Topic: THE FATE OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS ABROAD

anyway that is the plan I am executing presently. I av a Bsc and an Msc in one of the best schools in Nigeria. yet I'm still eying a UK study but I dare not leave for the UK now! so I'm presently building my investment and still applying for scholarships (God willing!) and if otherwise, I will still go and by then I must be a very big person and if I decide to come back, definitely not to work for anyone but my own very investment. 1 love!

Originally Posted by omoopemipo

anyway that is the plan I am executing presently. I av a Bsc and an Msc in one of the best schools in Nigeria. yet I'm still eying a UK study but I dare not leave for the UK now! so I'm presently building my investment and still applying for scholarships (God willing!) and if otherwise, I will still go and by then I must be a very big person and if I decide to come back, definitely not to work for anyone but my own very investment. 1 love!

Astute thinking........am sure it'll work out for just the way u plan it.Wish you the very best

Originally Posted by anchorinstitute

@ dthcaller.Are u into NDT and or fabrication,we could talk. U have a point.........But it actually starts from God and ends with a miracle no matter what u hold. Vocational skills can no longer be undermined with rising competition here and there. Prospective employees are expected to arm themselves with skills they think the prospective employer will need.
Graduates should also understand that CAMA company and allied matters act and procedures for establishing a company is not for accountants and business managers alone......make use of such books and prepare urself on how to go about establishing a firm .....maybe an automobile shop,welding and fab shop ect if the job delays after haven acquired such skills.
Vocational institutes should also endeavor to impact skills geared towards establishing prospective candidates not just theories we already had from school.
There is still so much ground to cover in the business sector and Nigeria is big enough for everyone.
Haven said that we can not undermine the fact that there is no substitute to quality education,I had my risk resigning from my job for a while and traveling abroad fro study.............but vocational anyway.
Pay less attention to my spellings ,i guess this is a forum and right now i have so much on my table

@ anchorinstitute, I'm into NDT and fabrication. My address is [email protected]. You can inbox with details.
Thanks

@Slimboi, I want to appreciate you for initiating this thread. I see this as the beginning of revolution in Nigeria.
@All, I also thank you for your contributions and sensitisations.

The problems most Nigerians are facing is that they don’t “know thyself”. If you know yourself, you know what you are capable of doing and the result you get afterward.
I see it as a total madness after spending so much money in the UK educational system, you use the same hard earned degrees in washing their plates, sweeping their streets and even serve as security guards.Why don’t we borrow a leaf from the Indians and the Chinesse. After studies, they return back to their countries to contribute their quota. Even though its small individually, they get a large output collectively.
Or better still, if you have decided to do the so-called menial jobs in another mans’ country, why not do it in your country so that you will be recognised and rewarded afterward. If you channel the energy you put into macdonalds to mr. biggs, biggs will go global.
I know a computer scientist, after graduation he had no job. He employed himself voluntarily by controlling traffic in the mornings and evenings but after about 5-7yrs of selfless service, the governor of Delta State called him and asked for his request. Immediately, he was employed, given a tear rubber toyota corrolla XLE car and a house of his own. These are the kind of initiatives I like Nigerians to have, I know its not easy but time solves all problems whether big or small.
Its just a shame that we have the best brains but they are being wasted in foreign lands. I am also aware of the fact that the government and the entire system is bad but collectively we can bring the CHANGE the system need.

I love you all…!

@ Cross12,You made a valid point.You hit the nail straight in the head!Thumbs up! I concur with on all you have said.Having a UK certificate doesnt guarantee anyone a job gotten soo easy.You have to make your certificate work for you.A first degree doesnt take anyone far on his/her job.If anyone has a job using his/her first degree and wants to give it up for a masters abroad,I would let the person realise that his UK certificate will not guarantee him a good job immediately.You must make your certificate work for you.You have to go to the right places,mix with the right people,have the right company and above all get God involved in all you do-the sky will only be your starting point.
The person that started this person should please not corrupt the minds of our young nigerians aspiring to go abroad for their masters becos it didnt work for you doesnt mean it hasnot worked for alot of Nigerians that have given up thier jobs for a masters degree abroad.I hve countless no of nigerians it has worked for.

Originally Posted by bumsy2k3

@ Cross12,You made a valid point.You hit the nail straight in the head!Thumbs up! I concur with on all you have said.Having a UK certificate doesnt guarantee anyone a job gotten soo easy.You have to make your certificate work for you.A first degree doesnt take anyone far on his/her job.If anyone has a job using his/her first degree and wants to give it up for a masters abroad,I would let the person realise that his UK certificate will not guarantee him a good job immediately.You must make your certificate work for you.You have to go to the right places,mix with the right people,have the right company and above all get God involved in all you do-the sky will only be your starting point.
The person that started this person should please not corrupt the minds of our young nigerians aspiring to go abroad for their masters becos it didnt work for you doesnt mean it hasnot worked for alot of Nigerians that have given up thier jobs for a masters degree abroad.I hve countless no of nigerians it has worked for.

