Your way out of unemployment

Efforts to tackle this hydra headed monster amongst graduates gave rise to the introduction of skills acquisition schemes by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in orientation camps, the formation of Community Development Service (CDS) and lectures on small scale business to aid graduates be self-employed and less dependent on white collar jobs. The training […]

Efforts to tackle this hydra headed monster amongst graduates gave rise to the introduction of skills acquisition schemes by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in orientation camps, the formation of Community Development Service (CDS) and lectures on small scale business to aid graduates be self-employed and less dependent on white collar jobs.
The training focuses on small and medium scale businesses like fish farming, snail farming and poultry among others, and also skills training on different handcrafts including bead making, soap making, fashion designing, catering, and auto-mechanic among others.
Though it is not binding on everyone, it is advisable that all Youth Corps members learn a craft while in camp. So many female corps members utilised this opportunity and are better for it today. Some are making waves in small-scale businesses and have reduced total dependence and endless waiting of white collar job.
Are you still waiting for a job or about to graduate, you can try your hands on these skills:
Bead making
One area which is blossoming among graduates who chose to be self employed is bead making.  Bead making is fast becoming a venture to reckon with many graduates not only making a living out of it but also contributing positively to the economy.
For Betty Anonre a resident in Abuja, bead making is a creative job that does not require much in take-off capital. “After graduation and no job for years; I decided to create one for myself,” she said.
Betty said after moving to Abuja from Lagos, tried gaining employment and failed, she decided to go into the business of selling mobile phones but was discouraged by the return on investment and had to go into bead making.
She said it did not cost her a penny to learn as she did that when she was in camp. She described it as a profitable venture and it is more of showcasing your ingenuity and doing what you like so that after your work you can look at it and appreciate it.
It takes only getting trained in the craft and getting the necessary items to work with which includes pliers, cutter, tape, scissors, copper wire, coiling gizmo, wonder netting, fish liner and beads.
A set of beads with the earring and bracelets cost as much as N8000 though some can also be sold below this while a bead bag goes for N15, 000   
Fashion designing
Graduates should also look at fashion designing which is formally dominated by uneducated or school drop outs. Today most fashion designers we have in town are major celebrities. We are in an era where people use hundreds of thousands to get a cloth just because of the name of the designer.
Gift Samuel said she was frustrated with admission into educational institution and decided to enrol in a fashion designing centre in Jos. According to her, her enrolling was a past time while waiting for her admission to come through. The admission was delayed for a few years, so she started making clothes for her peers. “I always ask my friends and neighbours to buy all the materials I will need to make the clothes and after I am done, they can give me anything they can afford and through that I was able to save and buy a sewing machine,” she said.
The machine was the beginning of the success story she had today; she started sewing for others apart from friends and that helped her to perfect her skills before the admission finally came through. While in school she still designed and “after graduation and service, the little savings I made, I used to get an additional sewing and weaving machine and bought other things I needed to do my work. I used our balcony to start my business and today I have this big place to my name,” she enthusiastically said.
Gift said as a graduate, one thing she learned was that in business the difference between an educated person and uneducated one is packaging and innovation in ideas.
Make-up artist
Being a make- up artist is quite a lucrative business which takes little time to learn. A lady who wears make-up or is crazy about make- ups can take advantage of that and put it into good use to make good money from it. Although applying the right make-up and the right proportion is very important. Hair dressing and tying head gears will be an added advantage to this.  
Why young female graduates shouldn’t be unemployed
Unemployment has contributed to an increase in the wave of crime in the society because an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. Ladies who stay long at home seeking for white collar jobs without success may resolve to constituting nuisance in the society through activities like prostitution, idle gossip and theft, begging and inability to turn their backs on abusive relationships.
Self-employment advantages
Self employment sharpens creative ability on the one hand and aids in fighting societal menace on the other hand as well as reduces the number of people waiting for jobs. Its advantages are enormous; apart from making you self reliant, you can generate income that will sustain you. You can also create employment by offering jobs and training others thereby contributing your quota in growing the society. Invariably you have learned and transferred skills that will also help in curtailing nuisance in the society.
Why some female graduates remain unemployed for longer than necessary
For most ladies, the thought of doing anything outside white collar job as a graduate is not conceivable and has never crossed their minds. Some may possibly look down on the work because everyone can do it with or without education.  But the advantage of education is that you can do it in a special way.
Another issue that hinders some from venturing into acquiring these skills is likely the fact that they don’t want to start small, but the saying that you should not despise the days of little beginning should always come handy when such thoughts cross your mind.
A word for you
Seize the moment and think of what you can do out of all these options; it may be a step to your next level in life. Create your own empire and rule it like you want it to be. Instead of years of fruitless tests and interviews, idle thoughts and unsavoury character, unfulfilled promises and frustrated efforts of gaining employment, you can change these by trying your hands on a craft. Remember you never know what you can do until you try it.