THE BARON, I AGREE WITH YOU 100%.

I 'm going to get a lot of criticism for what I am about to say but it is the truth - NYSC is usually a route out for people with very little hope. Pls note that I HAVE NOT SAID that only people without little hope enjoy NYSC. For many, the 8,5k 'allowi' is their first time they have earned money, and puts them in a better position that they would have ever been. From this one year of manual labour, they may go on to be retained by the companies they have served duly. In that respect NYSC serves it purpose.

HOWEVER, for some people like me who left the UK to take up a respectable job in Nigeria, NYSC has only proved a thorn in my career. I have had to accept a N3m drop in pay, simply because I am not 'full staff', yet for every other purpose but pay I am staff. I haven't mentioned the 3M just to throw figures around, but to show you detrimental NYSC has been to my career. I came to Nigeria to work, not to relive my Benin city secondary school days as was evidenced in camp. Thank God I did not stay in camp - in fact, my employers pleaded that if I can 'escape' camp I should, because there was so much work to be done.

My point is that NYSC should be voluntary. Some people need it, some dont. I have had my fair share of life's challenges, and I don't need a whole year of being treated like a goat to tell me that life can be hard. Each to their own. Like 'the baron' said, is it if I have a business proposal that I wish to see through, then I will waste my time doing NYSC?

Govt please stop making it difficult for people wishing to relocate to do so in the name of this sham of a program called NYSC. Yes the intentions are good, but the 'spirit' of the program no longer holds true so pls scrap it.

no probz lawijo, always happy 2 share. Its good to see people who are willing to give something back. In my case, i felt that what i could do for my part was to bring a level of professionalism often lacking in Nigerian businesses to the table.

The bank in my work place for example, the cashiers behave as if they are God's gift to mankind. They are so sluggish in everything. I feel that many Nigerians due to one factor or the other lack professionalism, even though I think this is changing. Customers should always be treated with dignity and respect.

@ laxist, i attended in London.

Hi, I got my job through Careers in Africa last year, same time. I had interviews lined up with Shell and P & G. I went for the briefing/networking session the night before and I was pretty intimidated because I felt like evryone else there was so much more qualified than I am. Anyways you are encouraged to drop your CVs with other companies at the event, in case you dont have any interviews lined up.

Anyways I had my interview with Shell at 8am the following morning and although I was really nervour, my interviewer put me at ease. I then went round to drop my CV, and in some room you can look at a screen to see whether any companies are interested in interviewing you. For my part I was very tired and went home about 12pm, and two weeks later I was invited by Shell to the Recruitment Day, and the rest in history. By the way I din't bother myself with the P & G interview, I just couldnt be bothered to take the test.

By the way the staff of CAI were very helpful, phoning me to make sure I was going to attend and stuff. All the best pal.

WOW! Very well said. There have to be criterias in order to whittle the number of applicants down. Shame, but true.

I am a Contracts Analyst in an oil company, which means we evaluate whether certain bidders are eligible for contracts, award the contracts and manage them.

Congrats my dear. Access Bank could be stupid tho, at least on my issue. They invited me for an interview at a recruitment fair while I was in the UK. I thought the interview went very well but when they found out I hadn't done my NYSC they started rambling rubbish. Anyways thankfully for me I got my Shell job offer.

Truth is that due to the kind of society where we live in, many employers elevate 2:1 students over 2:2s, even though the degree is not the true test of ability. I crammed my way to a 2:1. What I would suggest is that a 2:2 can never be the end of your life, do other course like Masters, MBAs, professional exams that create an equal learning platform for all. I work for Shell (SNEPCO) and a colleague of mine made a 2:2, but she excelled in her MBA and now works with us. If you have a 2:2, you have to show employers through your CV that you are much more than your grades show. All the best to my fellow nairalanders!

NYSC is a bloody waste of time and discouragement to those of us in the diaspora that want to return home. Am very lucky that my employers were kind enough to let me take time out to do the bloody thing. It should be optional for those whose career prospects may be uncertain, and I dont mean this is a bad way. But for those of us who are recruited from outside the country to work in Nigeria its a real pain in the arse. Worst still to be rudely addressed by people who would be mistaken for househelps and security guards outside the camp/secretariat.

Imagine what one of the foolish officials said to me, he called me 'orobo', that i will soon explode out of my uniform, and reigned other abuses on me. I laughed it off but Gods knows if we were outside that camp he would have found himself in a gutter.

Anyways thank God I dint stay on camp, I paid someone to sort me out. Its a bloody hell hole. Imagine one of the officials asking some girls to raise up their blouses in front of other people so that she could use her hand to feel whether they were pregnant. wat bullshit. God help Nigeria.

I work for an oil company and perhaps I was recruited on the strength of my 2:1 and my Masters. I guess it also helped that I went to a top-ranked UK university. However, I would be a fool not to admit that if not for God I may still have been job hunting; several of my friends even those with first class did not get jobs until like 5months after I did.

At the end of the day, I don't think I am any more intelligent than people who had 2:2s or whatever, many of them will go on to be leaders of tommorrow because of their determination, so one must never look down on others because they dont make 1sts or 2:1s, afterall, God blesses us in different ways.

I wish every the greatest success, continue to look to God, He will do for you what He did for me, it shall be well in Jesus name.

I 'm already tremebling at the though of going to Camp. I 've been posted to Lagos for this March batch. my main concern is the sanitary conditions - I use the toilet a lot because my bowel is very sensitive. So if i want to use the loo by 2am is there no toilet? How do people bath? Are there private cubicles? Also how do you get allocated rooms? is it first come first serve or can you choose ur room mates?

any tips would be much appreciated.

Its really sad. God is on your side and He 'll prove Himself to you as he Has been doing so far. I know theres light at the end of the tunnel. Don't mind all these greedy politicians - instead of investing into a social welfare system for Nigeria they are there building castles in the sky. Thats why our generation need to get into politics to make life better for the average Nigerians.

Oracle, God will give you the job that is yours, rest assured, in Jesus name, Amen.

I just got my offer letter from Shell, and my basic salary is 3.4m, allowances and other things bring it to about 6.1, plus car loan (1.8m), which isnt bad. was anyone else at careers in Africa?

NYSC is a now a useless program intended to hold back people from getting jobs, supply cheap labour to companies and enrich the pockets of the few who make money from arranging the scheme for the privileged. I am a graduate in the UK and a got a job with one of the multinationals in Nigeria and I have to show my NYSC certificate. This really sucks, so I 'll have to do nysc for a year.

I can understand that the intentions were good, but does NYSC really prevent tension from breaking out between Notherners and say Easterners? Hell no! The program is technically flawed. How can you send someone to a remote place where there is hardly water or light? If Nigeria was a better country, corpers wouldnt mind going anywhere in Nigeria. And lets not even talk about the state of the camps - they are only fit for animals. Of course the good thing is that you meet friends and you can gain good work experience and people skills in the 1 year but it cannot justify the fact that Nigeria does not have the infrastructure to forster unity through NYSC. Period!