Friday 19 October 2012

SEARCHING FOR A JOB IS A JOB



My mama once told me that “you cannot continue doing the same thing and expect the same result. Only a mad man thinks that way”. When she made that statement, I was perplexed. It didn’t actually make sense to me at first.

But when I got to the university, I started seeing reason with that statement, in fact I lived it.

You see one problem I have with many Nigerian proverbs or clichés is that they are meaningless. They seriously need to be restructured. Lets look at this one, I call it the ‘patient dog-ish’ cliché and it goes like this: “the patient dog eats the fattest bone”. It doesn’t make sense at all. Maybe it did in the days of Adam and Eve but now if the dog in question just lies on his tummy doing nothing, he might not even get a bone let off the fattest hence, dying of hunger.

If we continue digesting statements like this (patient dog-ish one) we might not fulfill our goals in life because you become what you think with time.

The fact that over 2 million Nigerian youths (especially graduates from higher institutions) are jobless is no longer news. In fact if there is an industry called “unemployed youths plc” with shares at the NSE market, you would be amazed at the avalanche of profits you would make if you invest it such because the number of unemployed youths increases annually.

When you ask the powerful question “why”, you would get ready made answers like no jobs, government, and e.t.c. Then you begin to ask yourself another question like; what is the essence of spending 4-5 years somewhere when you have nothing to show for it?

I tend to wonder if nowadays youths go to school with the aim of joining the “jobless crew”.

In my quest to finding a solution to this dilemma, I discovered something incredible.

The best job you can ever have on this planet is SERACHING FOR A JOB. It is the only job that creates room for self development. And until you admit and realize searching for a job is a job and drop the “patient dog-ish” proverb, you might remain jobless your entire life.
SEARCHING FOR A JOB is the only job where you are your own boss. I know you might be asking; how is searching for a job a job? Relax, the answer is straight forward and all you have to do is read on.

When you flip through pages of your local dailies and you come across job vacancies ads, I know nothing irks you more than the 10-15 years working experience part of the ad. And the question that comes straight from your heart is; how am I going to get 10- 15 years working experience when no one would ever employ me?


The answer comes in two parts: DO something, START something!

Is that it? You might say. Yeah! I mean it, DO something.

Doing something, makes searching for a job a job, Companies don’t employ a person that has nothing to offer and that is why you would definitely find the 10-15years working experience in their ads.

Work for free; apply for internships at the industry you desire. Opportunity they say can come as a disguise but make the best use of it. Don’t just submit your CV somewhere and stay idle. 

Keep doing something and you would be amazed at the wealth of experience you would have acquired in no time.

The second part is START something! Okay let me share with you my story; I started my first business at the age of 17. You would see me then with a back pack selling my stuffs from door- door. I got little or no gain, made lots of mistakes but I was persistent enough that at 22, I already had a big store where I sold my computer accessories. Apart from me making money daily; I am not trying to blow my horn here (Okay just a lil’ bit), I learnt a lot about entrepreneurship and you cannot get that experience and relationship I had developed with my customers anywhere.

I started small but did not limit my thinking. I thought big.

I didn’t wait till I had enough money to build a big store. The mistake so many people make out there is that they want to start big so they can start earning big.

If you start big without any experience, how are you going to manage and handle big mistakes when you cannot even stand the small ones?

Start with what you have with a bigger picture in mind.

There are so many businesses you can start up which requires little or no capital that can earn you big profits; you may mail me at sadiqdaniel@gmail.com for free tips and ideas if you wish.

We are in a century where it is only ideas that work, if you can convince and get people to cherish your ideas you win. You win financially; you gain power to change the world in which we live. You just have to think.

As long as you can use your idea to change the way people think, talk or act……… You can create value.

Fulfilling your dreams in life is a journey that you can’t finish in a day even if you are traveling at the speed of light.

Do something, START something! And you would be surprised how far you can go in life.

You have unlimited potentials in you. Tap into it today.

Searching for a job is definitely the best job you can ever pray to have.

I would like to hear your views on this article and you can reach Sadiq Daniel on twitter at @ayamtheone. Email: sadiqdaniel@gamil.com for free tips and advice
                                                                                                                        Thank you
                                                                                                                        Sadiq Daniel