🎓 The Day I Graduated Broke and Jobless (And What Happened Next)
👋 Welcome to Daily Reality NG
Real Stories • Real Money • Real Nigeria
Welcome back to Daily Reality NG, where we talk about the things that actually matter to everyday Nigerians. Today's story is personal. Very personal. It's about the day I graduated from university with nothing but a certificate, ₦3,500 in my pocket, and absolutely no job prospects. If you've ever felt like a failure after achieving what was supposed to be your "big breakthrough," this one's for you.
✨ About Your Guide
I'm Samson Ese, Founder of Daily Reality NG. Since 2016, I've been helping everyday Nigerians navigate life, business, and digital opportunities. My strategies have helped over 4,000 readers start making money online, and our platforms currently serve 800,000+ monthly visitors across Africa. But before all that? I was just another broke graduate wondering what went wrong.
🌅 The Morning Everything Changed (But Not How I Expected)
June 2015. University of Lagos convocation ground.
I can still remember the weight of that gown. Not because it was heavy—it wasn't. But because it felt like I was wearing someone else's future. All around me, parents were taking photos. Mothers crying happy tears. Fathers standing proud with their chests puffed out. Friends making plans for their new jobs at Shell, GTBank, Deloitte.
Me?
I was calculating in my head whether the ₦3,500 I had left would cover transport home and food for the week.
You see, nobody tells you this part. They don't tell you that graduation day can feel like the loneliest day of your life when everyone else seems to have their life figured out except you. They don't tell you that while your coursemates are posting Instagram photos with captions like "Dear future employer, I'm ready!" you're wondering if you'll be able to afford data to even see those posts next month.
Real Talk: The Pressure Was Crushing
My parents had sold their only car to pay my school fees in final year. My younger siblings were looking up to me as the "first graduate" in the family. My girlfriend (now my wife, thank God) was believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. And there I was, standing in that convocation ground, feeling like the biggest fraud in Nigeria.
Because here's what nobody wants to admit: Sometimes the biggest achievement of your life can also be your biggest crisis.
My friend Tunde found me sitting alone under one of those trees near the engineering faculty. He was going to work at Chevron the following Monday. His signing bonus alone was more than my father earned in two years.
"Guy, wetin? Why you dey look like person wey lose election?" he asked, laughing.
I forced a smile. "Nothing, bro. Just tired."
But inside? Inside, I was screaming.
💥 When Reality Hit Like Lagos Traffic
The ceremony ended around 3 PM. My family couldn't come because transport from Warri was too expensive. So I took off that gown, folded it carefully (I had to return it the next day or pay ₦5,000 penalty I definitely didn't have), and started the long walk to my off-campus apartment in Yaba.
Let me paint you a picture of what "broke" actually meant:
- ₦3,500 total to my name
- ₦12,000 rent debt to my landlord (he'd been patient for 3 months)
- My phone screen was cracked so badly I had to guess some of the letters when typing
- I hadn't eaten a proper meal in days—just garri and sugar, sometimes with groundnut if I was lucky
- The only job applications I'd sent out? Zero responses. Not even automated rejections.
But here's what really broke me that evening:
I got to my area and saw some of the street boys celebrating something. One of them, a guy called Emeka who dropped out of school in SS2, was spraying money. Real ₦1,000 notes. On the street. Like it was nothing.
This same Emeka that we used to pity. This same guy who couldn't solve simple mathematics.
He saw me and shouted, "Oga graduate! How far? You don finish school abi? Congrats o! Make I buy you one bottle?"
I wanted the ground to open and swallow me.
The Question That Changed Everything:
As I walked away from that scene, one question kept hammering my head: "What exactly did I go to school for?"
Four years of struggle. Countless nights reading by candlelight because NEPA took light. Missing meals to buy textbooks. Trekking kilometers to save ₦50 transport. Writing exams in halls so hot you could fry akara on the floor.
For what?
To come out and be broke? To be worse off than guys who never even saw a classroom after JSS3?
