Build career beyond courses of study – UniAbuja VC

The Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja (uniAbuja), Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’allah has reiterated the importance for Nigerian students to build their career beyond their courses of studies while in the university.

Na’Allah said this at the 2023 Career, organised by the Counseling and Career Service Centre for the students of uniAbuja on Thursday in Abuja.

The theme of the event was, “Introduction to the world of work”.

He said that the university through the centre helps to prepare the students for a career after their graduation, adding that the centre also help them to fulfill those dreams they had during their university days.

“The Counseling and Career Service Centre is a unit in the university that responds to the fundamental needs of students and also prepare them for a career.

“As graduates, we do not miss a job because we are not good students while in the university but most times we do not know how to write a good Curriculum Vitae (CV).

“The goal of the university is to help and prepare you to become global citizens, to broaden your horizon and make you see yourselves as global citizens.

“The centre also helps to prepare students for the work market, our aim is to see that all our students after graduation succeed in life,” he said.

He called on the students to make use of all they would learn from the career day to build a future for themselves after graduation.

On his part, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, prof. Afaha Philip said it was time for universities in the country to begin to pay attention to career which was not captured in the curriculum.

Philip said that the University of Abuja had seen the importance of career which has facilitated the establishment of the career centre in the school.

He said there was now recognition by universities that career was important and also real issues of life.

“There is a need for students to know what will happen next in their lives after graduation. After here in the university you move to the wall of work which is more complex than the wall of the university.

“There is a need to know what will happen next in your life, irrespective of what you studied in the university the job is not waiting for you after school.

“The training you will receive today will shape the next phase of your life and must be taken very serious.

“I want to encourage you, this career day is not for fun. It is important to your life and might be what will define your life in future,” he said.

Similarly, the Director of the centre, Prof. P.O. Ojiah said that the event would show students the positive opportunity that would help them manage themselves effectively after graduation.

The Director, Internship and Linkage Services, Prof. Abdulfatai Jimoh in his lecture: Harnessing the potential in online businesses using social media platforms said more than 4.7 billion people around the world use social media.

Jimoh said that online businesses open opportunity to local businesses to reach out to potential customers without spending a fortune.

He said that through online store you could reach out to more people, adding that online business do not face limited market that hold off line captive.

“There is the need to take advantage of online to market whatever product or services you are rendering, as this will help you reach out to more customers.

“There is unlimited legitimate ways for making legitimate money using online,” he said.

Miss P.O. Fache, a Fashion Designer advised the students to start a business with whatever they have and not wait for a huge capital which might not come.

Fache said that she started her fashion business with almost nothing, adding that after some years she had been able to grow it to something reasonable.

She said to achieve your goals you must be passion driven and push your dream.