Friday, July 31, 2020

WHY DEGREE HOLDERS ARE POOR

BASICALLY, there are seven (7) reasons why degree holders are poor.

1. THEY DON’T THINK BEYOND THEIR CERTIFICATES

Albert Einstein said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Have you ever heard creativity term “Think outside the box”? One of the major reasons why most graduates are poor is simply because they can’t see and think beyond their certificates. I have seen engineering students work as bankers. I have seen medical doctors with great skills in web and graphic designs. I have seen lawyers that are very dexterous with finances. The list is endless!

The basic truth of life is that the skills that are needed to be much sought after and become more successful in life are not really found within the walls of the classrooms. Your certificate is just a proof that you are teachable, it does not suggest what you are totally capable of doing. You are full of possibilities when you think beyond your degrees and certificates.

2. THEY PRIORITIZE THEIR CERTIFICATES MORE THAN THEIR GIFTS AND TALENTS

I have often advised some of my colleagues, never to leave their gifts dormant while pursuing and hunting for jobs with their certificates. There must be a complementary balance in the pursuit of your passion and in the search for jobs. Everybody is gifted for something, but the winning edge comes from our ability to work on our gifts and bless the world with it. The very best way to develop yourself is in the direction of your natural talents and interest. In order to live a fulfilled and impactful life, we need to work harder on our gift than our job. We need to discover our gift, develop it, and sell it. Don’t bury your TALENT with your certificates.

3. THEIR CERTIFICATES PREPARE THEM FOR A WORLD THAT NO LONGER EXIST

It has been found that most of the skills taught in schools are becoming obsolete in the present world. The world has changed a lot, and so are people’s need! It is imperative to know that the present form of university education does not prepare students for the future. Graduates are becoming endangered species in the face of a changing world. Our archaic methods and approaches of learning are preparing graduates for a world that no longer exist, as we are churning out degree holders every year with certificates that have face value but no intrinsic worth. Most learning institutions are filled up with lecturers and pseudo-educators with lecture notes, methods and approaches that have lost relevance in a changing world.

4. THEY KNOW LESS ABOUT THEMSELVES BUT MORE ABOUT THINGS

Certificates and degrees don’t reveal people to themselves; they at most measure our IQ (Intelligent Quotient). I have often tell people that there is no Recovery without Discovery. A poor man is simply someone that has not discovered himself. The more you discover yourself, the more you realize the treasures that are hidden deep within you. We carry inside ourselves latent treasures that can only be unveiled through self-discovery.

5. CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES CAN KILL INITIATIVES

Degrees and certificates can close up your minds to ideas while initiatives open it up. If you are not careful, your degrees and certificates can close up your mind. The purpose of education is to keep your mind perpetually opened towards limitless possibilities!

Fred Smith saw an opportunity for overnight delivery of anything anywhere in the USA, and ultra-fast delivery anywhere in the world, FedEx was born. It will be interesting to know that Fred Smith got a grade “C” in a Yale economics class for an idea that the professor belittled as unworkable. Fred Smith’s company became the first American business to make over ten billion dollars in annual profit. Beginning with just 186 packages delivered the first night, FedEx now delivers in over two hundred countries using over 6,030 aircraft, 46,000 vehicles and 141,000 employees.

6. DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES POSITION YOU TO LOOK FOR JOBS AND NOT FOR OPPORTUNITIES

Our certificates and degrees prepare graduates to look for jobs and not open our eyes to life-changing opportunities. You are not poor because you don’t have a job; you are poor because you are not seeing and seizing opportunities. Being POOR is simply Passing Over Opportunities Repeatedly! What keeps people ahead in life is not their education or degrees, it is simply the opportunity that they seized. Jobs may be scarce but not opportunities. As long as there is a problem to be solved, there will always be opportunities. It is a waste of our education, exposure, and experiences if after we graduate from school, all we think about is searching for a job. An enlightened and educated mind should be able to see and seize opportunities.

7. CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES PREPARE PEOPLE TO LOOK FOR SECURITY AND NOT TO TAKE RISKS

We must be willing to make mistakes and take breakthrough risks. Taking risks and learning from mistakes help us in knowing what works and what does not! When Thomas Edison was being questioned by a mischievous journalist on how he felt for having failed for 999 times before getting the idea of the light bulb, his response stunned the whole world when he confidently said, “I have not failed 999 times, I have only learned 999 ways of how not to make a light bulb”. Many graduates and degree holders are becoming progressively poor because the skills required in the modern world to get rich are not taught in schools and institutions. By 2025, we’ll lose over five million jobs to automation. This means that future jobs will look vastly different by the time many people graduate from the university.

