Dear Undergraduate There's nothing waiting for you when you finish school This is a subtle reminder to every Nigerian undergraduate

Your teachers in secondary school told you that secondary school was the hardest part, and tertiary education was easy.

If you're currently reading this, you know they lied.

There are more assignments, you have to pay for handouts. Your classrooms are bigger, and rowdier. A lecturer is trying to sleep with you, or failing you because you're being too cosy with someone they are trying to sleep with.

You go to class every day wondering how the jargon you get taught is going to make your life better.

A time will come when you will graduate, hopefully. You'll be glad to graduate without an extra year.

When it's time for NYSC, you'll manage to get into camp, along with 90,000 other graduates from institutions all over Nigeria in your batch alone. Hopefully, the government will be able to afford NYSC. If you're lucky or connected, you'll get posted to major cities like Lagos, Abuja, or even Port Harcourt.

If you're not, you might get stuck in a village somewhere. It's okay. You'll love the peace of mind it will give you. Enjoy it. It might be the last time you get to not worry much.

It'll take a year, and in that time, you'll find crushes, find new passions, re-evaluate your life and everything else it is that young people do when they have time on their hands.

You'll pass out. Again, with about 90,000 other people. Now, you'll begin to search for a job. You'll find ways make your CV look excellent. There's a sad reality you should know.

No formatting of your CV will make up for all the 5+ years job experience that many companies are looking for. You try everything and start to wonder whether it was someone you offended that's making it hard for you to find a job.

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So you run to God.

"Lord, find me my job." Remember you promised me in *insert the verse from the scripture about God's promise*.

Here's one thing you probably forgot. God also 'promised' the 90,000 people who left NYSC with you too.

That's not even the craziest part. Grab a cup of water and drink before you proceed.

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The batch before you, and the one before that, and before that, still have many of them waiting. Unemployed. It's not just you, or your batch. It's a whole lot more.

In 2014, the Nigerian Immigrations tried to hire a tiny number of people. 700,000 people applied. In fact, they had to pay N1000 each to get in. There were stampedes at several recruitment centres and at least 15 people died. Many more were injured.

Recently, the Federal Inland Revenue Service tried to hire 500 people. 700,000 also applied. 

Just in case you think you're a really bright student, 2000 of the applicants were 1st Class graduates.

You're probably wondering what you'll do with your life. You're probably even wondering whether you should attend the next lecture or test.

Attend. Pass. Graduate.

But ask yourself this question; "without my degree, what else do I have? What skill set can help me earn a living, or make me happy?"

If you have an answer to this, good for you. Hone that skill and make it better. Get better, hone the skill with your friends and family. Create a name for yourself among your friends for that thing. There's no shame in making money, only in being broke all the time.

If you don't have an answer, find a skill and learn. Get better, so by the time you're done with school, you'll have something else to hold on to, and you won't have to struggle with over half a million people for half a thousand positions.

Finally, if you think you'll just take a stroll out of the tertiary system with your certificate and no backup plan, there might be little Nigeria has to offer you. In fact, there's probably nothing.

Anything you want, you'd have to reach out and grab yourself.