Career Growth: Experts Share Networking, Job Readiness Tips for Nigerian Undergraduates
- Nigerian youths were urged to focus on intentional networking for career advancement and academic improvement
- A recent webinar emphasised bridging gaps between academic skills and industrial expectations for undergraduates
- Participants were encouraged to leverage mentorship and scholarships for professional growth and opportunities
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering education matters in Nigeria and Africa.
Ikeja, Lagos State - Nigerian University undergraduates have been urged to be “intentional” in networking, as one of the strategies to adopt to conquer academic deficiency and attain impressive relevance in their chosen career and respective industries.
A Nigerian-Dutch sustainability researcher, Yusuf Kareem, made the call during a webinar organised by Potential Mentee (PM), a youth mentoring platform, which Legit.ng attended on Saturday, January 17.
Source: Original
Experts urge undergraduates to network
After highlighting the missing industrial expectations in many Nigerian fresh universities, Kareem, a graduate of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, south-west Nigeria, stressed that Nigerian youths, at the start of building their careers, should not prioritise monetary gain, rather “building a good career”.
Speaking further on the theme of the webinar: “Bridging the gap between academic lapses and required industrial skills to grow a professional career”, the multi-talented Lead Speaker, pointed out that the backup for the academic lapses, as witnessed in Nigeria include: aspiring for seamless volunteering jobs, directing that the strive should not be restricted to the formal sector.
Kareem also counselled the participants - mostly University undergraduates, within and outside of Nigeria, to seek and research into where to benefit from the knowledge transfer, identifying and relating with mentors in similar areas of specialisation.
He also urged the students to seriously leverage on scholarship and supportive programmes, schemes and opportunities.
The lead speaker, whose work spans international research and development projects in Asian and European countries, asserted that most Nigerian undergraduates lack the required industrial application and listed what industries need from every graduate.
This, according to him, includes: skills to analyse and forecast complex situations; basic technical skills; good time management; aspiring to be a problem solver; confidence and self-assurance; cultural intelligence; morals and effective communication skills.
In his presentation, the webinar co-speaker, Salami Habib, urged the participants not to depend on one opportunity.
Habib, who is a brand consultant and motion/graphic designer, tasked the participants to master arts of communication and networking; aspire to be entrepreneurs and be ready to build a “professional portfolio”.
He warned the participants not to be complacent when making money from their trades or professional career, but maintain and sustain a network for a commanding and substantial impact in their respective industries and society in general.
Source: Original
Balogun inspires youths through mentoring
Earlier, the webinar convener and moderator, as well as Deputy Editor, The Eagleonline newspaper, Tajudeen Balogun, told the audience that his choice of mentoring has a link with his natural interest in child education, development, guidance and counselling.
He told participants that he feels more fulfilled combining his journalism career with mentoring - the instinct which he indicated further manifests in floating Potential Mentee platforms and organising the webinar, the second in the series.
The convener recalled that the first PM webinar with a focus on combining academic excellence with successful entrepreneurship was discussed by a successful Business Executive, Engr. Nasir Giwa, in late 2024.
Balogun disclosed that the PM presently has five platforms - each representing different sets of his mentees.
One of the participants, Zeenah Noibi, a final year Nursing student at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, told the convener:
“To me, the webinar was a very insightful one. I got exposed to some of the things that we're not being told by our lecturers in school. It was an eye-opener for me. Thank you too, sir, for organising such a webinar."
Another participant, Aameenah Abdul Rafiu, a 200-level undergraduate of Chemistry, Lagos State University (LASU), messaged the convener:
“I was graced with the opportunity to be at the webinar that was held. Thank you so much, sir. May God continue to reward you abundantly."
Active participants from the Potential Mentee platform included Fatihah Olasupo, a Nursing graduate based in Rwanda; Jibril Balogun, Computer Science, UNILORIN, Kwara State; Abdul Wahab Al-Amin, Pharmacy, LASU; Ummu Khair Amin, Dentistry, LASU; Morufah Badmus, Islamic Religion Studies, LASU; and Mazeedah Adetunji, Science Laboratory Technology, UNILORIN, among many other undergraduates.
At the webinar, participants whose attendance was pro bono were promised that the content of the session would be taken further to a practical level, without delay.
Source: Legit.ng
