The education system is graduating more academically qualified and employable candidates than there are available jobs to absorb them. The oil-rich Niger Delta is the milk with which the Nigerian nation have her daily bread. This uniquely black product from the region has singularly placed the nation among the supposed wealthy nations of the world in the last 3 decades, so it would suffice to assume that Niger Deltans should just get a degree, prepare a CV, and get a job at one of the several oil facilities scattered across the region. But that is rarely the case.
To put present realities into perspective, global oil price is at all-time low. The effect is easily noticeable in sharp decline of new employment, ongoing retrenchment, and almost certain further down-sizing of staff size across companies operating in the up and downstream energy sector of the economy. One trend stands out though; oil price may rise and fall but it has little or no effect on the technology/startup ecosystem. In Thich Nhat Hanh’s book (Living Buddha, Living Christ), “When the conditions are sufficient, the body reveals itself”. This quote echoes the place of multitude of talented CV-bearing hopefuls and the need to convert those CVs into sustainable startups that will re-launch the region into a new economic frontier as well as a new vista for more sustainable employment opportunities. The prosperity of a nation is an aggregation of the individual personal success of her citizens.
The billion-naira question is: Are you willing?
A Typical CV, besides containing the applicant’s name and other personal information, is supposed to be a sales pitch from the applicant to the prospective employer. A CV is intended to be used by an applicant to ‘sell’ their suitability as the preferred candidate for an advertised job opening to the employer. The applicant is required to make a clear and elaborate case for their suitability for the offered position, stating their strongest strengths, previous areas where it has been utilized towards solving problems whose description matches those of the offered job and when it was carried out, authorized person(s) who can be contacted to verify those claims (aka referee), among other things that if combined together, make your CV what it is – a Curriculum Vitae.
But that is not the straw to break the camel’s back. Merely stating those impressive, fanciful qualifications that should qualify one for the offered job does not, in fact, guarantee a spot; for there are tens, hundreds or even thousands of other candidates whose qualifications matches yours to the letter,albeit obtained differently.
Fortunately, there’s a way to ensure you are the one that gets the job. Create it. Create the job for yourself by solving one of the many problems around your locale; problems that can be solved with, for instance, a mobile phone . In the Western world, particularly the areas around the Silicon Valley in the State of California, USA, there’s a really ‘bad’ joke that goes like this: “There’s an app for everything”. Should you measure that against the very large number of apps on App Store – a large group of them seeming like they are doing the same thing – you’d probably agree that there is really an app for everything.
Founding a startup is probably one of the easiest thing anyone can do in the 21st century. If you have a laptop computer that is internet enabled, plus an open mind, then the conditions as expressed by Thich Nhat are ripe for harnessing. Sustaining your startup on a growth path is even easier with the right environment, motivation, and network of other founders. What else could be holding you back? If you are in any of the nine (9) states of the Niger Delta or plan on moving in, and you don’t know how to begin this transition from job-hunting to startup founding, check out Focushub Nigeria. The hub exists to help you and any aspiring entrepreneurs develop and grow your idea from a startup into a big player in your chosen industry.
Looking forward to reviewing your startup when you launch. Till next time!
Article written by: ChuQ Dennis.
