NNPC or a “Big 4″Consulting firm?
Hi Jarus,
I just got an offer with NNPC and one of the big 4 consulting firms in Nigeria. I’m an accounting graduate with ACCA completed. Which do you advise I take for long term growth and career development? I look forward to your quick response as I have to decide by the end of the week.
The consulting firm’s offer is much less..but then I do not want to focus on just money. My challenge is that the NNPC head office is in Abuja and I do not want to relocate there, but If I stay in Lagos I won’t be in a department that is finance-related. I just finished my ACCA in June so I’m more focused on getting good experience.
Please advise accordingly. Thanks
Name withheld
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First, congrats on the jobs. Good to see an ardent reader of Jarushub spoilt for choice in these hard times.
It depends on your goal. But let’s review the pros and cons:
NNPC – Pros
- More pay in the short term
- Oil & gas industry exposure – for better opportunities
- Relatively flexible work environment, with more potential for work-life balance
NNPC – Cons
- Rigid career ladder – you may be in same position for 3-4 years
- Low learning opportunity, except you go extra mile of developing yourself
- Never say never for job security, post-PIB
The Consulting Firm – Pros
- Better learning opportunity/great training ground
- Brighter chance of moving to better jobs in the medium to long term (with more pay etc)
The Consulting Firm – Cons
- Low pay in the short term
- Expect a crazy work schedule, long hours of work, low work-balance balance etc
So it depends on your goal. But as for your concern that posting to NNPC Lagos office means you may not get to work in finance department (where your accounting qualifications will be relevant), I don’t think this is so. NNPC should have full fledged finance function in Lagos too.
So it depends on your goals, but if you can live with the low pay (should still be above 100k per month, anyway) the consulting firm is offering you, I advise you go for the consulting firm, especially given the fact that you are not motivated by sort term financial rewards. All the best.
Jarus
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Congrats again for the offers, in my candid opinion, the choice is purely yours at this stage as the pros and cons provided are cogent enough to guide you through. Just pray about it and surely God ll lead u further, wishing u the very best in your career decision, stay blessed.
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The choice is yours , so you are to decide on your own. wishing you the best in your career decision.
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Hello Jarus,
I noticed you haven’t written any article on Insurance which is a very important sector in the finance industry and mainly because it is my course of study in the university and I’d like to know the opportunities of the course in other sectors aside from the insurance sector such as banking, accounting firms , telecommunications , real estate and oil and gas sectors.. I’ll really love it if you could write something on this..
Thanks.