What can you do as a fresh graduate in Nigeria? A nine to five has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. However, with the growing unemployment rate in the country, more graduates are beginning to lean towards unconventional jobs. Passive Income is now the new mantra among graduates as many opportunities where one can earn residual income present themselves online.
As a fresh graduate, it is only normal that you hit the streets looking for what to do before a job comes especially if you have some free time on your hand and ample energy to actively seek personal growth. While you wait for your dream job, here are some things you can do as a fresh graduate in Nigeria.
15 things you can do as a fresh graduate in Nigeria;
1. Read Books
From career to personal development, you can never go wrong with a book. As a Nigerian graduate, there is sufficient time between graduation and NYSC to learn a skill, look towards building a business or acquire knowledge in any field of interest. With books, you can get started on your journey in life as a full-fledged graduate. Try reading, “The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter” by Dr. Meg Jay.
2. Invest in Online Courses
Udemy, Coursera, Allison, Khan Academy and so many other online learning platforms can teach and equip you with all you need to face life as a fresh Nigerian graduate. Waiting for that interview? Take a course on how to ace an interview online. Looking to start a business? In three weeks, you can learn all the business tips that work in the real world by simply swiping your screen and with as little as $10.
3. Build Profitable Relationships
Whether you are an introvert or ambivert, it pays to have quality relationships. Work on identifying people who motivate you and are actively engaging in the activities that will profit this current phase of your life. Network at events you are privileged to attend and even online.
4. Have a Personal Development Plan
Your personal development plan is a roadmap to living the life you desire. From taking courses to reading books, it is necessary you do not just blindly go through this phase of your life without having a goal or something to wake up for every morning. Instead, plan and set goals for the most important areas of your life and begin to work towards achieving them.
Your goals can be centered on:
1. Spirituality
2. Health
3. Relationship
4. Finances
5. Career
6. Learn the Rules of Money
Financial intelligence is a must-have skill. If you do not know how money comes and goes, you will be poor. This is the perfect time to take your finances seriously and begin to plan for the days ahead. People end up poor because they do not ask themselves these questions:
1. What am I currently doing to increase my earning (if any) or to earn (if none)?
2. How much money do I want to be worth when I am 65?
3. Who is doing what I currently want to do to make money?
4. How are they doing it?
5. Who are my customers and where can I meet them?
7. Learn How to Sell
You may think gaining financial intelligence and knowing how to sell is the same thing. Selling is a skill. To learn how to sell, you must master the art of persuasion. Invest in copywriting skills, enroll in a sales expert training and begin to practice.
8. Affiliate Marketing
If you have a website, you can earn as much as 50,000 a month through affiliate marketing. When people click the affiliate links on your website, you earn a commission off the products they buy. You can also practice affiliate marketing offline by offering products to people on your social media platforms instead of just posting pictures and gaining only ‘likes’ and followers.
9. Drop-Shipping
With the explosion of e-commerce in Nigeria, you can create an online store and dropship. Dropshipping has become very easy as all you need do is to create an online store that offers products from certain manufacturers. When someone visits your store and makes the order, the manufacturer then completes the order and ships the product directly to the customer.
10. Create YouTube Videos
You can earn off YouTube by creating and uploading videos. Each time someone watches your video, you earn off it especially if you have a large subscriber base. Brands can also pay you to advertise their products.
11. Freelancing
Sites like Freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr and Guru pay you to offer your skills to clients. They take a percentage off your earnings and you take home your pay at the end of the stipulated period. Whether you are a graphics artist, writer or even web designer, you can offer your services on freelancing sites and get paid for the value.
12. Start a Blog
Admittedly, it looks like the blogosphere is saturated and can no longer contain newbies but nevertheless; every new blog is like a newborn. There can be similarities between your blog and others but what matters is you have your own blog.
Once you have got value-packed content, your blogging journey can take you to heights unreachable and give you the visibility you need.
13. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
I personally advise every graduate to take their LinkedIn profile seriously. Do away with those hideous mug shots that make you look like an ex-convict or unserious bee and invest in a good professional headshot. LinkedIn helps recruiters see you and once you can optimize your account with the right keywords, who knows? You can actually land your dream job.
14. Get a Mentor
Mentorship has its benefits and is your surest way to succeed without having to go through the pain of the experience. Now that you are a fresh graduate, why not identify someone that is a visual representation of where you are headed, get in touch with them and begin to learn from their precious wisdom and experiences.
15. Acquire Good Habits
Experts say one can form habits if an action is repeated consistently for twenty-one days. As a fresh graduate, you have more than 21 days in your hand. Hence, you can do away with bad habits and replace them with habits of effective and successful people
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