I want you to understand something: I'm not promoting dropping out of school. That's not the point of this story at all. But that moment? That moment when you realize your degree certificate can't even buy you one square meal? That's a special kind of pain. A pain that many Nigerian graduates know too well but nobody wants to talk about.
Because we're supposed to be grateful, right? We're supposed to be thankful we even finished school when so many others didn't get the chance.
But gratitude doesn't fill your stomach. Gratitude doesn't pay your rent. Gratitude doesn't stop your landlord from embarrassing you in front of your neighbors.
📅 The First Week After Graduation: My Personal Hell
Let me walk you through those first seven days. Not because I enjoy reliving the pain, but because if you're going through something similar right now, I need you to know you're not alone. And more importantly, that it gets better.
Day 1: Monday After Graduation
Woke up at 6 AM. Force of habit from school days. But there was nowhere to go. No lectures to attend. No group assignments to stress over. Just silence. And an empty fridge. And a phone full of "Congratulations on your graduation!" messages that felt like mockery.
I spent the morning updating my CV. Added "Second Class Upper" to my Education section like it was some kind of achievement that would make employers fight over me. Printed five copies at a business center (₦500 - money I couldn't afford but had to spend). Walked to about 12 companies in Yaba and Victoria Island.
You know what I got? Security guards telling me "We're not recruiting." Receptionists collecting my CV with that look that said it was going straight to the dustbin. One place even asked me to pay ₦5,000 for "CV processing." I left.
By evening, I'd trekked so much my only good shoes had developed a hole. My feet were bleeding. And I'd spent ₦800 on transport and pure water.
Balance remaining: ₦2,200.
Day 3: Wednesday - The Call From Home
My mother called. "My son the graduate! Your father wants to know when you'll be starting work so we can plan your younger brother's school fees."
I lied. God forgive me, but I lied. Told her I had interviews lined up. Told her things were looking good. Told her not to worry.
Then I cut the call and cried like a baby.
Real Example: The WhatsApp Group That Broke Me
We had a class WhatsApp group. Every day, someone was posting good news:
- "Just got my PPA letter from NNPC! God is good!"
- "Started at Accenture today. The office is amazing!"
- "My dad's friend got me into First Bank. Graduate trainee program."
I stopped opening the group. Muted it. Because every notification felt like a knife twisting in my chest.
Day 5: Friday - The Humiliation
My landlord caught me trying to sneak out early morning. You know why I was sneaking? Because I couldn't face him. Three months rent debt. ₦12,000. Might as well have been ₦12 million at that point.
"Samson, I've been patient with you," he said. Not angrily. Just tired. Like he'd given up on me. "But I also have rent to pay. My own landlord is threatening me. I need my money by end of this month or you have to leave."
End of month was 25 days away.
I had ₦1,400 left to my name.
Day 7: Sunday - Rock Bottom
Went to church. Don't know why. Maybe hoping for a miracle. Maybe just needing somewhere to sit where nobody would ask me questions.
The pastor preached about faith. About how God provides. About how graduates should trust in His timing.
Easy for him to say. He drove a Prado. I was calculating if I could afford ₦50 for sachet water on my way home.
After service, I stayed behind. Sat in that empty church. And for the first time since graduation, I had an honest conversation with myself.
"Samson, you can't continue like this. Something has to change. You have to change."
But change to what? I had no money for business. No connections for jobs. No special skills beyond what I learned in school (which apparently wasn't enough). What exactly was I supposed to do?
The Moment of Truth:
Here's what I realized sitting in that church: Waiting for someone to give me an opportunity was not a strategy. It was just wishful thinking dressed up as patience.
The system wasn't going to save me. My degree wasn't going to magically open doors. Nobody was coming to rescue me.
If anything was going to change, I had to be the one to change it.
But how? With ₦1,400? With no skills? With no connections?
I didn't know the answer yet. But at least I was asking the right question.
💔 The Breakdown Nobody Saw
Let me tell you about Day 10. The day I completely fell apart.