Future jobs will involve KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION/CREATION and innovation, and people that are only equipped with skills found in the classroom will definitely be a misfit in an ever-changing world. Skills like critical thinking, creativity, people’s skill, STEM skills (e.g Coding), complex problem-solving skills etc. are central to living a more comprehensive and productive life.
In conclusion, My humble and candid advice to graduates and students in institutions is to think wide, deep and outside the box. Take volunteer jobs, and don’t be afraid to navigate fields that are different from your field of learning. Your future career will require you to pull information from many different fields to come up with creative solutions to future problems. Start by reading as much as you can about anything and everything that interests you. Once you get to college, consider double majoring or minoring in completely different fields. Trust me, it’ll pay off in the long run.

Don’t limit yourself to the classroom. Do something practical. Take a leadership position. Start a business and fail; that’s a better entrepreneurship. Contest an election and lose. It will teach you something political science will not teach you. Attend a seminar. Read books outside the scope of your course.
Think less of becoming an excellent student, but think more of becoming an excellent person. Don’t make the classroom your world, but make the world your classroom. Step forward and try something extra. Invest in something you believe! Real financial security and freedom is not in your job, but in your passion, gifts, talents, and your ability to see and seize opportunities!

Culled online

FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE

I wanted to share this with you.

It was forwarded to a group I belong to:

My mother graduated in 1965 & got a teaching job at Government College, Ibadan.
The teachers were given car loans & she bought a brand new Opel Kadett.
They were to pay back the loan over 4 years.
However, one of the teachers took half of the money the others took as loan...
Bought a fairly used car & got a driver.
So, when other teachers would drive to school & park their brand new cars, his driver would drop him off in the morning & come pick him at closing.
My mum said they laughed at him, calling him "Acting Big Man" because he got a driver...
But he'd just smile.
One day, one of the teachers had cause to go out of the school during school hours. He returned to report that he saw his colleague's driver using his car as taxi!
When they "reported" his driver to him, he said he was aware- that was why he hired a driver...
Why park a car for 6-8 hours, when it can be making money for you?
The other teachers were stunned: suddenly, he didn't look as stupid as they thought!
Now, because of the extra income from using his car as a taxi, he was able to pay back the loan in a year...
By the 2nd year, he bought a 2nd car to add to his taxi fleet.
By the 3rd year, he bought 2 more taxis!
By the 4th year when my mum & others finished paying their loans, this guy had 6 taxis.

Then he bought a brand new Opel Kadett, the newer model!
Other cars were 4 years old...
My mum said, that was the moment they realised who was smart & who was foolish among them all.

This happened 1965-1970.
I was born 1968, in the midst of this.
That story was told me in 1979 when I entered secondary school, FGC Sokoto.
It has remained with me since then...
Today, I see too many young folks more interested in spending the money they don't have to buy the things they don't need to impress people who don't like them.

Too many people living fake lives in these days of social media.
The Hushpuppi generation: fake it till you make it...
I've seen people pose by cars they don't own to take pictures & post on social media.
Young people don't seem to understand discretion: the competition to outdo each other in the "I've arrived" ranking is just too much.

My niece, an undergraduate asked me to buy her a phone...
I asked what type does she want: she mentioned a type, I checked the price: 300k!
Now, I use an Infinix Hot 5 worth 35k, thereabouts- it was even a gift by one of my site contractors.
But this 20 year old girl wants to use a 300k phone!
Something is definitely wrong somewhere...!
Seriously, we can't continue like this.
My generation is halfway out.
I am afraid for the younger generation, those aged 16-30. I honestly don't know what this world would be like when they are in their 50s & 60s.

May God's mercy prevail upon them, may He give them sense.

Amen.
Let me add:
Mike Murdock @drmikemurdock says, "A foolish man will enjoy a perfect today & lose a perfect tomorrow.
A wise man will forfeit a perfect today to gain a perfect tomorrow.
MAURITY IS THE ABILITY TO DELAY GRATIFICATION".

Every young person needs to understand this.

Friday, November 3, 2017

LIFE AFTER NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CORPS (NYSC); STEPPING INTO REALITY

Talk by Kehinde Teniola – A development expert, An entrepreneur and A child of God

INTRODUCTION
I congratulate all corps members who have served their father land especially those who just passed out.  

