Graduating from a Nigerian university feels like being pushed out of a moving car. Imagine spending four years (or more) in university, only to graduate and realize you don’t know how to write a CV, manage your finances, or properly negotiate a salary.
Instead, you have a head full of definitions, a certificate with your name on it, and zero idea of how to navigate real life.
So, we wonder; is our education system actually preparing us for life after school or are we just collecting degrees and hoping for the best?
Theory vs. Reality
Nigerian universities love theory. They’ll load you with textbooks, lecture slides, and outdated notes from 1998, but when it comes to practical skills? Crickets. You’ll memorize all the formulas and principles, but nobody teaches you how to apply them outside the four walls of a classroom.
It’s why we have engineering graduates who have never touched actual equipment, business students who have never run a real business, and computer science majors who have spent four years listing input and output devices instead of writing code.
Then there’s the issue of curriculum. Some courses are still teaching things that are no longer relevant in today’s world. Imagine a mass communication department still focusing on print media in an era where social media controls the news cycle. Or an accounting class that hasn’t updated its syllabus to reflect new financial tech trends.
At this point, you’re better off learning from those Indian guys on YouTube or LinkedIn courses.
The ‘You Need Experience’ Wahala
One of the biggest shocks after graduation is the experience requirement.
Job listings will say “entry-level,” but the next thing you’ll see is “Minimum of 2-years experience required.” Experience from where abeg? School never gave you real-world exposure, and now employers expect you to have work experience fresh out of uni, how?
If universities actually prepared students for the workforce, internships and hands-on projects would be a serious part of the curriculum. Instead, many students struggle to find placement for SIWES, and NYSC just throws you anywhere, whether it aligns with your field or not.
No wonder graduates are left confused, frustrated, and stuck in the endless cycle of no job because of no experience, and no experience because of no job.
Skills That Actually Pay the Bills
Because the system isn’t doing enough, students and graduates have had to figure things out on their own. Side hustles, tech skills, networking, and self-learning have become the real education. The classroom might give you knowledge, but the streets will teach you survival.
Many students are now picking up tech skills, freelancing, running businesses, and attending workshops to fill in the gaps that school left wide open. While those who rely solely on their degree either have it work out for them, or reality humbles them real quick.
So, What’s the Way Forward?
If Nigerian universities want to prepare students for the real world, they need to:
- Update the curriculum: Teach things that are useful in today’s job market.
- Prioritize skill acquisition: Degrees are great, but practical skills pay the bills.
- Make internships and practical projects compulsory: Experience should not be something graduates have to beg for.
- Teach financial literacy and soft skills: No reason why graduates should be learning how to write CVs and negotiate salaries from TikTok instead of school.
But until then, let’s be guided because, las las, Nigerian education might give you a degree, but it’s up to you to give yourself sense. Keep learning beyond the curriculum, build skills that matter, and position yourself for the opportunities you want.
Forward this to your group chat. Someone in there needs to hear it.
If you are a writer, and you read this week’s newsletter to the end, we have something special for you
Kokonut Head Media is launching the second edition of their Writers in Residence Program — a 12-week online residency for African writers (university students and recent graduates) who are ready to level up their storytelling, and they reached out to TFS that they have some slots for members of the TFS Community.
They are selecting 3 writers to receive:
– Mentorship from top writers and editors
– Support to write and publish original short stories
– Guidance toward a writing goal (like a manuscript or fellowship application)
– A competitive monthly stipend
If you have a story to tell, they want to read it.
Apply now → kokonutheadmedia.com
*Squeezing TFS into your application may increase your chances, you’re welcome!🤭
If you are not a writer, we have some opportunities you should check on our LinkedIn, from scholarships to internships, study abroad and more
