Here are 11 pieces of life and career advice I’d offer to my younger self as a Nigerian:
- Develop a quest for learning, reading, and self-improvement every day. It’s akin to the Japanese concept of Kaizen – constant and never-ending improvement. Once you start, keep learning new things endlessly.
- Take massive action and be ready to take risks. Making mistakes is part of growth; you won’t remain the same.
- Embrace technology early. Being among the first to adopt new tech brings opportunities and financial gain. Don’t hesitate to explore new technologies like crypto, blockchain, and AI. Take action, don’t just complain.
- Seek mentors, even if it means paying for their guidance. Utilize the internet to find mentors and pay for valuable knowledge. Stay humble and teachable; arrogance hinders growth.
- See school as an opportunity. Don’t just view it as a means to get a degree; use it to network, learn, and explore opportunities.
- Start building high-income skills early. Don’t wait until graduation; learn skills like trading, digital marketing, coding, etc., at a young age.
- Learn about finance early. Understand budgeting, saving, and investing; make mistakes and learn from them while young.
- Secure a job early, preferably at a good company, to gain work experience. Work on your skills outside of work hours.
- Aim to work for an international company between ages 25 and 30 to gain global experience and widen your perspectives.
- From ages 30 to 35, focus on your side hustle or business that you own and control. Use your network, skills, and savings from your job to scale your venture.
- Between ages 35 and 40, consider giving back to society through charity, teaching, mentoring, or innovative entrepreneurship. Think about impactful hobbies like public speaking or even entering politics.
Other important advice includes keeping expenses minimal while investing for the long term, maintaining kindness, honesty, humility, and strong relationships, prioritizing health, building diverse networks, creating something impactful, and valuing self-care.
What do you think? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments below.
