Let's quit the blame game. Sh!t happens. Anyone can get burnt by life and for you, it is spending 4-5 years in the university and all you have to show is a certificate you are not proud of. The one that, whenever you sent out your CV, never goes beyond the secretary's desk nor receive a response to an email talk more of getting an invite.

The job-searching market is a stiff-neck competition. There are plenty of qualified applicants who have better grades, so cut the chase, your chances are slim!

I used to have a friend while in university. Let’s call him Tade. Tade was the type who passed through school but never allowed the school to pass through him. He was the ‘life of the campus' and ‘pepper dem gang'. You guessed right, he graduated with a poor grade.

He wasn’t particularly from a well-to-do family, so when I ran into him, hearing his success story, I did not doubt his ‘I am a self-made millionaire ‘ story. And no, the guy wasn’t into any illegitimate stuff. He was legit.

Hearing his story, I put together a list of some of the things Tade did and most importantly the things he didn’t do.

What he didn’t do

• Resolved into substance abuse or allowing depression and fear to take over his soul.
• Blaming the school system and everyone else.
• Running to a prayer house or prophets to pray down his dream -job.
• Settling for just about any job even when the pay is low.
• Going straight into marriage and start having kids.
• Having an entitlement mentality.
• Defending why he failed.


What Tade did

• He went through the process of self-appraisal and self-awareness
• Took full blame for his failure
• He started taking responsibility for his actions and in-actions
• He went back to school
• Graduated top of his class and went ahead to do his MSC
• While in school, he acquired skills which are mostly IT job-ready.
• He took interest in personal development, he learned skills such as communication, marketing and persuasion.
• He took advantage of his talent and work on his weaknesses
• He started a business while still having a well-paid 9-5 job.

According to him, he was growing in his career and business. He had never known a better year but continuous growth.

It wasn’t a peaceful sail he recounted; he had hurdles and challenges. At some point, he felt like giving up. The biggest fight was the one he fought with himself-the shame, the guilt and regret.

I asked him how he pulled through those times.
'mentorship and accountability.'

He said when we have a mentor to whom we are accountable, who checks out excesses and helps us get back every time we fall, it becomes almost too difficult to give up.

He thinks the pleasure of life and instant gratification are reasons why youths are easily distracted.
He counted himself lucky but was quick to point out that the decisions he took not to quit or settle for less helped change his course of destiny.


You might think following the Tade's route might be tougher and time-consuming especially if you don’t have support.

Here’s a route that might give you an end, it might not be as perfect as Tade's but it will land you among the stars and give you another shot at life.

You can try :

• Going for MSC. It helps to pad and boost a poor BSC grade.
• Seek the right network and mentorship
• Go all out for Personal branding…use the social media platform to sell out what you know and can do. Platforms such as Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook are a good start.
• Horn your talents…most time all we need to make a difference is already innate.
• Acquire future-proof skills
• Show what you can do
• Attend workshops and seminars in your field
• Offer to work for free so you get experience and necessary hand -on skills.
• find someone who is already doing what you want to do and tag along.
• Learn a trade/apprenticeship…
• Start a business



Revamping a life after a poor grade is possible you only have to be willing to take actions which have the power to change your course.

Omidhe, Blessing

Brand Manager, PR

Nice one