Either long or short courses, enrolling into a higher institution to acquire a degree is one thing and getting employed immediately after that is another thing. Many individuals do not think in this direction before choosing a course simply because they want to be like everyone else.
Joblessness is the order of the day in most developing countries and this is one thing to keep in mind when choosing a course of study because not all will be favoured by the labour market of the current economy.
This is mostly because the government of most developing countries have adopted an inappropriate educational system that does not make provision for proper career counseling of students before enrolling into higher institutions and also a system that is not in line with the needs of the employers.
The failure of the government to do this has compelled individuals to educate the public to look beyond passion and go for only courses that can prepare one for self employment since it appears entrepreneurship is the next suitable option for unemployed graduates.
Therefore, in no particular order, here are courses that prepare you for self-employment before or immediately after graduation:
AGRICULTURE RELATED COURSES
It is rather very hilarious that many students ignore this course for whatever reason best known to them.
When I was seeking admission into the University, I had difficulty in choosing a course. To summarize the story, I eventually rejected Nursing science to go for an Agricultural related course, Agricultural Economics and Extension. A lot of people including my then school principal condemned my action. In their words “How could you reject Nursing to study farming for five years in school?” .
Some of my peers teased me with the title “Farmer” but they only gave me the courage to appreciate the course more.
As much as I have never worked with my certificate because I eventually started doing what I had a passion for which was writing and graphics, one thing is certain, I can choose to set up a big Agricultural firm in future.
I have a small garden and with that, I can boldly say that it’s a good and lucrative course that prepares you for self employment.
Agriculture dictates the economy of any developing or developed country. A graduate of any Agricultural related course can start by engaging in commercial farming, in a unique way as opposed to most farmers who are doing 9-5 jobs with lots of frustration.
With the knowledge obtained from the university, you can know when to plant or rear what, plant and animal diseases and how to tackle them. This can increase your productivity as a farmer. Overtime you can be an employer of labour on your farm and only get to play the role of a supervisor.
Agriculture is a broad course and is never a course of farming alone. There are many professional courses contained in this discipline, such as:
- Animal science
- Business in Agriculture
- Food science and technology
- Horticulture
- Plant Science
- Soil science
- Nutrition and Dietetics, etc.
A graduate of this course can be self employed due to the fact that agriculture is very much practicable and feasible in any part of the world.
Agriculture provides us with our basic needs (food) to run our daily activities. Any business that can provide a daily return is not one to be ignored.
MEDICAL AND HEALTH RELATED COURSES
Medicine and Surgery is one course that has carved a niche for itself as very important to society. The profitability of this course has led many individuals to acquire a degree without having a passion for the profession.
Medicine is not only highly sought after in the labour market but can also guarantee success in the area of self employment. It has been proven that the entire population is living with one ailment or the other and these people must seek treatment, thus they must visit health facilities.
As a Doctor, you can establish your own clinic or private hospital once you have been licensed and be sure of earning your fortunes from there. Most patients prefer private hospitals to public hospitals due to convenience, adequate drugs, a conducive environment and proper medication.
Apart from Medicine and Surgery, all other health related courses are a direct ticket to self-employment. Some of such courses are :
- Nursing,
- Pharmacy
- Laboratory technology
- Microbiology
- Optometry
- Dentistry, etc.
PHARMACY/NURSING
These are one of many feared courses in the health field but it’s very lucrative.
Unfortunately, not everyone can cope with these courses. It takes a focused and dedicated mindset to pull through while in these degree courses. However, graduates of these courses are open to a life of entrepreneurship and self employment.
As a pharmacist, you can choose to start up a pharmaceutical shop or a chemist as it’s commonly referred to. A Nurse can either set up a small clinic or work in a pharmacy
As an individual with a degree in a Medical related course, there’s no point remaining unemployed for so long when you have a license.
MUSIC COURSES
Music-related courses are among the best courses for self-employment. Those who pursue the course with passion record their songs and upload them on YouTube channels, enabling them to start their investments earlier than expected. Depending on how committed you are, you can even start attending shows, weddings and engaging in promotion adverts before graduation.
How well a person does in this field is not solely dependent on talent, what matters is confidence and commitment. With a degree in this course, you can start a company that trains people on how to sing, write songs for upcoming/existing musicians, train on musical instruments, record songs and do video coverage.
ENGINEERING COURSES
It is no doubt that Engineering is tough but regardless, it is worth it. It comes with high pay and prestige. It is one field that ticks a lot of boxes. This is to say there are numerous Engineering fields to opt for. Many who do not have adequate information regarding this profession end up making mistakes in the choice of qualification. What some are after is just getting a certificate that certifies them as an Engineer.
Engineering is vast as it has other aspects ranging from Chemical, Electronic, Software, Mechanical, Petroleum Engineering among others. With this, some Engineers earn more than others as well as have greater opportunity to become self-employed because of the type of engineering field which they specialize in, for instance those in Petroleum might earn a little higher than those in Mechanical engineering but those in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering have a higher probability to become self employed easily.
Electrical engineering students do not have to graduate to start enjoying the fruits of this course. As early as the second year, they can start small scale electrification at residential houses. After graduation, they offer their wiring services for bigger building projects depending on how much they market themselves.
Software engineers do not hesitate to start developing their software and applications and selling them expensively to demanding clients. They can also design personal websites for blogging and also earn from meet.
Engineering courses certainly prepare one for self-employment.
