shotster50:

@ Le Mor,

Thank you for your post. I couldnt put it any better. It really rankles me when people post ignorant and generalizing threads up here. For as many unskilled/menial workers there are skilled Nigerian workers in the UK case closed.

Could you please hook up with Thor and show her that she can actually live better in the UK. I don't understand how anyone can claim that most Nigerians in the UK work Menial jobs when all the Nigerians that I know who live in the UK, and who are not in some inner circle, all have lucrative jobs and careers. Baffling!!

@Ndipe
I have a fair idea of how much different qualified medical specialities make in the US, from region to region. And I also did mention they are my immediate inner circle. For your clarification, that translates to good friends and immediate family. And besides the information is not secret. You can find how much diff professionals earn in the US by region and yrs of experience. So I doubt i have said anything out of the ordinary,

Could you please hook up with Thor and show her that she can actually live better in the UK. I don't understand how anyone can claim that most Nigerians in the UK work Menial jobs when all the Nigerians that I know who live in the UK, and who are not in some inner circle, all have lucrative jobs and careers. Baffling!!

Lucrative what?. Have you gone there and witnessed them in their lucrative career?

This Thread is very funny. And the level of ignorance contained in it is amazing.
I am a Nigerian living/working in the west. My immediate circle and people I know include countless doctors who earn a minimum of $150k and abov, numerous business school grads who all work in fortune 500 companies. (including 2 vice presidents) for one of the top five banks (by the way, these vp's are not even in their 30's yet). Countless consutlants for deloitte and accenture. And all of these people, none of them out of a job yet, So all this talk of Nigerians only doing menial jobs, etc etc is all meaningless and besides the point.

True times are tough and the economy is bad, but this is true for everyone everywhere. But what I find amazing is, it is people whose livelihood directly depends on the US' ability to purchase their only product, that seem to be rejoicing at what they deem to be the misfortune of other Nigerians in the west. With the ever falling prices of crude (presently lower at the national budgetary provisions), I would have though we would be thinking of how to move our country away from oil export dependency

As for me, I still wake up at 8am, leave my house by 9am and get to work by 9:20. Leave work by 5:30 and I am home by 5:50pm. Am I rushing home anytime soon? Nah, I don't think so. But guess what? for al the hating I see on this board, if I do intend to come back home, i will most likely still sign a very lucrative contract with a firm back home, and there will be NOTHING anybody can do about it,

Stop comparing US with UK because they have two different job markets. While an immigrant may get a professional white collar job with his history degree in US, that can be rarely seen in the UK if not impossible. Let's stop fooling ourselves.

earTHMama:

Lucrative what?. Have you gone there and witnessed them in their lucrative career?

If you go to the UK, you will find many Nigerians there in lucrative jobs. Yes, there are the yahoo boys there and those who work menial jobs but it is a fact that Nigerians do well even in the UK. The global economic situation is taking its toll on the employment market but that is to be expected as every country has seasons of booms and busts. Every people are being hit hard by the situation. That aside, there are many professionals in the UK, and the US alike who are Nigerians. All across Europe, you will find them too.
I happen to know quite a couple of people who still have their jobs and are holding on by God's grace to hope that they will be passed-by by the cut.

Earthmama,
what if I told you I have spent some yrs in the UK and I wasnt doing menial jobs?. And I could name 10 nigerian off the top of my head who worked in Goldman Sachs whilst I was there, and countless other IT professionals (project managers and software testers especially).
I give this examples cos I know I am not unique in my experiences, and just random examples that I know off shows you are not entirely right. Maybe it is a generation thing tho'. I know loads of folks who have been in the UK since the 80/early 90's all holding it down rather well. And i am not talking about the illegal immigran who can only get a job as a parking attendant or as a security guard. You do realise a lot of Nigerians schooled in the UK ine the late 60 to late 70's. A large number of the children of this flks have returned and have managed to get stuff done. If the argument was about racial composition of the work force, then the UK is generally a tihter market for black pple. And that is not unique to Nigerians alone. Now add the fact that some are on student visas, and a sizeable few are illegal, then findng those with good jobs in the current climate would be difficult. But then, that is not a fair metric to judge by,

The people known for working "menial" jobs are Hispanics/Latinos. Africans especially Nigerians here in the US are known for being nurses (with their own home health agencies), doctors, biochemical engineers, lawyers, professors etc. I do not see anything "menial" in those jobs.

earTHMama:

Stop comparing US with UK because they have two different job markets. While an immigrant may get a professional white collar job with his history degree in US, that can be rarely seen in the UK if not impossible. Let's stop fooling ourselves.

@Earthmama

Are u day dreaming. Which kind of immigrant will get a professional white collar job in US with history degree, or do you want to stir-up an argument between American job market and that of UK .

