XFIRE’S DIARY: My dream career & I – Lessons from my undergraduate days (2)
MY CAREER DIARY
with
XFIRE
I am a graduate of one of the public universities in Nigeria, and I currently work in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. I am sharing my experience under the pen name XFIRE.
I started off in school with a target to graduate with a first class. I wanted to distinguish myself. I knew I had the capacity to do so. I worked so hard to the extent that it affected my social life a little then. I was a top student in my department and even in my faculty. I led in a number of courses, and I was well known for my academic performance. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to graduate with a first class due to a few minor issues. And I learnt from those ‘minor’ issues. In order to be the best, never take little things for granted, because it may be those ‘little things’ that will distinguish you from the crowd. This brings me to my 2nd lesson:
LESSON 2: Always aim to distinguish yourself in your dream career as early as you can. The earlier you start distinguishing yourself and making your mark, the better and easier for you to achieve your career dream. That is why it appears easier for first class graduates to get jobs. In many cases, the foundation of your future career begins in your undergraduate days (whether polytechnic or university). In the higher institution, you will realize whether you truly love the course you are studying or not.
I had a senior engineering student who realized he preferred the financial/investment sector. While we were in still school, he started reading financial books, following the stock market, FOREX, and other financial data; and started attending financial seminars. Though he graduated with a 2.1 in engineering, he is today an investment expert in a financial institution and he is currently pursuing his MBA. He realized his dream on time, and started work hard towards it during his undergraduate days. I worked hard in my undergraduate days and it has rubbed off even till now. It is better to fail in your pursuit of your dream, than not to purse your dream at all. This is because you will learn and be better equipped for the next challenge.
Continues tomorrow
Inspiring….