I'd been surviving on one meal a day. Sometimes not even that. My girlfriend - Angela, bless her heart - would sneak me food from her mother's kitchen. Small portions wrapped in foil. "I told her I'm taking it to a friend," she'd say. We both knew her mother would never approve of her dating a broke, jobless graduate.
That Tuesday morning, my phone finally died. Not the battery - the actual phone gave up. Just black screen. No amount of pressing and praying would revive it.
You want to know what broke me? It wasn't the phone itself. It was what it represented.
No phone meant:
- No way for potential employers to reach me (not that any were calling)
- No internet to search for jobs
- No WhatsApp to stay connected with anyone
- No alarm to wake me up (as if I had anywhere important to go)
- Basically, I'd become invisible. Disconnected from the world.
I sat on my mat (couldn't afford a bed) and just... broke. The kind of crying where you can't breathe properly. Where your chest feels like it's caving in. Where you're making sounds you didn't know humans could make.
All the pressure. All the shame. All the fear. It came crashing down at once.
Real Talk - The Dark Thoughts:
I'm going to be honest with you about something most people won't admit: For about 20 minutes that day, I genuinely thought my family would be better off without me. At least they wouldn't have to worry about feeding me or my school debt anymore.
I'm not proud of those thoughts. But I'm sharing them because maybe you've had them too. Maybe right now, as you're reading this, you're in that dark place.
So I need you to hear this: Those thoughts are lies. Convincing lies, but lies nonetheless.
Your life has value beyond what you can produce right now. Your worth is not determined by your bank account or your employment status. You matter. Even if you can't see it yet.
My neighbor, an elderly woman we called Mama Chidi, heard me crying through the thin walls. She knocked. I didn't answer. She pushed the door open anyway (one advantage of having a weak lock I couldn't afford to fix).
"Samson, what is wrong with you?" Not judgmental. Just concerned.
I couldn't even explain. Just kept crying.
She sat with me. This woman who probably had her own problems. Sat on that floor and just waited. Didn't try to fix me with advice or Bible verses. Just presence.
After maybe an hour, when I'd cried myself out, she said something I'll never forget:
"My son, I have been watching you these past weeks. Walking up and down with CV. Coming back tired and sad. I know what it is like. My own son, he also struggled after school. But you know what I told him? I said, 'Instead of looking for what people will give you, create something people will pay you for.'"
She reached into her wrapper and brought out ₦2,000. "Take. Buy food. And think about what I said."
I tried to refuse. She wouldn't hear it. "When God blesses you, you will remember Mama Chidi and help another person."
That ₦2,000? It was more than money. It was hope. It was a lifeline. It was proof that even in my worst moment, I wasn't completely alone.
💡 The Turning Point: When Everything Started to Shift
Mama Chidi's words kept echoing in my head: "Create something people will pay you for."
But create what? With what resources? I had no capital. No special skills. No fancy equipment. Nothing.
Or so I thought.
The next day, I borrowed a phone from a neighbor (promised to return it in 2 hours). Used it to browse the internet at a nearby café that had free WiFi if you bought something. I ordered the cheapest thing on their menu - ₦150 bottle of Coke that I sipped for three hours.
I started researching. Not "how to get a job in Nigeria" - I'd exhausted that. But "how to make money online in Nigeria."
And that's when I stumbled onto something that would change my entire trajectory.
Discovery #1: The Internet Was Full of Opportunities
I found out about:
- Freelance writing - People were paying for articles (Wait, people pay for this? I wrote dozens of essays in school for free!)
- Affiliate marketing - Earn commissions promoting other people's products
- Digital products - Create and sell eBooks, courses, templates
- Virtual assistance - Help business owners with remote tasks
None of these required massive capital. Just knowledge, internet access, and hustle.
Things I actually had (or could develop).
Discovery #2: My "Useless" Degree Actually Had Value
I studied Mass Communication. Always felt it was a useless degree because it didn't lead to immediate employment like Engineering or Medicine. But now?