According to the general saying, Life is in stages; men are in sizes.  Perhaps you are still serving, service year is a period to DISCOVER/REDISCOVER yourself, DEVELOP yourself, CONTRIBUTE to National development and CONNECT with people.

WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER NYSC
“If you are a graduate and you are still a burden, you only go to school; you are not educated.” Kehinde Teniola

My focus on what to expect will be divided into two.  What most graduates desire (The Desirable) and what is obtainable in the market (The Obtainable).

THE DESIRABLE
Larger percentage of graduates plans and wishes to secure job after service.  Regardless of the economic condition and the unemployment rate in the country, there are still jobs, even though it is few and only the violent take it by force through Human, Financial, Mental… connections.

Market Situation From Recruitment Result By Dangote Group Of Companies
Out of 13,000 applications received by Dangote group of companies for graduates executive truck drivers, there were 6 PhD holders, 704 Msc and over 8,460 BSc holders, even though the company only needed 100 drivers.  These applications were mostly from graduates of reputable universities.

Mental Connection
You need to understand that the world is getting smaller and several machines now perform what man can do. In the same vein, organisations are also looking for versatile staff.  So, far beyond core competence, versatility is now of a paramount importance in the labour market.  Versatility is the ability to do different things, that is, ability to multitask and deliver.

Here are few examples of versatility;

A program officer who studied accounting with proficiency in ICT, plus professional certification in NIM and advanced diploma in marketing.

A secretary with good facilitation skills, M & E experience and good knowledge of statistical data.

An HR person with administrative experience, ND accounting, licensed driver, concept developer and graphic artist.

A Sunday school teacher, instrumentalist, interpreter, editorial member, and graphic artist.

THE OBTAINABLE
It is good to know that we are gradually moving from the era of job to service. So, it is now less of what you study, the school you attended, the grade you have… but more of what you can offer.

“If the ladder to the top is filled up, construct your own and invite people to come and climb.”

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle

Discover, Develop And Demonstrate Your Occu-Passion
According to research, many great people succeed at what they love to do and not necessarily what they study in school.

What do you love to do, what is your passion (your passion is a solution to your frustration), what do you do effortlessly, what do people appreciate and celebrate you for, what is your hobby, what is your gift/talent…

Are you good in gossip and writing, then go into blogging. Do you like to talk and make people happy, then go into comedy. Are you a fashionista with passion to make people colourful, then go into makeup.  Is talking your hobby with eagerness to impart knowledge, then go into teaching or consulting.  Do you love music, be a musician.  Is kitchen your favorite room with good taste of food, go and venture into food and catering service.  Are you good in planning program with attention to details, then go into event planning.  Do you have penchant for buying and selling with purpose to solve problem, then go into business.  Do you have creative and innovative ability, then be an entrepreneur…

Acquire Skill And Do It Better
Most of the works outside now are skills-oriented and those skills are not practically available in our curriculum.  Drop your graduate mentality and learn from the roadside man/woman. The fact that he can’t speak English does not make him/her less intelligent. English is just a language.  Acquire the skill, repackage it, brand it and present it better.

Learn And Start A Trade
There are over 7 billion people on the earth and close to 200 million people in Nigeria. Money will easily flow from these people to you if only you have something in exchange for it or you can solve a problem for them. Money will always flow in the direction of value.  There are some things people cannot do without – clothing, food, car wash, laundry… Start with what you have.  Start anyhow but don’t end anyhow.

Conclusion
As your go in life, discover problems around you and act on the ideas that drop on your mind.  There are many eyes that look but only few see. The difference between the rich and the poor is not in the volume of information they have but what they do with what they know.  Think outside the box. Be the change you want to see.  You will fail but remember that it is part of learning; nothing good works the first time.

God bless you.

© YoungPaths Consulting – Career, Business, Finance, Leadership, ICT, Peak Performance
+234 (0) 8033548342
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Sunday, February 14, 2016

THE CRAZY ONES

THE CRAZY ONES

The earth is round and it revolves around the sun. Crazy, right? It was a few centuries ago...not anymore.
Inventing a cancer detection test out of paper. Creating a radio station out of garbage. Building an arcade out of cardboard. Crazy, right? It was a few years ago...not anymore.

Who are the ‘crazy’ ones? They are the ones who follow their hearts, the ones who dare to believe dreams are real, the ones who make the impossible, possible. They go where no one has gone before – not without fear but despite fear.

What does it take to be crazy: innovation, imagination, isolation? Is it inherent or can it be learned?

