How to be a successful member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC): How to be a professional member
The NYSC scheme is a pathway for corps members to gain useful skills, knowledge and abilities. These skills are acquired through seminars, training, workshops, symposiums, colloquiums, etc. organized by the NYSC in conjunction with other organizations. These life changing activities are one of the most profitable aspects of the NYSC scheme.
From the field of orientation, each corper will have opportunities to acquire skills and information that will be very helpful in life. Speakers, professionals and practitioners from various fields will be invited to educate corps members on how to maximize their year of service. Life after the year of service will also be discussed. Some community development service groups such as: Nigerian Road Safety, National Drug Control Agency, Millennium Development Goal, Humanitarian/Welfare Group, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crime Commission. Commission of Economic and Financial Crimes, Red Cross. Etc, they will also be invited to give specialized conferences. Its operations, goals and objectives will be announced. Corpers will be persuaded to join any of the CDS groups. It is mandatory to be a member of at least one CDS group. At the end of the year of service, you will be given membership certificates, which are very useful after service.
In addition to the above benefits, there is another quiet but celebrated privilege of the NYSC scheme that will make you independent, self-employed or get a job before the end or after your year of service. The NYSC always partners with various professional bodies in the quest to make youth corps members self-sufficient. These professional bodies train and equip corps with the skills necessary for them to be successful. Through the process of lectures, seminars, and examinations, the members of the corps are fully empowered. These prestigious organizations are recognized nationally and internationally. The importance of these professional training and certificates is innumerable.
Although these professional agencies offer world-class services, their rates are very affordable. You may not believe the cost of acquiring this training and certificates. The reason for the reduced rates is that these professional bodies are aware of corps assignment and know the importance of corps members to national development. A typical example is the Institute of Strategic Management in Nigeria. This Institute is one of the brains behind my successful career as a writer and speaker. His courses on entrepreneurship opened my eyes to profitable business opportunities in the Nigerian environment. They offer comprehensive services and I can testify that their lectures and reading materials are of good quality. The rate was very affordable. No member of the NYSC pays a very high fee to acquire this professional certificate.
There are so many professional colleges, take advantage of reduced prices and acquire professional skills and certificates. You may never get the chance again.
Most uninformed corps members perceive these professional trainings and certifications as a waste of time and resources. They think it’s irrelevant. A wise man said that “no knowledge is a waste”. As an engineer you need managerial and administrative skills, even a doctor needs them, in fact, everyone who dreams of being a self-employed person must acquire these skills. A social scientist or management graduate needs technical knowledge because diversification is necessary in the business or job market. Let’s briefly discuss some of the benefits of becoming a professional corp.
self-employment
One of the cardinal goals of these professional bodies is to train professionals who will lead the global economy to the next phase by establishing profitable small and medium-sized businesses. His business and management conferences equip corporations to meet the challenges of small and medium-sized businesses and emerge successfully. You will learn how to identify business opportunities and how to take advantage of and execute them economically. The various means of generating capital and the practical steps to access these funds is one of the lectures that I will never forget. These professional bodies offer vibrant and engaging conferences that will take a young entrepreneur to the top.
Statistics have shown that only 50% of small businesses are still in business after the first three years from initial setup. Most failures are attributed to a lack of administrative, marketing, and management skills. These skills can be acquired inexpensively through vocational training. I sold over seven hundred copies of my books in a month through personal sales. It was possible because I acquired profitable management skills from various professional bodies. They offer practical courses that you will never be able to acquire from any higher institution.
Most organizations, both national and international, make membership of professional bodies a criterion for employment when recruiting. In most hiring forms, there are always provisions to fill out the professional bodies to which you belong. In some cases, vacancies are limited only to applicants holding a certain professional certificate.
Don’t deprive yourself of a lucrative job opportunity just because you don’t take advantage of the opportunity to gain vocational training. Nigeria has millions of unemployed graduates, with only a few jobs available. Only graduates with a niche can take advantage of these limited job opportunities. ‘Go the extra mile’, empower yourself and employers will be begging for your service. Your resume will even speak for you when you’ve acquired various trainings and certificates, they’ll send you right away if you have the skill they want. Vocational training gives you an edge over other applicants.
I got my first job right after the service without going through any aptitude tests or formal interviews. The owner of the firm was a member of a professional body of which I am an associate. When I found that out, I told his assistant that I wanted to see his boss. When I introduced myself, the only question he asked was; Can you do the job? And I said yes, that was it. I was given the job while other applicants continued with the hiring process just for paperwork.
Knowledge
The trainings, conferences, seminars, and reading materials offered by these professional institutions are unusual sources of knowledge. As an entrepreneur, you need knowledge to outshine your competitors, and a worker must possess special knowledge to attract promotion and increase profits.
In addition, the knowledge gained can lead to the establishment of a profitable business enterprise. You can become a consultant with your professional skills and certificate. Immediately, you are inducted and certified, you are allowed to start practicing. You can set up a professional firm where businesses will come for professional advice, and you can make a lot of money from consulting.
Currently, I am a management consultant, entrepreneurship expert, and professional debt collector. I am qualified to carry out these specialized tasks because I am a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Nigerian Institute of Strategic Management and the Nigerian Institute of Debt Recovery Professionals.
Information
Information is the only tool for development. Anyone who does not value information will become obsolete. The world moves and things change every day. Your professional skills and knowledge must be constantly updated to enable you to compete favorably in the business environment and business circle. Membership in a professional body is a sure way to upgrade your skills and knowledge.
Professional bodies are always involved in various investigations. This leads to groundbreaking discoveries and mind-blowing inventions. Members also participate in brainstorming sessions that always produce solutions to the challenges facing their profession. The only way to access this information is to be a member. They also organize seminars, workshops, exhibitions, meetings, etc., to familiarize members with the current trend of the profession. You can never get out of date as an active member of a professional body. They also provide professional advice to members so they can overcome business or corporate challenges.
Association
All you need to be successful in life is meeting the right people at the right time. Your professional body can link you with people who can help you advance in business and other endeavors. During professional body meetings, you’ll meet successful business executives and professionals. Most of them are very influential in the society; they can connect you with a job, a contract, business opportunities, and even a political appointment. No one is an island, so you have to interact with the right minds to be successful.
It is very important to state that the more you associate with successful people, the better your chances of being successful. You can stand on the shoulder of some senior colleague and take giant steps. All it could take to be successful could be a call or a letter of recommendation from a prominent citizen.
It is possible to enroll and earn up to three professional certificates within a one-year service period. Simply choose any professional body of your choice, regardless of your course of study, because no knowledge is ever wasted.
Take advantage of this opportunity now, so that it is not difficult and expensive to acquire these certificates at the expiration of your year of service.