A life of few options...
A couple of years ago, I think like 5 years ago now, I was called to give a speech at the High School I attended to help motivate the kids to take school seriously and you know, prepare for their future. I was tagged "the prophet of doom" after I was done talking to them.
I'm not good at hiding facts from people and it's harder when I try. So, I told them exactly what happened to me and I told them that even though they might hear my story and think it'll never happen to them, it will and they will remember me.
You see, in our education system, you're only lucky if you get to study what you want to study when you want to study it. I initially wanted to study law because I was made to believe it was the next best thing since I wasn't a science or tech student.
I was not able to study law for a very silly reason. Asides from having one of the highest scores for my University entrance exam, I was short of 0.03 marks and not permitted to proceed with my "dreams".
No one told me we're not permitted to dream in accordance to a university degree in Nigeria. I wish someone had told me what I told the kids at the time. Maybe my response would be "not my fate" like them, but at least I would have had an idea.
I eventually got admitted to study Mass Communication and so far it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. Studying law in such a lawless country would have been a terrible decision. It would have not yielded anything better.
Facing reality
The next reality I had to face was last year when I read nothing was waiting and nothing was waiting for me after graduation. No jobs, nothing. It was a tough reality to face.
I had a connection to the Nigerian Communications Commission, as it's only possible to get into these places without a connection, but my connection wanted something in return and I wasn't ready for that.
I had to accept that it will take me longer to get to where I want, and it will take my efforts alone and no job can give me the satisfaction I need.
What are my options
An 18-year-old girl I live with had been forced to face the kind of reality I faced at 16. The reality that I won't be able to study what I want when I want to.
I asked her a few months ago what she would do if she couldn't study Medicine to be a doctor. Her response then was that she would wait and not go for anything "less". I laughed and told her she wouldn't study medicine. It wasn't a threat. It was just an experience speaking based on the person I met at the time.
She didn't feel threatened by my statement, she felt relaxed and gave empty words.
A few days ago, she got tertiary for the University Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the defining factor of her "ability" to be a doctor and she failed, or rather had a not so good result.
She was sad but I told her it wasn't the end of the world. Then she asked me the scary question "sis, what are my options?"
I'm the prophet of doom. She asked what she could study to make sure she would get a job at the end of her studies and I was mute.
I graduated 3 years ago. I have some work experience, but as far as she knows I'm unemployed. From her perspective, there's a course I probably wish I had studied that probably could have placed me in a better position in our society. She has no idea.
I've recently rejected up to 3 jobs. Not because they weren't good. I've never submitted a CV to get a job, but I have great credentials, I get recommended easily. But I don't have the zeal to trap myself in a dead-end situation working for a person. I feel very entitled to my time and my condition of work is flexibility. I have to be able to work when I want to. But that option isn't available.
I was recently made aware of a statement by the President of my country where he said "regardless of what you studio jobs are waiting, no jobs are waiting for you".
With my current knowledge and the statement made by my country's President, what exactly can I tell this child???
Her options are limited to leaving the country and being unemployed and worst off if she goes through a university for a job at the end of the process.
I told her the truth. Regardless of what she studies, her options are limited. I can't lie to her. I love her.
I usually hope the situation doesn't get hard for those coming behind us, but the future seems bleak for them. We'd beg them to utilize their skills and forget about a university education but it's a process that has been injected into us. Go to school and become something in life.
The truth is, you'd go to school and still be nothing in life. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You'd suffer through education and not be able to afford half of your fees 5 years after graduation. At least we have no college loans here, in other countries you'd be owing to the government and be unable to pay up anything.
How do we keep up with this?
A life of options?? Our options are limited and almost non-existent at this point.
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