ogunsinamayowa:


I'm a 200 level student of one of the top federal university in Nigeria. I have poor communication skill, which is becoming a great deal of source of concern for me. I have prioritized my plan to overcome the weakness, but I lack the path to follow, the procedure and efficient method to adopt.

Thus, I'm seeking for your help. I want you to put me through on the necessary path to follow, and the kind of activities that I need to get myself engaged into, as to conquered the weakness within 2 years. I'm aware that the mission will require sacrifice and patience. I'm ready for it, Sir. The only thing I need, now, is to know the method to adopt.

Thank you, Sir .

octopusfreaky:
@xfire, Happy Sunday to you Sir. Keep on doing the good work, God bless you.Pls need your help. This is my e-mail address, preko994@gmail.com. I need yours tooo.

Destinyy22:
I really like to know you, you're the kind of person I like networking with, someone that would advance my reasoning and challenge me 24/7. Noticed you laid much emphasis on graduating with a first class, I consider that important too but trust me, it isn't all about the grade. I graduated with a first class from a highly recognized institution in Nigeria, I always thought I will have it easy after graduating with such grade but alas ! It hasn't been easy. The most important factor in really achieving one's dreams in a chosen career depends largely on self development, that's the aspect I 'm working on, would appreciate more advice from experienced minds.

ezzylee:
Good evening @xfire.
I'll be graduating with a 2.1 in information technology this July (currently putting finishing touches to my final year project).

My issue is I DJ as a hobby and people have been saying i should pursue it as a career since they feel I'm good at it and I've really been considering it . I also love technology and would love to tow the line of ”Management Information Systems" (mixture of business and technology).

I just need your career advice on what to do.

Thanks.

xfire:

Communication is key. From your write-up, I can say your written English is not terrible so I am pretty sure your emphasis is on spoken English.
Will be back later in the day to give you a comprehensive response.

xfire:

Communication is key. From your write-up, I can say your written English is not terrible so I am pretty sure your emphasis is on spoken English.
Will be back later in the day to give you a comprehensive response.

kaka22:
@xfire... I just finished reading your write up. Kudos to you for a job well done. I have to say that it was educative and informative. Thanks for sharing your experience...

xfire:
I'm back. Let me start from the very beginning, my undergraduate days

UNDERGRADUATE DAYS

I decided to go for engineering because I had a flair for mathematics and other core technical subjects. I wanted to work as a foremost engineer in a foremost engineering. That was my childhood dream.

LESSON 1: Identify what you love and have a flair for. You will most likely succeed at what you love doing most. I have a number of friends who have changed career paths (engineering to financial, financial to academic research, medicine to IT, etc) in order to follow their heart desires. And believe me, they are not doing badly at all! I know people who never wanted a paid white collar job. They always wanted to be entrepreneurs. And upon graduation, they started off on their own and they are doing very well. A well known example is Bill Gates who dropped out of school to start Microsoft. Today, he is one of the most influential successful entrepreneur in the world. I heard Seun Osewa's story is also similar. That is why it is funny to me when people, especially young entrepreneurs condemn paid 9-5 jobs. Money isn't everything. First of all, identify what you have a passion for. I desired to be an engineer in a top engineering company. My dream was never to start off as an entrepreneur. Some desire to be musicians, motivators, writers, doctors, entrepreneurs, etc. Focus on your dream. While it is very possible to succeed at what you don't desire, it is easier to succeed at what you love.

xfire:

Performance entails a lot of things in the workplace depending on the organization, job role and expectation, and the people (boss, subordinates and colleagues).
Many organizations have different ways of appraising their staffs - some use grade system; some use KPI's (target setting); while others use ranking system. I won't bore you about the details but lemme list a few factors that affect performance:
1) People: From experience, managing people especially your boss, is the most important factor. You need to understand the expectation of your boss, and try to make his job a lot easier. Also, you need to have the ability to influence without authority to achieve results, especially when dealing with peers.
2) Visibility: Be visible. This is where communication skills and creativity come to play. Make your impact felt. Let senior colleagues and managers notice you. Perception matters a lot.
3) Key Performance Indicators (KPI) - commonly known as targets. Many organizations set periodic KPI's for their employees depending on job role. Ability to meet and exceed your KPI's influences your career growth.
4) Quality of work output - You can easily distinguish yourself from your peers based on the quality of work. As we often say 'the reward for good work is more work' i.e. added responsibility
5) Initiative - the ability to show initiative is also important. The ability to give an extra push inorder to get work done is key.
Other silent factors that sometimes influence performance are nepotism, eye service, ethnicity and favouritism. This can not be totally eradicated in the Nigerian setting, but people progress beyond those obstacles.

@ALL, I presently out of town and I'm sending this from my phone. I will update the thread as soon as I get back to my base.

Oxytocin:
I've being given this a thought for a while..
What are the professional certifications or programmes who should enrol for or have as a Chemical engineer to boost your prospects?

Gerrard59:


https://www.nairaland.com/3673580/what-certifications-should-enrol-fresh

McWhillion:

check your inbox or spam

Kingofghosts:
Good day everyone. I just came across this thread and I find it very motivating/inspiring. The few lessons I picked up are invaluable. However my search for knowledge has been truncated due to the nairaland attack that happened. Hence. I'm sincerely pleading to anyone that has the complete lessons by xfire to please send to my mail kelvinity1@gmail.com. I'ld be really grateful for the kind gesture.

@xfire, God bless you sir, please keep up the good work. Do you have some kind of mentorship program because i'ld really love to tap from your wealth of knowledge/experience. I sent you a mail already

Oxytocin:
I've being given this a thought for a while..
What are the professional certifications or programmes one should enrol for or have as a Chemical engineer to boost your prospects?


Cc. Xfire, Darellrivers

Kingofghosts:
Good day everyone. I just came across this thread and I find it very motivating/inspiring. The few lessons I picked up are invaluable. However my search for knowledge has been truncated due to the nairaland attack that happened. Hence. I'm sincerely pleading to anyone that has the complete lessons by xfire to please send to my mail kelvinity1@gmail.com. I'ld be really grateful for the kind gesture.

@xfire, God bless you sir, please keep up the good work. Do you have some kind of mentorship program because i'ld really love to tap from your wealth of knowledge/experience. I sent you a mail already

xfire:

It pays to go for a Masters. Forget certification - not too relevant for chemical engineering except you want to diversify.

Be very good in computer skills e.g. excel, PowerPoint, word, matlab and a bit of hysys.

Do an HSE course too.

McWhillion:
Can u Tell me the problem you encountered so I could correct it.