Now I realized I could:
- Write compelling content (all those assignments weren't wasted)
- Understand media and communication strategies
- Research and synthesize information quickly
- Tell stories that engage people
These were skills. Valuable skills. I just didn't know how to monetize them yet.
The First ₦5,000 I Made Online:
I found a Nigerian freelance website (can't remember the name now, it doesn't exist anymore). Someone needed a 1,500-word article about "Best Universities in Nigeria." Pay: ₦5,000.
₦5,000! For writing! Something I could actually do!
I borrowed phone and data again. Spent 6 hours researching and writing that article. Rewrote it three times to make sure it was perfect. Submitted it at 2 AM.
Two days later: "Your article has been approved. Payment will be made within 5 working days."
I literally jumped. In my room. At midnight. My neighbor knocked on the wall telling me to keep quiet. I didn't care. I'd made my first money from something I created!
The Reality Check: It Wasn't Instant Success
Let me be very clear about something: That first ₦5,000 didn't solve all my problems. It barely covered a third of my rent debt. And the next gig took another week to find.
But it proved something crucial: I could create value without waiting for someone to hire me.
The shift wasn't about the money (though I desperately needed it). The shift was psychological.
I went from:
- "Nobody will hire me" → "I can create my own opportunities"
- "My degree is useless" → "My skills have marketplace value"
- "I need someone to save me" → "I can save myself"
- "I'm a victim of the system" → "I can work outside the system"
It sounds dramatic when I write it like this. But that's genuinely how my mindset shifted. Not overnight. Over weeks and months of small wins, brutal failures, and learning from both.
The Next Three Months: Building Momentum
Here's what happened between July and September 2015:
Month 1 (July):
- Made ₦18,000 total from freelance writing (6 articles)
- Paid my landlord ₦10,000 (still owed ₦2,000 but he was more understanding)
- Bought a cheap Android phone for ₦6,500 (Tecno Y2 - that phone was slower than molasses but it worked)
- Registered on 5 more freelance platforms
Month 2 (August):
- Income jumped to ₦45,000 (landed two bigger clients who needed regular content)
- Cleared my rent debt completely
- Started a small blog to showcase my writing (this would later become the foundation of Daily Reality NG)
- Taught myself basic SEO through free YouTube videos
Month 3 (September):
- Earned ₦87,000 (more than most graduate trainees in banks)
- Paid my parents back some of the money they'd borrowed for my final year fees
- Started getting messages from other broke graduates asking "How are you doing it?"
Important Reality Check:
Before you think this is one of those "I made millions in 3 months" stories, let me stop you right there. ₦87,000 was NOT millions. It wasn't even six figures. By Lagos standards, it was still struggling.
But compared to ₦3,500 and suicidal thoughts? It was a fortune. It was hope. It was proof that the direction I'd chosen was working.
Progress doesn't have to be massive to be meaningful.
The Most Important Lesson From That Period:
You know what changed everything? Not the skills I learned. Not even the money I made.
It was this realization: The job market doesn't owe you anything. But the marketplace will always pay for value.
Let me explain the difference:
Job Market:
- Limited positions
- Favor connections over competence
- Requires you to fit their requirements
- Controls your income and growth
- Can reject you for arbitrary reasons
Marketplace:
- Unlimited opportunities
- Rewards value creation
- Allows you to define your own terms
- Income limited only by your output
- Cares only about results, not credentials
Once I understood this distinction, everything changed. I stopped waiting for HR managers to call me back. Started creating solutions people needed and marketing them directly.
Did I still face rejection? Absolutely. Clients who refused to pay. Projects that failed. Weeks where I made almost nothing.
But the difference? I was in control. Not perfectly, but more than I'd ever been as a job seeker.
📚 What I Learned (That They Don't Teach in School)
Nine years later, looking back at that broke, desperate graduate, here are the lessons I wish someone had told me before graduation day:
Lesson 1: Your Degree Opens Doors, But Skills Pay Bills
That certificate hanging on your wall? It's valuable. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It proves you can start something and finish it. Shows discipline and commitment.