ARCHITECTURAL / CONSTRUCTION RELATED COURSES
Architects are responsible for the design of cities and homes. This is a highly demanded and well paid job. With an increase in the number of real estate firms in the country, services of Architects are in a higher demand as the day goes by.
Architecture and construction technology go hand in hand and they are highly marketable. There are several wonderful opportunities for Architects and Structural Engineers. Thus, if you’re an expert in this field, you’re made.
Remember structures are built everywhere every day, hence there is a bigger market pool against limited qualified individuals. Graduates of this course may acquire drawing and designing skills that can be used to design house plans for individuals and companies thus earning a living comfortably.
Like many other courses, architects start earning before graduation and upon graduation, they can decide to create their own construction companies and employ constructors and Engineers.
GRAPHICS AND WEB DESIGN
Graphics and Web Design is also among the best courses for self-employment. A graphic designer creates design concepts using dedicated computer software or by hand. One of the main purposes of graphic design is to create visual imagery that appeals to and informs customers so as to ensure patronage. A course in graphics and web design equip learners with skills to master the use of essential graphics and web designing software such as adobe dream weaver, adobe In Design, illustrator, Photoshop, Pixellab and Coreldraw. These enable the learner to design websites, logos and banners for individuals and companies, animation, and billboards for the promotion of a brand.
A graduate of this field is generally a freelancer due to the nature of this job. However, there are still many graphics designers who are employed by companies.
This is a very creative course that allows for individuals with uncommon talent to create visual concepts. This is a very good course that can prepare anybody for self-employment.
THEATRE ART
This is one of the top courses with numerous opportunities for it’s graduates. Graduates of theatre art are equipped with adequate skills to become self employed upon graduation.
With a degree in theatre art, you can venture into video making on YouTube. This has become a very lucrative business these days. Stage acting, film making, comedy and a host of others.
EDUCATION COURSES
As the education system keeps improving and the rate of education keeps increasing, the demand for good and skilled teachers tends to increase. It is a well-known fact that university lecturers, especially Professors and PhD holders, go home with hefty salaries to teach university and college students.
Having gone through education training at college, one acquires skills necessary in starting and managing a school of any level effectively. For starters, an early childhood development center is a sure bet since parents want proper education for their children. Setting up a tutorial centre for examination candidates as well as becoming a private home lesson teacher.
Apart from these options, people are willing to pay for information, thus, packaging online courses and classes is another way to earn as a self employed.
COMPUTER SCIENCE/ INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Computer technologies are integral to modern life. We’re in the computer age where the importance of IT skills can not be overemphasized in the business world. Moreso, as the use of technology increases, the level of cyber crime increases too. Therefore, the need to maintain cyber security and information has become increasingly important in the business world.
This career could include ‘ethical hacking’ which involves a deliberate attempt to hack into your employer’s network to expose any weaknesses. You can also work as a computer forensics analyst or investigator to combat the increasing rate of cyber-crime.
As a cyber security consultant/analyst you’re also responsible for analyzing security breaches, monitoring for security issues in computer systems. Investigating and document security breaches and other incidents, operating software and installing security measure to protect information infrastructure and systems
The increasing use of technology throughout the business world means that computer and I.T related courses are easy tickets to becoming self employed after graduation.
BUSINESS COURSES
People in this field are basically involved with Marketing.To sell something, you have to be conversant with how to speak to your audience. As one with a humanities major, you may already know how to get inside people’s heads in order to convince them to buy. Use your art skills and knowledge to create ads for products.
These days where entrepreneurship has become the order of the day, individuals with degrees in other courses and enrolling into business schools to acquire more knowledge in business. Many of these people end up becoming self employed bosses.
MANAGEMENT COURSES
A lot of businesses in existence are constantly in need of experts to manage their businesses. With this rising demand for business managers, many people are enrolling for management courses, project management being one of the courses.
Some people with this certification turn out to become management consultants. Their main responsibility is to improve the company by finding ways to increase its profits and change its structure.
HOSPITALITY COURSES
People are making cool money from the hospitality industry. Here we talk about hotels, eateries, guesthouses and the likes.
This is probably the coolest money making opportunity in the world. There are big boys who virtually live in hotels and guesthouses, people who see eating in fast foods as a luxury are there for grabs, there are equally individuals who depend on eateries to feed, they just can’t cook at home. So, there is an available market.
It is a profitable business to venture into. Therefore, if you have a degree in Tourism and hospitality, you don’t necessarily need to break your head looking for a 9-5 job, it is a great opportunity to start a business in relation to the hospitality course studied in school. Depending on the availability of capital, you can decide to start a fast food, operate a guest or hotel business or better still, open a travel agency.
You can always start small.
Conclusion
As previously stated, as a result of the economic situation of the world as a whole, the level of unemployment keeps increasing. With this issue confronting most parts of the world, both the young and the old are getting wiser. At least, if the Government can’t seem to provide jobs for the citizens, as individuals there has to be another way to survive. With self employment being the only option, people have embraced courses that will prepare them for the journey to becoming self employed.
Having a degree outside such courses is no longer an excuse. You can still enroll for such courses.
In the bid to help you make informed choices on this issue of courses that can prepare you for self employment, this article was carefully researched on and written.
So, have you always desired to work for yourself? It’s time to earn degrees in any of the above mentioned courses and you can choose the path to building your own way to the top without depending on government or 9-5 jobs.
Bear in mind that there are more courses not included in this article.
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