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Life After Youth Service: Expectations Versus Reality

100 days to go, 50 days to go, 10 days to go, I day to go, finally it’s here and it’s gone! If you have ever been a Corper then you’ll understand the impatience. All of a sudden that wonderful village where you are serving will seem like a hell hole, you will suddenly find your school Principal very annoying and that #19,800 a stipend you can no longer manange. In fact, you can’t wait until you start to earn ‘real’ salary at least from 100k and above. Who is going to work for 50k? Mbanu!  That’ll be a moonwalk to retrogression, Forward ever, Backward never in Jesus name! There’s a proverb that says the sound of bitter kola nut does not mean it’s a delicacy, in other words the echoes of freedom does not mean that it would be a free ride to luxury, pleasure. But don’t be deterred just be prepared for the challenges of life. 
    This article contrasts four major misconceptions corps members have and what it obtainable in real life. 
Expectation 1: I won’t take a job that pays less than 120k 
 Reality: finds himself/herself teaching in a secondary school for 20k! 
The truth is that there is no graduate that leaves the university, polytechnic or wherever with the dream to slave himself or herself in a school or a private company for stipends. Many enter the labour market with great expectations and their expectations finally fall short as they discover to their utmost dismay that the jobs they have always pinned for is not readily available! While some take the low paying jobs while waiting for their dream jobs, others content themselves with ideally waiting till they get that appointment letter from NNPC. The fact is that there are some people who were fortunate to get good jobs immediately after school does not mean that every other person will be like them, some might have to start small so don’t get discouraged that your friends all have high paying jobs and you are working in a little company, see that as your place of little beginning, a paragraph in your success story. Always be prepared for the best and don’t deter when you see the ‘worst’. Expectation: With my First Class or 2.1 jobs are lining up for me Reality: thousands of people with first class and 2.1’s are roaming the street, job searching!
 I will never encourage anyone to go to the university and graduate with a poor result. So what’s my point? My point is that graduating with a good result does not mean that companies will be falling over themselves in a bid to grant you appointment letter. No sir, No Ma, if you think like that, you are very wrong. In as much as graduating with a very good result will place you at an advantaged situation above your peers, that does not mean that it is a guarantee that you’ll automatically get a job. The truth is that preparedness, confidence, poise and knowledge will help a lot in getting a job. I have avoided this point for a long time but there’s no getting around it connections help a great lot! When I say connection I don’t necessarily mean that one must be related to the president, senator, minister, Local government chairman as they case might be, but having somebody within the company to subtly push your C.V . forward will help a great deal or someone to put in a nice word for you won’t hurt either. All the same if you are not connected, don’t be intimidated, go with confidence into the interview, do your best and leave the rest for God!
 Expectation: I will leave my PPA with my bags straight to my husband house Reality: stays 2 -5 years after getting NYSC before getting married! At the risk of sounding like the worst feminist ever, I still don’t understand this rush from ladies to get married during or before the end of their service year, like it’s a curse for any lady to come back to her Father's’ house after service year! I remember during my service some of my neighbors  were discussing with their friends on how they’ll never return to their fathers house after NYSC. One of them even asked: with which face will I face my parents after service if I’m not yet married? Note that this conversion was had at the beginning of the service year, some of those girls actually got married by hook or crook while most were still single deceiving themselves with the engagement rings they were parading upanda, and unfortunately one of them was duped by an Ekiti man who always came and ate free food in her house and at the end of the day he carted with her savings which she ‘lent’ him to establish a business of his own. I’m not gloating over their misfortunes, however I’m stating it here to serve as a warning to all those determined not to go back to their fathers’ house single.The truth is that all of us will not marry at the same time; some marry after secondary school, some in the university, some after university etc. So don’t let anyone force you into thinking that you must marry before or immediately after NYSC. I understand that age is not on your side but what will you do? You cannot come and go and kill yourself na? 
Expectation: I will make so much money from my SAED that I will be my own boss! Reality: faces low patronage and very few are interesting in paying reasonable money for your craft.
In the orientation camp, you received so much lectures on the awesomeness of being your own boss, learning a skill that’ll free you from the shackles of servitude which is always accompanied while working for somebody else. That’s a good plan from the NYSC to ensure that graduates are self employed and that they don’t get frustrated while looking for work but the truth is that not everyone is skilled in hand crafts such as bead making, Cloth making, making of paint and so on. Somebody like me, if you like teach me beads from now till tomorrow I will not still learn. That does mean I’m a block head or that I’m daft it just means that I’m not particularly skilled in that aspect of business but I’m good at sales. I see so many corps members struggling to sell their crafts at exorbitant prices. I understand that you don’t want to sell yourself low and all that but please very few people would buy beads from somebody without any established company for 10k they won’t mind spending up to 100k at Shoprite for that same product. I don’t want to knock your hustle but want I’m saying in essence is that don’t feel discouraged when your business is only patronized by family and friends instead research and discover better ways to improve on your business. Personally, as I friend or relative I'll patronize a business once or twice but if the product does not meet my expectations, I’ll stop buying the product. In other words, improve on your product, up your marketing game, advertise on face book, twitter and even blogs (personally, I don’t mind helping upcoming businesses advertise for free on my blog), package your product very well. Sometimes vain people like me buy a product because of its wonderful packaging! I’ll stop here because this article is not meant to discourage you rather to encourage you to strive very hard and if you fail, fail forward. Don’t give up because your success is just by the corner and to the serving corps members, be determine to give the country your best, improve on yourself, learn a skill if you can or better still learn a programme to prepare yourself for success. Once a Corper, forever a Corper, Corpers weee oooo!!

Comments

Unknown said…
Fantastic and well articulated. U just need to keep writing dear. U will get there
Nemyinspired said…
Thanks so much for reading the article
Glorya08 said…
Nice read; you did a great job! Keep up the good work.
Cheers, darling.
Nemyinspired said…
you are welcome

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