I would love to start by stating what it means to be
jobless. Joblessness is a state of being unemployed, a state of idleness and a
state of not having anything to do. Joblessness in my own words is also a state
of being very busy doing NOTHING!
So in my beloved country Nigeria, there exists a large
number of unemployed youths. Ask a large percentage of these youths why they
are unemployed, and they will blame it on the government. Hahaha. The government
is not innocent, nevertheless, there is a saying that goes, “do not ask what
your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Funny enough, as much as people love to blame the government
for the lack of jobs in the country, many Nigerian youths do not like to work
in government parastatals. They love to work in oil companies, private
companies, at airports, in hotels, etc. Reason is because everyone wants a
‘swag’ tagged to their place of work. For example: “I work with Chevron”, “I am
a banker”, etc. Hence, the unavailability of such jobs to everyone that is
unemployed and interested in them results in mass joblessness. if lives were to
be viewed as a field, some people have allowed their own to lie fallow because
they refused to till the ground, plant a seed, weed it and harvest in due
season. Another set of jobless youths are people with a passion for a
particular business or career. For instance, I learnt that our very own Emeka
Ike, though a nollywood actor is a graduate of mechanical engineering. I also
heard how a medical doctor, well at least, that’s what he should be considering
what he studied owns one of the biggest restaurants in Nigeria (not very
specific). Many graduates in Nigeria are jobless because they can’t find
fulfilment in their field of study. Some people have graduated, and finally
decided to follow their real passion, but not everyone finds it easy or are
exposed to opportunities that afford the platform to pursue their dreams.
While some people have succeeded in breaking away from the
limitations of a field of study to pursue their dreams, some can’t. Not because
they don’t want to, but they just can’t. Everything; money, family, friends,
the economy, etc is a limitation…a major setback to whatever they want to do.
Some who are really interested in working (no matter the organization) find it
impossible to get or hold down a job even three to four years after graduation
from the university. A lot of factors however contribute to the large number of
unemployed graduates roaming the streets. Join me as we take a tour through:
1.
No sense of purpose: This is a major reason for unemployment. So many people do
not have a sense of purpose. They do not know or can’t figure out the purpose
for their existence. Most times these people are merely existing. They go to
school without knowing what they want to do with their lives when they
graduate, by the time they realize how behind everyone else they are, most
times, it has become too late. Nevertheless, it is better late than never.
2.
No vision: When you have a
sense of purpose, what follows is your vision. You should have a picture of the
future you want to have. This includes: career, marriage, etc. Someone said,
“you cannot feature in a future you cannot picture.” Note, there is a
difference between fantasy/disillusionment and a vision.
3.
No plan: Now, when you
have a vision, you are able to plan towards turning that vision into a reality.
This is where your short term and long term goals set in. you need find a way
to plan your life, if you can’t do it by yourself, seek assistance from someone
you can trust or do the ultimate, ask God for guidance.
4.
Laziness: This is a mega
reason for joblessness. The bible says, “a lazy man quarrels with his tools.”
Very true, listen, going out to look for a job is not struggling or hustling,
it is taking a step of faith and it all depends from your point of view. So
many people are hiding behind religion to sit at home with a belief that God
will rain down manna from heaven on their behalf. Some have tried a couple of times
and gave up. Well, giving up on job hunting isn’t the problem, the problem is,
now that you gave up, what are you doing with your life? Quit looking for whom
to blame. Quit blaming your ancestors, your poor father, your wicked uncle, the
corrupt government, the capitalist economy, witches and wizards, etc…quit this
mindset! Put your brain into use by trying to figure out something else to do
with your life that definitely doesn’t involve sitting at home doing nothing.
5.
Lack of support: By lack
of support I mean from, family, friends, guardians, etc. I think this is a
major reason for joblessness because, really, everyone isn’t fashioned for a corporate
job. Some people were destined to use a particular skill to get to the top.
However, most times, parents and guidance are more interested in their children
getting the highest form of education without digging deep to discover what
talent their children have and love and harness it. This can result in a lack
of motivation to excel in a field. For example, you wonder why your child has
had three extra years in the university studying medicine, when he/she would
have been excellent if he/she studied food and nutrition. Lack of support can
result in laziness, lack of motivation, slacking, depression, sadness, no sense
of fulfilment, etc. in extreme cases, an individual could become suicidal. Some
parents like to realize their own dreams in their children instead of
supporting their children to achieve their personal dream!
6.
Lack of an enabling environment: This
is one of the biggest challenges facing Nigerians. I know that overseas, (some)
young boys and girls…at least from fourteen
years of age take up summer jobs or learn one skill or the other while in high
school and most university undergraduates are student workers, which enables
them pay their tuition sometimes. I know that in America, at 18, you can move
out of your parents’ house and become independent and responsible for yourself.
My point is, for Nigerians to move forward, we need to change our MODUS
OPERANDI!
Instead of your children hanging out at
their friends house during the holidays gossiping and talking about the
opposite sex, send them off to learn a skill, get a ‘part time job’ or call it
‘holiday job’. It is not suffering or child abuse, it is giving your child a
sense of responsibility! Undergraduates, during your holidays, don’t just
travel round from one uncle’s or boyfriend’s house to the other, go get a job!…learn
a skill, try to start a business that is student-friendly. I can assure you,
you will hardly be broke in life. Your mates may laugh at you at first, but
you’ll surely earn their respect overtime.
One of the reasons why we have so many
prostitutes (corporate and commercial) and criminals (who blame it on
government) is because, the everyday Nigerian parents over protect their
children to the point that they become so dependent (on them) that at the event
of their (parents) death or loss of wealth, the children can’t afford to adjust
to the new state of things. They want to maintain a standard, hence are willing
to do anything to get what they want. Start early to train your child to be
independent, by supporting them in being responsible from a very tender stage.
Furthermore,
I’d love congratulate all Nigerians who didn’t wait for government, but has
created job opportunities by using their skills, from the hair stylist, to the
make-up artist, fashion designer, restaurants, hotels, schools (dance, music,
film, acting, etc), shoe-making, businessmen and women, etc. Now, let’s say you
graduated from school and you couldn’t get a job, so what? You mean you don’t
have a skill you can put to use? Okay, let’s say you don’t have any skills, so
what? You mean you can’t learn one? I know your answer might still be no, but
one thing is certain, there must be a way.
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