The 'What Next?' Question.....

Thank God my NYSC year is over. A lot of persons were not aware that I was serving and of the lot that knew, only a few are aware that I am through. For me, NYSC was no big deal and there was no need publicising. Unlike some persons, I hardly uploaded NYSC photos (I think I uploaded only three camp pictures) on facebook and did not even bother filling my album with hardcopies - just to tell you how low it ranked in my scale of importance. This reminds me of a  guy in camp that took pictures over every little action - includin reflex actions. He took pictures while he was sleeping, marching, eating, bathing, sneezing etc until he couldn't pay anymore and began to hide. His face was on every photographers stand. Nobody pitied him, not even the photographers.

Back to the issue at hand. It is quite surprising (to me) to see that the question on every one's lips is what next after NYSC. I read people's status and tweets and
its the same question from every passing out corp member. For me, that is the most silly question to ask at this time of the day. In fact, it is a stupid question as far as timing is concerned. I started asking the 'what next' question immediately I gained admission into the university. I had analysed my family background and discovered that my parents would not be able to support me for long and so I started asking. I asked that question when I moved to 200level, asked it when I moved to 300level and also asked it here after I graduated.

While searching for solutions to the 'what next question', I made a lot of discoveries. One of them is that Nigeria is a difficult economy to survive in, whether in good or bad times. I remember when I and my friends (Emma, Henry and Pius) would hold executive meetings in my room and in faculty (we knew what was coming), drawing up business plans and proposals, simulating scenerios and possible business posibilities. The problem was that our business plans were too sophisticated for our pockets to handle, and don't tell about me loans please - who dash monkey banana. To survive in Nigeria (business wise), you have to be mentally, physically, spiritually, and of course practically rugged - Lesson number one!

We threw away our plans and started talking about job opportunities ('no laff us abeg') and then I made another discovery. Most of us from the field of management (accounting, economics, business etc) want to build a career in the corporate world. Well, not just us, even scientist and engineers in Nigeria are writing ICAN. I wonder why they read engineering in the first place. To gain entry and survive in the corporate world, either of these three things are involved. It is either you know someone who knows someone who knows the 'Oga at the top' or you are very smart and intelligent or ....God's grace! Talking about smart and intelligent, I wonder what these firms take us for - robots? or what. I wrote KPMG's test yesterday and was angry at the questions. I could not solve up to 5 of 20 quantitative questions within the alloted time. After the test, I decided that I was not interested in working for them again (I fired them before they fall my hand). Now since I know no 'Oga at the top, I am of course relying, like every other Nigerian youth, on the third factor - lesson number two!

If you have not answered the 'what next question' before now, you are sitting on a long thing. Please dont irritate me by asking the question in public - you should be ashamed of yourself. Do it privately and quietly. To be sincere, the what next question is a powerful one and even I am still searching for answers (quietly of course). It is a question we would continue to ask at evey stage of our lives and it is/ was the reason why NYSC ranked low in my scale of importance.

Let me conclude with this tip: If any one throws the 'what next question' at you while you are still trying to figure it out, just tell them - "Na God ooooo" and they would give you a pass mark!