The phrase "be careful what you wish for because you just might get it" doesn't sound scary on the surface but when critically looked at, it really is a scary thought.
All my life, I dreamt about being an engineer. I was excited at the prospect of building cool stuff and getting super rich from doing it. I guess that's what happens when you spend too much time watching Dexter's laboratory. He's an American kid with a Russian accent, a secret lab and a sister with a brain that's about the size of a peanut.
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Reality is cruel and I've been living in it. It is very important to state that my country is not a friendly place to live in, the place is rife with mechanisms to keep you and your lofty dream at bay. If it isn't an uncompromising lecturer, it is the police or your family members, constantly singing it in your ears how you're not worth it. If they don't get you down then I'm very sure the government will. I always wanted to be an Engineer and here I am, years later with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and studying for a Masters in Aerospace Engineering but still having no clue as to where I actually fit in the general scheme of things.
Engineering in Nigeria is focused on maintenance and I am only finding this out now, after 6 years of education. The funniest part is that we spend so much time solving irrelevant questions that only feed the fragile egos of the small men they make our professors. I guess the professors don't also know better and just dwell on the pointless scrutiny of square pegs in triangular holes. Our courses are generally geared towards design when the industry is geared towards maintenance; therefore virtually every Nigerian Engineering graduate is actually unfit for employment.