This is a revolution of crazy: the teens who don’t just point out problems and talk about ideas, they do something. Just ask 16 year-old Jack Andraka who invented a cancer detection test out of paper, or 14 year-old Kelvin Doe who created a radio station out of garbage, or, 10 year-old Caine Monroy who created an arcade out of cardboard.

It's their time, your time, our time, NOW. Get crazy, be crazy, think crazy and unlock a whole new world of possibilities. Are you crazy? TEDxTeen 2014.

WHO IS KELVIN DOE?


Kelvin Doe was born in October 26, 1996 and he was raised by his mother alone… but let us go back a while. Before Kelvin was born, his mom, Ajua Daniel, traveled with her husband and four children to Liberia to work . However, the Liberian war broke out and all of them had to escape. Ajua and her children made it back to Siera Leane but her husband didn’t make it. Ajua, then met Kelvin’s dad and lived with him until she got pregnant. Kelvin’s dad asked her for abortion and once she refused, he abandoned her.

So again, Kelvin was raised by a his mom along with his 4 other siblings in one of the poorest countries in the world, Seirra Leone. I don’t know if you think your life is tough, but I think we can safely agree that Kelvin’s life as an infant and a teenager wasn’t easy at all.


Kelvin Doe is a young inventor from Sierra Leone. At the age of 11, he started scavenging for scrap electronics parts from dump sites. He was incredibly curious about every piece of electronics he laid his hands on, so he started breaking these devices down and trying to understand how it works. With his curiosity, he taught himself how to repair radios and how to reverse-engineer and build electronic and electrical devices needed by his community.


• In 2007, at the age of 11, Kelvin started repairing his community’s radios for free.


• Soon after that, he moved on to build a 3 Channel mixer, a sound amplifier, and a microphone receiver which was all he needed to become a DJ. So he became his community’s DJ and he called himself DJ Focus (because he is able to think, focus and create smile emoticon )


• In 2010, at the age of 14, he created his own FM transmitter and used it as his community’s first radio station (keep in mind that during that time, in rural areas in Siera Leone, the radio is still the main source of entertainment).


• In 2012, at the age of 16, Kelvin, was awarded one of the top prizes in Global Minimum’s Innovate Salone 2012 and was selected to travel to the U.S. to speak at the “Meet the Young Makers” panel at the World Maker Faire 2012 in New York.


• Kelvin officially became the youngest ever “visiting practitioner” with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Development Initiative.. He has also lectured to undergraduate engineering students at Harvard College.


We can all agree, that Kelvin is a prodigy who defied all odds and succeeded despite poverty and abandonment. Kelvin is presently continuing his high school education at Prince of Wales secondary school in Sierra Leone.

LOVE TIPS FOR THE SINGLES

LOVE TIPS FOR THE SINGLES

•    If he can’t associate with you in the public, watch it, he may be using you as a spare tyre;

•    Sex is not love and love is not sex;

•    Don’t marry out of pity, otherwise, you will end up becoming a pity;

•    Touching is not necessarily care and caring is not only by touch;

•    Don’t misbehave because you are called ‘Beautiful’, many have been deceived with the same word;

•    Don’t seduce him with your body, rather, convince him with your brilliance;

•    Stop looking for Mr Right, find Mr Left and drag him to the right;

•    Stop looking for your perfect match, you need someone to correct your weaknesses;

•    If you marry your friend, you bring back your childhood;

•    If you are a lion and you marry a lion, you are only preparing for a battle field;

•    Don’t say YES because of money, real love is priceless;

•    Physical beauty is nice, intellectual display is good but a woman without character is a no-go area;

•    If your mother is a witch and you marry a wrong wife, you are already finished;

•    Wedding is one-day while marriage is lifetime, prepare more for marriage and less for wedding;

•    Don’t use all you have to feed people on your wedding day, they will mock you if you are broke;

•    If you are dreaming to be a full house wife, then be ready to face full house problems;

•    Don’t enter into relationship when you are not ready for marriage, most long courtship end up in heartbreak;

•    If you are too cheap, you will attract cheap people; raise your standard and those who know your value will come;

•    If the right person has not come, that does not mean you are worthless; gold is hard to find;

Teniola Kehinde
 (Development)

Happy Valentine!

Monday, February 8, 2016

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT FGM

WHAT IS FGM?

FGM is an abbreviation for Female Genital Mutilation.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it includes all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external genitalia (reproductive part of the female body between the legs) for cultural and or non-medical reasons.