By Gavin E. Aleogho
There
is this lie we do tell ourselves while in school; although we call it
faith. We believed that the certificate is the only key to succeed in
life. An average undergraduate believes that if he is able to come out
with good grade, that is all, his future is secured.
Seeing
elderly friends and relatives who came out of school with a supposedly
good grade still roaming the street, the reality is dawning on many
graduates and undergraduates that certificate alone is not the key.
Certificate
on its own has a lot to play in achieving success and dreams. But in
itself, it’s not enough. Education is only a preparatory ground for the
reality. Education is basically mind development for success in life but
it’s not a guarantee for a successful life.
I
see certificate as a key to open doors. But what are you going to do
after the door is opened to you? That is where other factors come in.
Success is actually a combination of various factors with the knowledge
you’ve gotten from school.
Get
me right, I am not by any way playing down on education. I’m educated
and I still aspire to have more degrees and qualification that will help
me actualize my dreams and aspirations.
But
life has taught me that success has no respect for paper or
certificate. I’ve seen BSc, HND, Masters’ Degree holders who have not
found a place to display what they’ve been taught or trained to do.
You
see people who have spent a lot of years and money to acquire a
certificate, only to finish and keep floating in the labour market. That
should not have been the case if only some individuals have really
understood that success is beyond the paper called certificate.
When
a young graduate thinks that because he has gotten the certificate,
then he is guaranteed to have the best of life, he is only deceiving
himself. He should be told that many have come ahead of him, with better
and higher certificates, yet, still trying to find their place in life.
He
should be told that the certificate doesn’t guarantee success in
marriage either does it guarantee success in other ramification of life.
He might get a well-paid job with his certificate but other factors are
required for him to sustain the job. His certificate does not guarantee
that he will be prudent in spending the cash he gets from his job.
How To Succeed After Graduation
1. Right Mind Set
To
become successful with that certificate, you must have the right
mind-set. I’m talking of a mind-set that thinks beyond the certificate.
Come to think of it; are people who didn’t go to school not succeeding?
If they are, how does your paper comes in? How are you then different
from those who are not privileged to be in the four walls of an
institution?
What
will cause you to succeed after graduation is not your certificate but
your mind-set. I’m talking of productive thinking and corresponding
action. That is what guarantees success. If you leave your certificate
to ‘think’ for you, you will be among those waiting for job to come to
them. It may come, but you will or may only have ended up in the circle
of rat-race without making much impact or living a purposeful life.
2. Develop Your Potentials
Your
potentials are hidden and untapped talents and gifts which require room
for development. Irrespective of your level of education, you have this
untapped talents inside you of which if you can reach out to develop
and maximized it, you can earn a living from them.
What
you have inside of you is bigger than that paper called certificate.
Build and leverage on that your hidden potential and gifts. Even while
in school and after you’ve graduated, make it a personal goal to always
develop yourself.
Your
interest and passion are signpost to the hidden gift God has put inside
of you; build on them. If you live like this, you will have a
productive life irrespective of what you find yourself doing.
3. Acquire New Skills
In
life, there is room to scale new height. There is room to explore new
territory. Never let your course of study restrain or condition you to a
particular way of life.You never can tell what you are very good at
except when you give it a shot. Also, you never can tell what will
eventually be your major source of sustenance or income. Get new skills
that appeal to your interest and passion.
Skill
acquisition should not be limited to skill related to your course of
study alone. Take for example; there are several computer applications
software which can be of much benefits to you either directly or
indirectly. Go get yourself familiarize with them.
4. Take Responsibility For Your Life
I
have seen a lot of graduates who waste most years of their life waiting
for the fulfillment of a mere man’s promise of a job to them. Never
live your life that way. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t wait for the
fulfillment of a promise to you. What I’m saying is that you should not
keep your life on hold while you are waiting. Get something doing. Have a
plan in life which is not human dependent. Don’t leave your life at the
mercies of one Uncle or ‘big man’ somewhere, whom you hope will help
you one day. Don’t live your life based on the promises of anybody.
Live
life in such a way that whether you fail or succeed, you won’t have to
blame it on anybody; but rather on yourself. You should know that the
progress of your life is largely dependent on you. If you have actually
gone through the four walls of high institution, then, you are no longer
a kid; neither are you ‘Mummy’s Pet. You are a mature man or woman now.
Start taking responsibility for your life.
5. Start Doing Something
Start
doing something no matter how small it is. It’s is said that little
drops of water with time can make an ocean. Never despise the days of
little beginning. Start from somewhere. It is good to have faith for the
‘big job’. But it’s also wisdom for you to start from somewhere while
you are still having faith. If the so called ‘big job’ materializes
immediately; thank God. But if not, you can’t just be waiting, doing
nothing while you are wasting your time and life.
People
who are victim of this are people who desire instant wealth. When you
are looking for instant wealth, you will fall into diverse temptations.
You have to know that there is nothing like “over-night wealth”. Every
true success comes bit-by-bit.
6. Get Information, Get Knowledge
I’ve
meet graduates who think the culture of reading stopped in school. A
young graduate, who happened to be my next door neighbour sometimes ago,
notices that I always read at night. He inquired to know if I was
preparing for an exam, of which I told him I was not. He has a mind-set
that reading is for people in school or people who are preparing for
exam.
The
culture of reading doesn’t stop in school, either is it meant for only
people preparing for a test or exam. Reading for anyone who wants to
have a successful and productive life should be a habit.
Great
men that are making impact in our world are readers. “Readers are
leaders” according to the general saying. Reading is mind development.
You shouldn’t stop developing your mind because you have a certificate.
Where
you are going to in life is still very far. The information you are
able to gather now will be of much benefit to you when you get there.
Don’t just acquire knowledge that is related to your field of study,
read wide. Get general knowledge; get information that will increase
your productivity.
All
through this process of moving to success, keep on learning. While you
are still waiting on your dream job or business to be a reality, learn
from your daily experiences. Learn how to manage your time, finance,
people etc.
7. Develop A Good Interpersonal Skill
One
skill you must start developing now is your interpersonal skill.
Building a good interpersonal skill is a must if you must make it in
life. Irrespective of your course of study or whatever you wish to do in
life, you will constantly have to deal with people. Your inability to
relate well with people will be a major factor that will cause setback
to you.
You
should learn simple manners and courtesy. You should learn to get along
with people regardless of the kind of environment you find yourself.
You should learn how to effectively communicate whether verbally or
non-verbal without being misunderstood. Also learn to manage and
tolerate people.
No
man is an island. God will bless you through people. Never underrate
anybody; treat everyone with respect and honour. Build on your social
and interpersonal skills. It’s one sure way for people to notice you and
be a blessing to you.
8. The God-Factor
Nothing
in life just happens by itself. There is a power that makes things
happen. It is that same power that governs the universe. I’m talking of
the God factor. You can’t ignore God if you must achieve your dreams. He
is the one who makes things to be. You can’t do without God. Always
pray and commit your desire to Him, for Him to bring them to pass.
Life
is a journey. Every state you find yourself today is just temporary.
The worst thing you can do to yourself is to restrict your life to your
certificate. Have an open mind to different opportunities in life. With God, you will get there.
