telling you to jump out of a plane or
go swimming with crocodiles (which would be
awesome if you survive), but nothing in life
comes easy. Yes, it is cliché, but it the hard
truth. After all, nothing can deputise
experience.
When you become a graduate, the best option is
not becoming a boring office robot whose life
revolves around work.
Your twenties and thirties are the some of the
best years of your life, we kid you not.
Do not be afraid to face the real world with open
arms, explore opportunities, and take chances.
You’ll be surprised at what fate has in stock for
you.

6. Learn How To Interact
With People
Learning how to interact is a very valuable skill
you need to have in your belt. It is a “street
smart” skill. You could read a million books on
how to interact with people but the only way to
develop your interaction skill is to put it into
practice constantly until it becomes a part of
you.
This skill will surely be tested each time you go
for a job interview. Heck! You even need this
job more if you are an entrepreneur.
Learn to greet people with a smile. Say “thank
you, please and I appreciate” whenever the
situation deems necessary. These small gestures
go a long way to make a huge difference. Don’t
be so quick to dismiss the power of appreciation
and courtesy.
Make small talk, get to know anyone you have to
spend more than thirty minutes with, help them
if you can. Who knows? You might meet your own
saviour.
Don’t know what to talk about? You could talk
about the TV shows you watch, the cool blogs
you visit on the net (don’t forget to mention
www.facebook.com/campuswak), the weather – hint hint : ).
Learn to be always positive, make sure people
smile after talking to you.

7. A Skill Will Get You
Farther Than A Certificate
What we recommend is that you pick up as many
skills as possible, as long as you have a passion
for it. Do not say “I am studying English
Language, why do I need to learn HTML?” If you
are computer major, take a couple of
management trainings. It will help you in the
long run.
The skills you acquire do not necessarily have to
be educational; you could learn tailoring,
baking, programming, carpentry . . . anything.
You never know when your minor skill will become
your added advantage, or your primary source of
income.
Not only that, you will be able to converse with
a larger variety of different people, plus it
shows your employer that you are a fast and
versatile learner.

8. Save Something –
Anything
Start saving now and you’ll be setting the
foundation of your financial future.
There is always a need to save, even if it is the
tiniest bit each month. Like we said earlier, life
is expensive and the best way to be prepared is
for you start saving right now.
Whether it’s for a big purchase, an emergency or
for your future it’s important to have a little
money for fall back to during rainy days. Trust
us, those days will come.

9. You Are Going To Need
Lots Of Hardwork
You are now a graduate, you no longer need to
read through the night, attend boring lectures
and write difficult examinations. Your life should
be an easy pie from here. Right? Wrong.
In fact, this is the time that you need to work
harder than you imagined, if you want to be
successful.
Although you could relax; get a federal
government appointment, and retire on your
pension. This is perfect, if you want to be
mediocre.
We are you are among those that want to be
successful. In order to do that, you are going to
need a lot of brain work, stay up late at nights
and lots of reading if you are going to be among
the 1%.
Even if your father is a billionaire, it’s a lot of
hard work maintaining all that money.

10. Success Takes Time
After applying all these, do not expect to become
a millionaire overnight, or in a week or in a
month. Success takes time.
No matter the amount of hard work, Success
takes time.
If you are in a hurry to be successful, you will
either fall prey to money swindlers or get
yourself entangled in something highly illegal.
Neither of them sounds good.
That’s all for now!
You don’t have to wait until you graduate to
gain these little nuggets of wisdom. Put them to
use! Then start collecting some of your own