NYSC: 3 Things to do After NYSC Orientation camp in Nigeria
What are your plans for NYSC? Aside from working at your PPA (place of primary assignment). What else do you have in store for yourself? I mean, 1 year is a really long time to be bored senseless.
Anyway, I'm sure we've asked ourselves this question at some point in our lives, so what was the answer? I know that travelling and having fun was definitely part of your answer. Am I right? Maybe yes. Most of us have already planned our entire service year while the rest of us just want to go with the flow. The reality of the situation is things don't always go as planned, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't plan. I'm just saying even as you plan, keep an open mind.
Before I printed out my call-up letter, I had everything figured out. I was practically sure I would serve at Lagos, Ogun or highest Akwa Ibom. I didn't even consider other state, I prayed ceaselessly about my deployment. Everyone kept telling to keep an open mind, but I was being stubborn and optimistic. On that faithful Thursday morning (May 18th), I printed out my call-up letter and my heart sunk, I couldn't even cry I was dumbstruck. I was posted to Jigawa, an up-North state, two days journey from home. I already begun to dread the journey.
All my plans shattered like glass, started making inquiries and my family friend told me I would enjoy the camp, but i should keep an open mind. I went to camp with a slightly open mind that opens fully during my stay. I met a lot of amazing people, learnt loads of new things and made memories that would last forever. Sadly, I had to relocate due to personal reasons and I moved to Akwa Ibom. The anxiety I experienced before I went came rushing back because of the change in scenery. New plans, new friends and new NYSC goals had to be made.
Sorry for going off track back there, this post isn't about me. It's about you and what you can do with your time during NYSC. Aside from your PPA, below are three things you can after your during youth Service Year:
Anyway, I'm sure we've asked ourselves this question at some point in our lives, so what was the answer? I know that travelling and having fun was definitely part of your answer. Am I right? Maybe yes. Most of us have already planned our entire service year while the rest of us just want to go with the flow. The reality of the situation is things don't always go as planned, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't plan. I'm just saying even as you plan, keep an open mind.
Before I printed out my call-up letter, I had everything figured out. I was practically sure I would serve at Lagos, Ogun or highest Akwa Ibom. I didn't even consider other state, I prayed ceaselessly about my deployment. Everyone kept telling to keep an open mind, but I was being stubborn and optimistic. On that faithful Thursday morning (May 18th), I printed out my call-up letter and my heart sunk, I couldn't even cry I was dumbstruck. I was posted to Jigawa, an up-North state, two days journey from home. I already begun to dread the journey.
All my plans shattered like glass, started making inquiries and my family friend told me I would enjoy the camp, but i should keep an open mind. I went to camp with a slightly open mind that opens fully during my stay. I met a lot of amazing people, learnt loads of new things and made memories that would last forever. Sadly, I had to relocate due to personal reasons and I moved to Akwa Ibom. The anxiety I experienced before I went came rushing back because of the change in scenery. New plans, new friends and new NYSC goals had to be made.
Sorry for going off track back there, this post isn't about me. It's about you and what you can do with your time during NYSC. Aside from your PPA, below are three things you can after your during youth Service Year:
- Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development: It is popularly known among corpers as SAED. This is a program designed by the NYSC to help the youth develop their skills in different areas of life. SAED programs exist in different departments such as creativity (fashion and designing, hair dressing, bead making, etc), intellect and advanced learning (Professional courses), IT development(programming, computer design, etc) and other areas. SAED is very important especially since white collar jobs are hard to get these days.
- Building startups: Owning a business is very good during NYSC because the allowance you receive from the Federal Government may not be able sustain you. It doesn't have to be a big business. it could be something small like a bread and egg (meshai) stand, popcorn stand or even fries stand. if you're a dress, shoe, bag or accessory designer you could start in the comfort your room and let it grow.
- Participating in Professional Courses: Although professional courses exist under SAED, let me give a brief explanation of the concept. Professional courses are courses that broaden your understanding about different policies, fields of study and environments. Different organisations are available to train you on different courses at subsidized prices. Some of the courses are listed below:
- HSE: Health, Safety and Environment. To learn more click here.
- HRM: Human Resource Management
- Qa/c: Quality Assurance and Control
More examples and explanations will be available in the next post. I hope this post gave you a little insight on your service year. If you have any questions, write them in the comment box and I will reply you shortly. Have a blissful NYSC experience.
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