IGWE_USA:

@Earthmama

Are u day dreaming. Which kind of immigrant will get a professional white collar job in US with history degree, or do you want to stir-up an argument between American job market and that of UK .

Igwe you have evidently forgotten that a graduate of history is adequately qualified to gain employment as a yellow-cab test pilot or Janitorial Systems Engineer, positions which require the applicant to speak in 3-syllable words at all times, and to dress in a WHITE COLLAR, tie and three-piece business suit.

Jakumo:

Igwe you have evidently forgotten that a graduate of history is adequately qualified to gain employment as a yellow-cab test pilot or Janitorial Systems Engineer, positions which require the applicant to speak in 3-syllable words at all times, and to dress in a WHITE COLLAR, tie and three-piece business suit.

@ Jakumo
Thanks men. I even forgot.

IGWE_USA:



        @ Slim fine  (Adaobi)
       
                   I came over to America  after graduating from secondary school  and spending One year in University of Nigeria , Nsuka.  So i have spent almost three boring years here in Seattle.


               So have u taken Ur PCAT?

                           

Yeah, I did take PCAT and It went pretty Good so I am confident about getting in the program in 2009. so I will see how that goes. I lived in Enugu befor I left after High School. I did not attend any Uni in Naija. So tell me, are you going to Medical school after you graduate from Biochem?

kai! true talk walahi!

slimfine:

Yeah, I did take PCAT and It went pretty Good so I am confident about getting in the program in 2009. so I will see how that goes. I lived in Enugu befor I left after High School. I did not attend any Uni in Naija. So tell me, are you going to Medical school after you graduate from Biochem?

          @ slimfine
                         Just trying to keep up with d GPA, hope to get into medical school or for a Ph.D program. But also taking everthing easy shaaaaa.
   So do U have to take calculus based physics inorder to get into pharmacy school.



                 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

IGWE

AFAIK, most the schools only require the watered version of physics for the med stoods, not engineering-physics.

@ Igwe

Yes. I had to take magnetism, Electricity and Waves. Horrible!!!! but I Beesed them sha. my instructor was great. I am also looking into Physician Assitant. pretty nice course and it pays well also. you should check it out!!!

H2O2:

IGWE

AFAIK, most the schools only require the watered version of physics for the med stoods, not engineering-physics.

           @ H202
         Basket mouth, I dont need your vibration!

son of a shoe that is what i mean

slimfine:

@ Igwe

Yes. I had to take magnetism, Electricity and Waves. Horrible!!!! but I Beesed them sha. my instructor was great. I am also looking into Physician Assitant. pretty nice course and it pays well also. you should check it out!!!

@slimfine

    you must have finished your Org chem series !  

H2O2:

son of a shoe that is what i mean

                    Are  you really d father of Iraq journalists' Shoe.  Not surprised at all.

go back to nsuka

H2O2:

go back to nsuka

@H2o2
I dont know whether u passed ur JAMB, but I'm alwaz proud to be a LION {UNN} alumni.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroar! To all Lions without mane!

Sai Anjinma!

mash2:

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroar! To all Lions without mane!

Sai Anjinma!

@mash2
You are welcomed 2 nairaland.

HaPPY NEW YEAR!

IGWE_USA:

@slimfine

    you must have finished your Org chem series !  

you bet I did!! it was very challenging. but I got through it. Thank God!!!!!

Saw this on reconnectafrica. . . . . . . . .felt like sharing.



AFRICA is a Continent of opportunities. YOU just have to FIND, EXPLORE, CREATE and BUILD ON THE OPPORTUNITIES around you.

True, Africa has its own challenges, as with EVERY other Continent. BUT, UNLESS and UNTIL, we as Africans begin to have a more positive mindset of, about  and towards Africa, we will never see the opportunities that are starring us in the face.

They are there, yes, they are, !! We don't see them because we choose to think, assume and internalise that nothing good can come out of Africa. We choose to 'celebrate' the negatives!! YET, Africa is the only Continent in the world, where there are so many opportunities.

We sit and wait for the Europeans, Americans and very recently, the Chinese to come and 'discover' those opportunities, and sadly, employ us to fester the same opportunities that have always been with us.

We would rather go to Europe or America to take up jobs as road sweepers, security men, train/subway attendants, garbage collectors, funeral home attendants, nannies and such low-esteem jobs. WHY? Because we look at the foreign exchange value of the money from those jobs and allow it to dent our pride. We 'sell' our pride and souls, and pocket our hard-earned degrees for a 'mess of pottage' (literally), rather than use them to develop Africa.

And WHY? Because we fail to see THE GOOD OF, IN AND ABOUT AFRICA. We see other places as being better!!

