12 THINGS UNEMPLOYED GRADUATES GO THROUGH IN NIGERIA
Ade Mega
Ade first published this on Nairaland, and gave us go-ahead to republish here.
minute pains in their hearts. The longevity and “thickness” of the pains depend on different factors ranging from family & academic background, personal development, acquired skills and most importantly, LUCK (God’s grace), but the good news is this: unemployment has an expire date. There are testimonies of people that overcame these challenges/pains on daily basis. If you are going through this stage at this time, I am certain it will pass.
These are some of the pains the unemployed go through:
1, LACK OF MONEY
There is no amount of money you saved during NYSC year that is not bound to finish if there are no other means of regular flow of income after the service year. When this happens, it’s time to go back to the undergrad days when you ask mummy and daddy for almost everything.
But this time around the demands are limited to stipend for recharge cards, transportation, etc. No more inflated school fees and hand-outs. You find it difficult and ashamed to ask for money to buy shoes, clothes and other luxuries. This rubs one a realistic planning for the future.
2, PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA
Most unemployed sleep and wake up thinking on how the next minute will be. They spend every minute praying and hoping for that good news and waiting patiently for that moment when they will start working at the dreamed big company. This sometimes causes sleepless nights of thinking and nightmares.
That is why you see some unemployed youths looking haggard, sad depress and ugly. No thanks to unreligious vigil and serious thinking. I could remember the night I got my first employment letter, I was just laughing in my dream just as if I was in one of comedianAY’s shows. That was a good dream in years.
3, FEAR OF LOSING YOUR RELATIONSHIP
Most unemployed guys are always living with the daily fear that their girl may leave them soon for a working class dude. This period, guys are always very nice, caring and loving for the one they wish to spend the rest of their life with.
That’s why most campus relationships hit the rock after the reality of the labour world come face to face with them. Guys that are not sugar coated- mouthed changed and gives daily “manifestos” of live together in a beautiful world when the dream job eventually comes. All in a bid to keep the relationship going. Well, most times you don’t tend to blame the girls for this.
The reason why they may shift base is not far-fetched: age factor, rich (working class) guys on their neck and pressure from friends and relatives to get marry on time and the fear of beauty depreciation. With the fact that they are thinking of how to leave their present predicament, they are equally thinking of how to keep that girl from leaving the relationship. They are afraid to join the “girls are not loyal crew”. Double wahala for deadi body. And worse still, in the cause of “showing love” and pregnancy show up!
Some don’t even have time for love, they are preoccupied with getting that job. So, no matter how beautiful a lady is, they won’t even think of her let alone having a relationship with her.
4, BAD TREATMENT FROM RELATIVES
Searching for job entails travelling to different parts of the country either for interview or in the spirit of the search. One will need to stay with one of the well to-do or better off relatives or friends. Most times their attitude towards such visitor may not be pleasant. I have seen situations where grown up job searcher visitor was almost turned to a semi house help. Worse case scenario is harsh attitude from your uncle’s wife. Often times, this visitor has little or no option than to endure till God answers his/her prayer and leaves.
5, SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Most ladies are faced with daily sexual harassment with employers of labour. Most especially the beautiful ones. Some company boss will demand for sexual pleasure before they can give job. These ladies are left with the option of giving in and dent precious integrity or remain unemployed and wait unto the lord for a quick miracle. Some were not even luck; they are either rape in the office or at a rendezvous. While some even gave in to find out it was all a ruse. The less attractive even suffer most from lack of attention.
6, CRAZY ANTICIPATION OF THE EXPECTED INTERVIEW CALL
When you applied to places, the next thing is to be expecting the good call or message for interview. After interview another call or message to come for the employment letter is the next. For every call or sound of a text message can make an unemployed go mad. Sometimes, you wake up from a deep sleep when you hear your phone ring or a sound of text message like a war wake up call. It’s crazy! It’s not funny at all.
7, CHEAP LABOUR /UNDEREMPLOYMENT
Just to keep body and soul together, an unemployed tries to get a job that pays far below what he is worth (the minimum wage and benefits). Just because it’s a cheap labour, the employer maximizes this opportunity by giving little (wage) and demanding a lot (input). This is common among private secondary school owners. Though banks (contract staff) and some companies are not left out in this case.
For instance, a friend of mine who is a graduate of philosophy took up a teaching job at a private secondary school. He was made to teach English, social studies, history, government, Yoruba and Agricultural science. On top how much? 15k! On top that self, different daily shakara for my guy. There are cases of graduates who are official drivers of almost their mates in the university or age mates, security guys in those banks are not all primary 6 certificate holders; there are a lot of graduates among them. I tell you this is painful!.
Also, some graduates go into pitiful and undignified self-employments. Go to Ekiti and Ondo state for instance, majority of the okada riders there are graduates (well, better than crime).
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8, LITTLE /NO FRIENDS
Just like the popular saying that failure has no friend while success has many relatives. During the search for job your friends forget your phone number and wore still they won’t reply your text message or reply your chat, thinking you may be asking for one favour or the other. Just let the job or the money come, you need just a Facebook post or fantastic picture on your wall before the calls keep coming in.
9, SPIRITUAL ATTACHMENT
It’s funny and unimaginable when you hear family and friends advising you to go spiritual, attaching your present predicament to generational curses or past sin.
10, EMBARRASSMENT
In the course of going from one company to the other you meet people that will always treat you as if you are suffering from leprosy. Addressing you as if that is how one will die in the state of unemployed. This egoistic boss feeling like the Lord of all will shout or even ask you to wait till eternity just to let you know she /he is in charge. I call them big men with shallow mind sets.
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11, SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION
For just that reason, friends and family will forget to invite you to occasions. You miss out as best man, best lady, bridal train of close friends’ weddings.
12, JOB SCAM
In a desperate bid to leave the state of unemployment, unemployed graduates fall victim of job scammers. The scammers ask for certain amount of money to get a juicy job but at the end of the day it turns out to be a ruse. So many unemployed had fallen victim of these scammers.
So what have I missed out? Add yours in the comment button.
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