But here's what employers and clients actually pay for: The ability to solve their problems.
Not your GPA. Not your school prestige. Your capacity to deliver measurable results.
While I was in school, I focused on passing exams. Should have been learning practical skills the market actually needs:
- Digital marketing (every business needs this)
- Copywriting (selling through words)
- Data analysis (numbers tell stories businesses need to hear)
- Video editing (content is king, but edited content is emperor)
- Coding (even basic knowledge opens doors)
The good news? You can learn all of these NOW. YouTube, Coursera, Udemy, even Twitter threads. Most knowledge is free. What costs is time and commitment.
Lesson 2: Networking is Not About Who You Know, But Who Knows What You Can Do
I used to think I failed because I didn't have connections. No uncle in Shell. No aunty in government. No family friend to "put me through."
Partially true. Connections help. But I was thinking about networking all wrong.
Real networking isn't about knowing important people. It's about demonstrating value so consistently that people can't help but recommend you.
Real Example - How I Built My Network:
Remember those early freelance clients? I didn't just deliver their articles. I:
- Delivered 2 days early (when they expected it in 7 days)
- Added extra research they didn't ask for
- Suggested improvements to their website content (for free)
- Followed up to ask if they were satisfied
You know what happened? They referred me to other clients. Not because we were friends. Because I made their job easier.
That's networking. Creating such obvious value that people become your unpaid marketing team.
Lesson 3: Failure Isn't Fatal, But Giving Up Is
In those nine years since graduation, I've failed more times than I've succeeded:
- Started a mini-importation business that collapsed (lost ₦150,000)
- Launched a digital marketing agency that got zero clients for 4 months
- Created an online course that sold exactly 3 copies
- Invested in crypto at the peak (don't even ask how much I lost)
- Partnered with someone who disappeared with our joint profits
Each failure hurt. Some made me question everything again. Made me wonder if I should have just kept applying for those 9-5 jobs.
But here's the thing about failure: It's expensive education you can't get anywhere else.
That failed importation business? Taught me supply chain management and customer service.
The agency with no clients? Forced me to learn proper marketing and positioning.
The course nobody bought? Showed me I was creating what I wanted to sell, not what people wanted to buy.
Every failure contained lessons that made my next attempt smarter.
Lesson 4: Comparison is Creativity's Graveyard
Remember that WhatsApp group where everyone was posting their job offers while I was broke? I eventually left it. Best decision I made.
Not because I wasn't happy for them. But because constantly comparing my chapter 1 to their chapter 10 was killing my progress.
Here's what social media doesn't show you:
- Your friend working at Shell? Hates his job but can't leave because of the salary
- That person who got into banking? Works 70-hour weeks and hasn't seen her family in months
- The guy who started a successful business? Failed at three others before this one (but only posts about the winner)
Everyone's struggling with something. Everyone's wearing a mask on social media. Nobody posts about the breakdown they had last night or the debt they're drowning in.
Your only competition is who you were yesterday. That's it.
Lesson 5: Money Solves Money Problems, But Not Life Problems
Fast forward to today. Daily Reality NG serves over 800,000 monthly visitors. My strategies have generated over ₦500 million for students combined. I drive a decent car. Live in a good area. Can afford to eat whatever I want whenever I want.
And you know what? I still have problems.
Different problems, sure. But problems nonetheless. Stress about scaling the business. Worry about staying relevant. Pressure to maintain success.
That broke graduate sitting under a tree at UNILAG thought money would solve everything. The financially comfortable business owner I am today knows better.
Money is a tool. Important tool, essential even. But it's not the destination. It's transportation to wherever you're actually trying to go.
Figure out where you're going first. Then worry about the vehicle.
Lesson 6: Start Before You're Ready
I waited two weeks after discovering freelance writing before submitting my first proposal. You know why? Imposter syndrome.
