Here is an open letter to all First Class Graduates in Nigeria
I write to you this epistle as a form of encouragement and admonishment. I know how you felt when you finally held your certificate and saw your CGPA. It was the same way I felt too. I wish we all got these CGPAs during the time of our fathers; maybe we would have been richer than all our peers right now, flying so high with lots of attention and help that would be gracing our way.
But I am sorry to inform you that this is 2017, and Nigeria is in a state of recession. What’s your grade once again, is it up to 5.0?
Any value proposition in the above?
Do you know that a fellow First class graduate with a perfect CGPA got only 100,000 Naira after much backlash from people as his gift, and right now, nobody talks about him again?
You remember the winner of Big Brother Nigeria; he got 25 million as his own gift. Don’t bother arguing about it. They said he helped the sponsors get their money back, that was why they fed him for 3 months, and also gave him 25 million with sponsorship deals.
I know you read what I wrote up there in a haste, but I will break it down for you again.
He helped the “sponsors get their money back” with his entertainment skills, that was why he was paid such an amount. Do you still understand?
In a corporate term, he “delivered real value”, so he got paid for the value delivered.
Dear First Class Graduate, aside from your certificate, what other value can you give out to an employer? Are you even employable?
It took me years of being on the street to know all these, and I am about to tell you this now.
This is 2017, and you should know now that;
No employer cares about your CGPA as long as it can’t help his company generate revenue, it is worthless to him.
Only a few multinationals and Banks care to attach a CGPA as a requirement for job applications. I guess they have become wiser that CGPAs doesn’t equate job delivery.
Companies are now looking for people with the skills to deliver, not those with First class.
Now that you know all these now, would you still beg someone to hire you just because you have a first class?
It might also interest you to know that the number of First class graduates now, has even exceeded that of Second class upper graduates. Employers are now beginning to see that University certificates are now so unreliable.
Here are some few tips for you my Fellow First Class Graduates
Never beg for a job again, prove why you should have it.
Instead of crying over your first class, hit the streets and get going with life.
Look for cheap certifications in a field with high employment chances (especially ICT), and acquire some skills.
Know that your First class is a plus and not a requirement.
I learned the hard way and I hope you can make use of it well. When next you have the urge to hit the social media and beg for a job because of your first class, just remember that this is Nigeria, and we are in 2017 and not 1945. This is because nobody would offer you a job because of your grade. Not even the school you finished! I learned the hard way.
Anonymous
Working Graduate. #LearnASkill.
