UI Graduate Who Was Told She Wouldn’t Get a Job From Her Course Shares Job Hunt Journey
- A UI Microbiology graduate shared how she ignored discouraging comments about her course and remained focused on her goals.
- She gained experience at University College Hospital and later worked as a health insurance officer during her NYSC.
- Despite challenges, she pursued data analysis and secured a role as a scientific officer while planning a career in public health
A graduate of the University of Ibadan, Ifeolwa Alagbe, has shared her inspiring job hunt journey after being told she would not find a decent job with the course she studied.
In a post shared on LinkedIn on March 20, 2026, Ifeoluwa recounted how people often told her that studying Microbiology would make it difficult for her to secure a job after graduation.
Source: UGC
UI graduate seeks job with studied programme
According to her, despite the negative remarks, she remained focused and determined throughout her academic journey.
She explained that she had always been interested in the medical aspect of Microbiology, even though she was aware of the challenges of securing such roles in Nigeria.
During her industrial training, she gained practical experience at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, where she worked both in a microbiology laboratory and at a water treatment plant on the hospital premises.
Source: UGC
After graduating, she proceeded to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and was faced with the reality of the competitive job market.
Determined to improve her prospects, she enrolled in online classes to learn data analysis while working. Her story has inspired many online.
Her LinkedIn post is below:
"This is the beginning...
Years ago, I was puzzled between picking different courses that I wanted to study at the university, but in the midst of all, I chose Microbiology. I started studying this course and anytime I told anyone my course of study, what would follow is, "Oh, they don't usually get jobs after they finish studying". I never got discouraged. I only knew something would be different with mine. Not knowing how it would be different, I continued studying, I put my all into my studies and finally graduated from university.
In the midst of this confusion, I knew I wanted to be in the medical aspect of Microbiology, but there was something called "Nigeria Factor", which means the probability of a microbiology graduate getting a job in the hospital is very low.
But something was different, for my industrial training, I was able to get two different experiences from University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. One was not directly at the hospital but at the Microbiology laboratory at the College of Medicine of the University of Medicine, which was inside the hospital premises. The other was at the water treatment plant of the hospital.
Then I finished school, and it was time to serve my country; I expected the usual, that I would be posted to teach in a secondary school, but fate had another thing in store for me, I was posted to a hospital where I worked as a Health Insurance Officer and a medical administrative assistant.
My job role as a health Insurance officer was so tedious, but it provided me with work experience in the medical field, which was where my quest to go into public health started.
I finished my service and it became time for me to face the harsh reality of the job market. I didn't know what to do, so I started applying for various jobs. I did not care if it was a sales representative, a marketer or a school Administrator job; I just knew I needed money to push my life forward. I later got a job as a school admin, but I knew that was not where I wanted to be...
I enrolled in a YouTube class and started learning data analysis. I would go to work in the morning, then come back in the evening to my class. I continued on and on till I got a job as a Scientific Officer in a microbiology laboratory in Lagos. The new job disrupted the majority of my YouTube classes, and I couldn't continue anymore.
Months after I started my new job as a Scientific Officer, I realised I wasn't interested in the diagnosis part of Microbiology.
And this brought me to inform you all of a new beginning in my career.
I plan on picking up where I dropped off.
To be a Public health professional, I need to know data analysis. I am glad to resume my data analysis classes to become a data analyst, and I hope to make good progress with them."
Graduate falls inlove with once-rejected course
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a UI graduate shared how he accepted Agricultural Engineering despite initially aiming to study Mechanical Engineering.
He disclosed that early struggles and failed transfer attempts later pushed him to fully embrace the course.
Source: Legit.ng