You may want to re-read my posts before concluding the fact that am trying to corrupt the minds of people that want to travel abroad and i say this for the umpteenth time, i am not in any way discouraging anyone that wants to travel abroad for masters , just making them realize that it is not an automatic visa to employment as many people think..

all have spoken well. when luck brings good fortune to u, u will think that what u have, how, where and when u acquire it is the best. It is more of God, let's ask Him for His grace to succeed every day. It is well.

........Fear is a sort of negative feeling not a reality.......just at the point of your losing hope there is God bringing you what he had been preparing for you .....QNS is will u be there just at dat time or u wont....I KNOW GUYS DAT ARE IN SHELL n ALL OTHER OIL COMPANIES with good PAYCASH but do u know the mistery...they dont have M.SC and infact they dont have time for now for that......wat do we call that? guys na baba God dey do am o 4 REAL.....BUT U HAVE TO MAKE A STRONG NETWORK TO PREVENT A LONG NETWORK! NETWORK GOD FIRST AND serve Men to startup......I'M a graduate too believing on God and showing my humble service to successful career colleagues

@ Geology i dont think after doing an MSC in the UK u will want to stay back and wash dead bodies due to the fact that there is lite in the UK. I mean there is light but the bills are humongus!!! remember if u no pay they will not cut u off but charge you 100pounds[250,000 naira] before taking u to court. As u know now in naija if u know ur way just sort nepa 5 hundi and u are up again.Wetin i de try talk my bro na if u don go school u no go fit do am and if u wan do am please do am for naija make our country for better

Unemployment no de UK. UK citizens no wan work cos if dem wan work dem go get am as in sharp sharp. I had a senario at work a lady {oyibo-uk citizen} tell me say e go pay am more to stop work make she tell her Govt say make dem de pay am as she get one pickin. Govt go pay am times 5 of wetin she de earn for work and wetin she de earn for work no be beans oh.

Even those of us wer get the British Pali sef e no easy like that cos in the UK we still get 1st class brits, 2nd class brits, 3rd class brits

all i am saying be say e no easy as we think!!!!

personally i think it very wise to travel abroad for quality education especially if one can afford it.Its a personal thing...some go for self development, others see it as a way to make themselves more employable in the job market...whatever the reason getting world class education is an opportunity you should grab with both hands if fate brings it your way..even if it means inconviniencing yourself a little to get it..the knowlegde and exprience alone and the depth it brings is unmatched by what any local unversity can offer...so why settle for less?

This is a topic I have always wanted to comment on.

I also graduated from RGU with Masters degree in Oil and Gas Engineering in 2007. If I had the ability of hindsight, I would have done the following things differently:

1. I would have selected a different university: The class size for the Oil and Gas Engineering course was too large for my liking and coupled with the fact that it was made up of about 99% of nigerians, it didn't offer a great international diversity and feeling. Also, a smaller class offers the lecturer more chance of knowing his students better and the learning experience would be much greater. Despite this, I do not regret going to RGU as I met some truly fantastic people I can call brothers and also, I believe God took me there for a reason. God is in charge of all my affairs.

2. I would have preferred obtaining more experience before the Masters: From my experience of job search all the way from UK, after my Masters, till date, I would have definitely preferred obtaining experience before the Masters. Experience opens the doors quicker than all the gatherings of academic qualifications. Experience shows employers that you can hit the ground running. Despite the fact that most jobs I applied for were graduate jobs and I had quite an impressive profile, rejection letters just kept on coming. Not to get me wrong, there were one or two people who were fortunate to get jobs in my class but some of them lost those jobs when the recession started.

After a couple of months after we turned in our project work, I was able to secure a job from UK with an indigenous Nigerian petroleum firm through referral. The job is what most people would die for (as per the salary which in Oil and Gas Industry would be among the low class for engineers), but as I always aspire for the best, I have been on the look out for a better company since I got the job at the beginning of 2008. So in my "Nigerian" job search, I have written various tests and its so frustrating, no disrespect to anyone, that Experienced people, Masters degree holders, BSc, HND, OND holders are all bunched together to write these tests. The companies end up calling thousands of people (maybe I am exaggerating) and the process is so tedious. Can't they do proper sorting? Anyways, cutting the long story short, I have not obtained my desired job/company.

Let me also quickly add that since the end of the Masters course in 2007, some of my classmates are still yet to obtain proper company jobs and are just getting by. Some are planning on coming back to Nigeria, some are considering PHDs...

To summarise, I would advise anyone planning on going for a Masters degree abroad, in the present recession climate, to think critically and objectively especially if it involves quitting a job. Think of your own personal circumstance, your finances, the impact of your decision on not only yourself but on loved ones. For example, although I am yet to get the desired job/company I am seeking, I am considering leaving my present job to become an Entrepreneur as I am not developing professionally and technically. To alot of people, its a mad decision. Why don't I stay and just keep trying to get that other job Well, before I know it, I would have spent 24 months in a job I have not grown technically and how do I account for that That to me is the key question. So, I would rather work for myself. Like I said, know your personal circumstance. I can afford to take that kind of decision. Not many people can. So, if you feel deep down to your soul that going for a degree abroad is the best thing for you, by all means chase your dreams, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Nothing ventured, Nothing gained. The world belongs to those who are willing to take risks. As long as you persevere, you'll get there.