Life After Npower Programme Is Brutal: 7 Realities Volunteers Faced After Stipends Stopped
Life After Npower Programme Is Brutal: 7 Realities Volunteers Faced After Stipends Stopped: If I knew what I know now, 2 years ago, during my first year, as a Npower volunteer, I would not have stressed myself looking for jobs.
The programme came with much expectations and hope, it would have ended 2018, for batch A, the government politically extend it till after election, for reasons best known to them
But today, some disengaged volunteers have not received 5 months stipends, killing all living hopes in the heart of volunteers
Many are left shattered and brutalized, the global pandemic added it own problem
But I do not want you to leave Npower feeling frustrated, that is why I am sharing this with you.
Nobody Gives You Money Anymore
Except you are from a rich home, you may not get a dime from anybody after Stipend is Stopped. The general belief is that you have graduated and do not need money anymore.
Even some of your relatives and friends who were your constant ATMs, while you were in your PPA will not send you money.
They believe if you need money, you should be able to earn it.
Those Who Promised You Jobs May Disappoint
When you were still Empowered by FG, several people thought you are gainfully employed and will not see the need to help you get a job.
Most of them will not even answer your calls, as the number of jobless persons is now a national crisis
And if you have already relied on their promise of getting you a job, you will be heartbroken when they start avoiding your call.
If You Do Not Have a Strong Will, You May Think Fraud
Most Internet fraudsters (Yahoo boys) will always tell you that they are doing it due to unemployment.
In fact, they will tell you how long they have suffered in life.
But I disagree, unemployment is not enough reason to defraud people of their hard-earned money. And mudslinging the country’s reputation.
You can channel the energy you use to defraud innocent people to something legal and more productive.
Your Younger One’s May Start Disrespecting You
You remembered how your younger siblings treated you with so much respect as you were receiving your stipends?
You may not get that treatment long after disengagement, except you, are lucky to find a good job immediately. Otherwise, they will start disrespecting you stylishly.
That is why it is never advisable to return to your parents’ home after graduation. I know you may have a different opinion about it.
But it is strongly advisable to leave your comfort zone and start facing real-life experience.
Your Girlfriend May Leave You for Someone Else
Girls do not like wasting their time with someone who is not ready for marriage. Of course, they may show you all the love, care, and attention as stipends falls, do not expect the same thing.
At that time, your girlfriend needs something more than mere romance and Cinderella love’s fantasy.
So, if she does not see the prosperity light on your forehead, she may go with the next person ready for marriage.
But is that heartbreak? NO, she did not break your heart. Instead, she is realistic about the situation.
You May Think Some of Your Friends Are Doing Better Than You
Today’s youths are fond of using the phrase “school na scam.” But I disagree with that notion. School is still an important variable in the success equation.
However, our society has been approaching it the wrong way.
For decades, our educational system has always prepared us to be job seekers instead of job creators.
And that is why we have more unemployed graduates out there than the companies that can absorb them.
So, we were never taught how to improvise or think outside the box. Instead, they prepared us to work for Chevron, Shell, Unilever, NGOs, and other big brands.
Once we fail to secure a job in any top-rated multinationals, we immediately believe we are failures.
Getting a Job (with brands) is Never the Answer to Your Financial Problem.
Let me quickly ask you a question. Who did you feel when you got the job, you are doing now? You were so certain that it would be the beginning of your financial liberty, weren’t you?
But what happened after the first few months, your expenses have increased. And the salary that seems so attractive at first is no longer enough.
It is not because you are extravagant. But it is because your salary is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
And most of us from this part of the world carry the entire family’s financial responsibility once we start working.
You may start paying your younger one’s tuition, receive calls from extended relatives, friends appeal for funds, the problem is ‘ad infinitum’ (endless).
Remember, this is just few persons out of the millions of graduates facing the same frustration. Because their friends are doing better than them, their emotions (fear and greed) do the thinking for them.
Start thinking of a skill that will give you a soft-landing after Npower. I do not want to sound scary, but LIFE AFTER Npower IS BRUTAL.