"Who am I to charge people for writing? I'm just a broke graduate. What if I'm not good enough? What if they reject me? What if I fail?"
Those two weeks cost me money I desperately needed. Because here's the truth: You'll never feel fully ready. Perfect preparation is just fear wearing a responsible mask.
Start messy. Start scared. Start with whatever you have right now. You'll learn more from one real project than from six months of "getting ready."
Action Step You Can Take TODAY:
Whatever skill you have (or think you don't have), do this right now:
- Find one freelance platform (Fiverr, Upwork, FreelanceNigeria, etc.)
- Create a profile (don't overthink it)
- Submit proposals for 5 jobs (even if you're terrified)
Will you get all 5? Probably not. Might not get any. But you'll learn more from those rejections than from another week of "preparation."
And maybe, just maybe, one will say yes. That's all it takes. One yes to change your entire trajectory.
Lesson 7: Your Story is Your Superpower
You know why Daily Reality NG grew to 800,000+ monthly visitors? Not because I'm the best writer in Nigeria. There are thousands better than me.
It grew because I told the truth. The uncomfortable, embarrassing, "I-can't-believe-I'm-admitting-this" truth.
People connect with struggle, not perfection. They want to know someone else has been where they are. That someone survived what they're going through.
Your story - yes, YOUR story, the one you think is too ordinary or too embarrassing - is exactly what someone needs to hear today.
That's not motivational fluff. It's marketing reality. Authenticity sells because it's increasingly rare.
🎯 Key Takeaways: What You Need to Remember
- Graduation doesn't guarantee success - Your degree is a tool, not a destination. What you build with it determines your outcome.
- Being broke after graduation doesn't make you a failure - The system is broken, not you. Your timeline doesn't have to match anyone else's.
- The marketplace rewards value creation - Stop waiting for jobs. Start creating solutions people will pay for.
- Skills matter more than credentials - Your GPA opened the door. Your abilities keep you in the room. Invest in learning practical, marketable skills.
- Start before you're ready - Perfect preparation is procrastination in disguise. Launch messy, improve along the way.
- Failure is education, not ending - Every setback contains lessons that make your next attempt smarter. Keep moving forward.
- Network through value, not connections - Knowing important people helps. Being so good they can't ignore you works better.
- Comparison kills creativity - Everyone's struggling with something. Focus on your own progress, not others' highlight reels.
- Your story is your superpower - Authenticity connects. Share your struggles; they're someone else's survival guide.
- Mental health matters more than money - Success means nothing if you're miserable. Take care of yourself while hustling.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How long did it take you to become financially stable after graduation? +
About 6-8 months before I could comfortably cover all my basic needs without stress. But "financially stable" is relative. By month 3, I was making more than my immediate needs. By month 12, I had savings. Real financial freedom took about 3 years of consistent work and reinvestment.
Don't compare timelines. Some people get there faster, others take longer. What matters is that you're moving forward, not how fast.
What's the first step for a broke graduate who wants to start making money online? +
Identify one skill you have or can learn quickly:
- Can you write? Start freelance writing
- Good at explaining things? Create tutoring services
- Social media savvy? Offer social media management
- Organized and detail-oriented? Try virtual assistance
Then, register on at least 3 freelance platforms (Fiverr, Upwork, FreelanceNigeria) and start submitting proposals. Not tomorrow. Today. Right after reading this article.
I don't have money for data or even a good phone. How can I start? +
I started with ₦3,500 and a cracked phone screen. Here's what I did:
- Found cafés/restaurants with free WiFi (buy the cheapest thing, stay for hours)
- Borrowed neighbors' phones when necessary (and always returned them on time to maintain trust)
- Used public libraries with free internet access
- Applied for any remote job that provided equipment
Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's embarrassing. But it's temporary. Once you make your first ₦5,000-10,000 online, invest in data immediately. It's a business expense, not a luxury.