UNLESS and UNTIL, we as Africans begin to have a more positive mindset of, about and towards Africa, we will never see the opportunities that are starring us in the face. No one can do it for us. WE have to do it ourselves.

THAT, is the sad truth.

And this one too:

The real issue about our dear Continent - AFRICA - is the disunity among us. We only think of SELF, not our countries, not our regions and worst still not about the continent as a whole. Several years ago, the late Reggae crooner, Bob Marley sang,' AFRICA UNITE.' Typically, most people chose not to see the message in the music. Rather, we chose to 'celebrate' the rhythm and the voice, whist dancing away the lyrics, the true meaning.

So where are we today? Still dancing away the real truth! Still in our state of disunity! Still on our trail of SELF, rather than COLLECTIVE propagation! Still nurturing the mindset that there is nothing good about Africa.

It is this erroneous mindset that convinces us that it is better to go to foreign lands and inadvertently channel our energies towards 'developing the developed' (to borrow a phrase from you).

Look at how many Africans are in the diaspora? Some never remember home. Some pretend they were never Africans. They spend the time seeking after opportunities that are not there. YET, those same opportunities are there back home. And really, their lives would have been better, had they believed, had they tried!!

We accept, there are challenges in Africa. I can list a few, as i'm sure others can. Indeed, we cannot deny that fact. BUT we must RISE ABOVE, WALK and WORK around those challenges to make something happen. It is interesting that we have so many Africans in the diaspora teaching people how to overcome challenges, improve themselves and their environment (again developing the developed), but they never think of doing the same thing for those 'back home.'

AFRICA cannot develop itself, the Europeans, the Americans, not even the Chinese can develop Africa. WE, AFRICANS are the only ones who can develop Africa

And how? By coming together - UNIFYING - to change our mindset, think positively about Africa, speak positively about Africa. Most of all, by BELIEVING in Africa and the opportunities that abound in Africa.

This is my submission!

earTHMama:

Another indicator of the dire straits they are going through is the sharp fall in the amount of money sent home.

Go back to Nigeria, check those mates of yours whom you left behind, you will be amazed what they have acheiveed when you were gone, and then, you will open your eyes and say, Nigeria aint that bad, boo.


very true.My father often talks about how all his mates are 'mult-millionaires' back home, he thinks he wasted his time in America,

@ slimfine are u SERIOUS? "you will live decently with or without a degree in the states" yea if u dont even have a high school diploma guess what u'll be doing? flippin burgers, times have most definately changed, nowadays a BA isnt even enough to get a decent job, and ur talkin about not hving a degree? LMAO. where the hell do u live? U must live in the midwest or somethin, LMAO, you think its everyone in the US lives a decent life? Being in the U.S. doesnt atuomatically mean: GOOD LIFE. You have to work VERY HARD to attain a GOOD life, its not handed to anyone--well maybe paris hilton or somebody

@ jakumo: you said :From my layman's observations so far, avoiding stray shots fired in the ghettos of America can be accomplished very simply by never setting foot in those clearly demarcated free-fire zones, while staying safe in Nigeria is best ensured by spending as little time as possible there, since the violence is NOT localised to any specific area of Nigeria, and can erupt anywhere and anytime with no prior notice other than the sight of people "scampering for dear life".

hahah thats funny because violence can errupt ANYWHERE in AMERICA, it doesnt matter if u live in the brooklyn or if u live in chelmsford,Mass, NO PLACE on this EARTH is safe, ANYTHING can happen ANYWHERE,ANYTIME.So stop with all ur turn my nose up at nigeria attitude, are u better than nigerians in nigeria now just becuause you have a slice of America, you think people arent surviving out there? what of when u were in Nigeria surviving the bullets? wow its amazing how one country can eff up ones mentality, there are a lot of fake nigerians here in America/dispora than I thought possible,

@ jakumo: you said :From my layman's observations so far, avoiding stray shots fired in the ghettos of America can be accomplished very simply by never setting foot in those clearly demarcated free-fire zones, while staying safe in Nigeria is best ensured by spending as little time as possible there, since the violence is NOT localised to any specific area of Nigeria, and can erupt anywhere and anytime with no prior notice other than the sight of people "scampering for dear life".

hahah thats funny because violence can errupt ANYWHERE in AMERICA, it doesnt matter if u live in the brooklyn or if u live in chelmsford,Mass, NO PLACE on this EARTH is safe, ANYTHING  can happen ANYWHERE,ANYTIME.So stop with all ur turn my nose up at nigeria attitude, are u better than nigerians in nigeria now just becuause you have a slice of America, you think people arent surviving out there? what of when u were in Nigeria surviving the bullets? wow its amazing how one country can eff up ones mentality, there are a lot of fake nigerians here in America/dispora than I thought possible,

true talk but you will live decently in the US without a degree than you would in Niaja (except 419)