According to Anadolu Agency, at least 1.6 million secondary school leavers sat for the 2018 exam for admission into colleges, universities and polytechnics, largely underscoring the strong desire for a college education and jobs in government offices or private firms.

But official statistics put youth unemployment at 52.65%. With the population between 15 and 35 years old totaling roughly 22.64 million and an estimated 500,000 college graduates entering the labor market annually, analysts say it is clear that the country needs a paradigm shift to cut poverty and halt a drift towards anarchy resulting from youth restiveness.

The good news, however, is that young people are seeing opportunities in the current situation to chart a new course for themselves.

Perhaps the problem with the youth populace in Nigeria isn’t unemployment but unemployability.

In this digital age, you cannot use common Microsoft Office packages, no social media OT, and your sense of IT lies in comatose; how do you expect to make way through?

The reality of Robots, Automations and Artificial Intelligence taking away the jobs of many is glaringly starring at us and yet you fold your arms or stand in akimbo gazing at the vast approaching reality of a starless midnight in the labour market.

The robots are coming, your job is highly at risk without proper knowledge in Information Communication Technology.

If I must, I beg you let’s grow together. Yes, grow when your friends are growing so that you don’t become a burden on them. I’d rather be a solution and not part of the problem to be solved!

You can turn your phone to a tool for widening your horizon and brightening your future. And if you have a laptop, it’s a plus. Don’t be addicted to gaming and movies alone. Get out of the mundane!

In the labour market today, a vast majority of graduates in Law, Engineering, and Accounting have never gone beyond the moribund school curriculum. 90% of graduates has never carried out more than their final year project in their entire life. They don’t even write these projects with their brain. It’s either they plagiarise or contract a writer. Where then do we go from here?

Whereas we say school is a scam. Business and entrepreneurship is the way. I agree. But may I humbly ask you, how many transformative books have you read on business undertakings, modelling and entrepreneurial activities. If none, I’m sorry to shock you, failure is inevitable here also.

There are free courses and substantial reading materials on edEx, Khan Academy, Philanthropy university, Cousera, Udemy, tutorialspoint, University of people, Wikipedia, worldreader.org, wikihow.com, wikipedia.org, etc. Leverage on these free things.

Please grow!

The road of “I don’t care” they say, always leads to the land of “had I know”
Had I know will not be your portion!

Hitherto, it is worthy of announcing for your information that, SQI College of ICT annual scholarship is fast approaching; anticipate on edu.sqi.edu.ng

What is SQI?
Soft Quest Incorporated (SQI) is an ultramodern ICT training facility having head office in Ogbomoso. Over 4000 students had been graduated in less than a decade of operations.

At SQI, you can pick up edge cutting computer courses that ranges from computer appreciation/office technology to web development/UIUX, graphics designing and graphics animation, Java, Python, Robotics and automation, IoT, and lots more.

Please add value to living. Eat to live don’t live to eat.

Written by:
Adegboyega Blessing O.

Trailblazer