One of the significant memories as an undergraduate is when you sign out; it signifies the end of the examination as a university undergraduate. Congratulations, you made it! You have graduated from a university or are about to graduate very soon. Either way, you have made it this far. So, what’s next? Life after graduation is not as straightforward as college life can be. Every recent graduate creates their own path in life.
Life after graduation can be overwhelming for a young person, especially if you graduate in your early to mid-twenties. At the same time, it can be an equally exciting new chapter in your life that you can make the most of with proper preparation.
Once you graduate from a university, your entire world will opens up to new prospects, new opportunities, as well as new challenges and new obstacles. If you identify some of them, you can prepare yourself better for what you expect and don’t expect.
Meanwhile, after all the excitement, it becomes alarming to graduate especially when there is no job opportunity or to apply for full- time jobs. At this stage, people look up to them as adults who are capable for generation income. The best they could do is training or an internship; some will rather be entrepreneurs than employees. These are big challenges a graduate faces.
Finding a job can be difficult for a young graduate. You might even need to settle for a job that does not align with your degree. This adjustment can be temporary or permanent, depending on what you want to do in the long run and where your career trajectory inevitably takes you.
In addition, I encourage Nigerian graduates to engage in social activities that can enhance survival such as digital marketing. Being creative is like a full-time job. Therefore, creating quality contents of people want is crucial. Learning skill acquisition should not be underrated because this can eradicate deviant behaviours and joblessness.
Therefore, I urge government to establish new businesses and job opportunities, policies, entrepreneurial skill centres to renew the hope of the unemployment graduate. Programmes should be introduced by government at all levels to solve this problem.
Patience Andeben,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri, Borno state