Passion my foot…all I want is money!
Dear Jarus,
Indeed career decisions are not easy to make so I must commend you for your outstanding service which undoubtedly has aided millions of people in making the right career choices. Kudos!
I am lost! I am so lost I don’t know which career path to follow. My major problem is that I want to make a lot of money (Don’t we all right?). I have a B.Sc in Computer Science, I discovered that the pay for IT personnel in Nigeria is very low with little or no room to climb up the ladder to an Executive position. I dislike networking because I don’t want to wake up ten years later still configuring routers, networks….. Also I dislike programming because I don’t want to wake up ten years later writing, debugging and implementing codes. I can design websites but I don’t want to work as a web designer for similar reasons. I thought of branching into Project Management (Getting a Prince2 ,PMP or M.Sc) actually I’m still thinking about this but the challenge with this line is that most PM jobs in Nigeria are for construction or Social Science fields with experience required.
People often say you should stick to what you enjoy doing; HELLO!! By implication most people enjoy golfing, swimming, partying, sleeping, cinemas …… you get?
What I really want is to make lots of money; I believe I can achieve this if I find a high paying job now, so I can save, invest and re-invest and re-invest and re-invest. How do I get that high paying job?
Currently I earn a little less than N100k working in administration in a private company which isn’t improving my resume in any way. A friend of mine offered to get me a job at a top bank sometime last year and told me they pay about N198k for entry level but I declined since I didn’t want to tie myself doing a banking job but with hindsight I am starting to regret my decision since it appears it one of the best offers one can get at entry level in Nigeria.
I’m really lost I need a way forward. Thanks mate
A.A
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I disagree with you that IT skills cannot make you rise to executive position. It actually can. Many organizations have Chief Information Officer, Executive Director (IT & Infrastructure), Head of IT, etc. So I am surprised you think you cannot pursue your IT route to executive position.
If you are good at networking and programming today, what tells you you will still be doing networking and programming at operational level in the next ten years? Are you saying your skills set cannot be expanded within the next 10 years? Turning down the offer in that bank is a big miss. One, they offer higher pay, and you said you need money, isn’t that a good offer? Two, it is a bigger brand that will stand you in a better position to move ahead to “money-making” jobs (if there is any) when the opportunity comes. Three, it is a better structured organization than the private company you currently are, meaning, there is a structure and you can grow.
IT is one very specialized skill, and you have the advantages – Bsc Computer Science, networking, designing and programming skills. Getting PM certification should also be a good advantage, and broadens your skills. My advice: dust your CV, start applying for relevant openings in better organizations. You have to start from somewhere. You can’t get a N1m per month from the blues. Most people earning N1m per month started from earning N100k per month like you, and kept moving.
All the best
Jarus
@Jarus, You nailed it.