DILEMMA OF A POTENTIAL 3RD CLASS GRADUATE: TO START ALL OVER AGAIN?
Good afternoon Mr Jarus,
I have been following some of your updates on Nairaland lately, and of course your blog, which has been of immense help to me at this point of my life.
I have made a mistake that is still haunting me; I was never serious with academics (was busy daydreaming about programming and artificial intelligence), which not surprisingly has landed me in a 3rd class with three semesters to go(including an extra semester). I am a potential 3rd class graduate of geography(graduating by April or May 2015).
I’m not blaming anyone for my mistakes,…with a heart full of regrets, I have learn a lot from those experiences (not for today). I am planning to follow my heart and instinct, but also know someone can give that little advice that can change my mindset
I am planning to dump this course, start from O’level all over again in the sciences (presently studying again), and do a Bsc in computer science and engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University. My plans may seem a little bit too silly ,but that’s why I need help; I don’t want to make another 5 year mistake.
I would highly appreciate your comments, reservations or objections to any of these goals.
God bless for your time.
Idongesit
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Case treated by:
OLANIYI OGUNBAYO, CFA, ACCA, ACA, ACS, FRM
(Olaniyi, a first class economics graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, is an investment banker with wide experience in Nigeria’s investment banking sector)
I believe you don’t have to go back to school to study Computer Science and Engineering in order to become a programmer or a computer engineer. In the world we live today, the best programmers or software engineers didn’t study in the university; they acquired the skills on their own. You can become expert programmer or developer through self study. Also there are IT professional exams you can write irrespective of your first degree. For example, there are certification exams in Java programming, network programming (CISCO), database programming (ORACLE), etc. Holders of these certifications are usually sought after world over irrespective of their first degree. IT professionals generally are hired based on their hands-on experience rather than mere qualifications because IT is a practical discipline. If you know programming or software development well, you don’t even need to apply for a job. Individuals and companies will naturally approach you to help them develop all kinds of applications.
Instead of going back to school to study computer science and engineering, which I believe is a complete waste of time and will not necessarily transform you into a programmer or a developer, dedicate your time to studying programming on your own, attending trainings on programming and writing programming certification exams. I can assure you if you become an expert programmer or developer through these means, you can never be poor and your 3rd class first degree won’t count against you.
Niyi has said it all. You may also read this to find inspiration in this man that had Third Class and ended up learning IT skills and rising to become Manager in the IT department of a financial institution.
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GRAB YOUR COPY: THE ROAD TO VICTORIA ISLAND – A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CLIMBING CAREER LADDER IN CORPORATE NIGERIA
I am glad to finally see this,..it won’t help only me,but others out there who are scared to share their experience. God bless you sir,God bless Jarushub