Should I give up on getting a regular job and just focus on online business? +
No! Don't make it either/or. Do BOTH simultaneously:
- Keep applying for jobs (but don't wait desperately for responses)
- Start building online income streams immediately
- If you get a job, great! Use it to fund your side business
- If you don't get a job, your online hustle keeps you financially active
Many successful entrepreneurs started while employed. Job = stability and capital. Side business = growth and freedom. Eventually, one will become your main focus based on what works better for you.
How did you deal with family pressure while you were struggling? +
Honestly? I didn't deal with it well at first. I avoided calls, lied about my situation, and carried guilt daily.
What eventually worked: Honest communication + visible effort. I told my parents the truth (not all the dark details, but the general struggle). Then I showed them I was actively working toward solutions, not just complaining.
Once they saw me hustling - trying different things, learning skills, making small progress - they became my biggest supporters instead of pressure sources.
Family wants to see you succeed. But they also need to see you trying. Show them the effort, not just the results.
What if I'm not good at writing or any digital skill? What else can I do?
+
summary>
Here's the truth: You don't need to be naturally gifted. You just need to be teachable.
I wasn't a "natural" writer. I learned by studying successful content, copying their structures, and practicing daily. Your first attempts will be terrible. Mine were. But terrible-and-improving beats perfect-and-never-starting.
If digital skills genuinely don't appeal to you, consider these alternatives:
- Mini importation: Buy wholesale from China, sell in Nigeria (start with ₦20,000-50,000)
- Skill-based services: Tailoring, catering, photography, makeup - all profitable with proper marketing
- Agency model: Find clients who need services, outsource the work to skilled people, keep a commission
- Physical products: Start small - buy 20 items, sell them, reinvest the profit
The medium doesn't matter. What matters is providing value consistently and marketing it properly.
Here's the truth: You don't need to be naturally gifted. You just need to be teachable.
I wasn't a "natural" writer. I learned by studying successful content, copying their structures, and practicing daily. Your first attempts will be terrible. Mine were. But terrible-and-improving beats perfect-and-never-starting.
If digital skills genuinely don't appeal to you, consider these alternatives:
- Mini importation: Buy wholesale from China, sell in Nigeria (start with ₦20,000-50,000)
- Skill-based services: Tailoring, catering, photography, makeup - all profitable with proper marketing
- Agency model: Find clients who need services, outsource the work to skilled people, keep a commission
- Physical products: Start small - buy 20 items, sell them, reinvest the profit
The medium doesn't matter. What matters is providing value consistently and marketing it properly.
How do you stay motivated when nothing seems to be working? +
Real talk? Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I want to quit. Even now, with all the "success," there are days I question everything.
What keeps me going isn't motivation (that's temporary). It's these things:
- System over feelings: I work even when I don't feel like it. Schedule beats motivation.
- Small wins tracking: I celebrate every tiny victory. Made ₦1,000 today? That's progress. Write it down.
- Community: Surround yourself with people on the same journey. Their wins inspire you, their struggles remind you you're not alone.
- Remember the alternative: When I want to quit, I remember that day with ₦3,500 and suicidal thoughts. Whatever today's struggle is, it's better than that.
Motivation is overrated. Discipline, systems, and community are what actually sustain long-term progress.
💬 We'd Love to Hear From You!
This article shared my personal journey from broke graduate to successful entrepreneur. Now I want to hear YOUR story and thoughts:
- What was your graduation day experience like? Did you face similar struggles, or was your journey different? Share your story in the comments below.
- If you're currently a broke graduate, what's your biggest challenge right now? Is it finding opportunities, building skills, dealing with family pressure, or something else? Let's talk about it.
- What's one skill you wish you'd learned before or during university? Looking back, what would have made your post-graduation transition easier?
- Have you tried making money online? What worked for you? What didn't? Your experience could help someone else avoid costly mistakes.
- What's the best advice you've ever received about career and money? Who gave it to you, and how did it change your perspective?
💡 Share your thoughts in the comments below — we read every single one and often feature the best insights in future articles. Your story matters, and someone needs to hear it today!
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