Adetuke Morgan: 10 Lessons from NYSC

So it’s been four weeks since I received my NYSC certificate and I’ve been reminiscing on the whole year. I’m about to start a series of posts on my NYSC experience and this one highlights 10 lessons I learnt during the NYSC year.
1)This world is full of such a wide variety of people with different backgrounds, level of exposure, upbringing and morals. You must remember this when dealing with other humans, some people have no integrity while some have funky mentalities.

2) Being patient and humble will get you far and would also help you avoid unnecessary wahala. Sometimes it’s best to bite your tongue.

3) There are many methods to achieve a goal. Do it the right way. Some people will use crooked means and succeed but that doesn’t mean you should follow suit.

4) People will try to exploit you as a fresh graduate. Stand your ground, place value on yourself, pro bono work is good sometimes but not all the time. Don’t sell yourself short.

5) Save and invest, everything might seem well and dandy but if life throws you an unexpected curveball you should have some sort of fund stored up for a rainy day.

6) You decide how you react to situations around you. Be calm, don’t speak when angry, think about the consequences of your words before you utter them.

7) Your goals/expectations for yourself are what matter. Don’t try and be a certain way because that is what is expected. Be yourself. Be you. Follow your own path, chart your own course. Don’t compare yourself to others. Remember that everybody is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Find your own unique talent and exploit it.

8) It is necessary to develop vocational skills so take SAED seriously. You never know what situation life might throw at you, these skills yield multiple results and will come in handy at the most unexpected time.

9) You would undoubtedly make wrong choices with money, relationships, how you spend your time, etc. Don’t dwell on the mistakes, learn from the experience and move on. This journey of life is a learning curve

10) Money works/speaks. that’s why ghost corpers still get their certificate even though they only wore their NYSC uniform a couple of times.

A new chapter of my life has begun. Yes, I’m scared. Yes, I’m nervous. But change is inevitable and I have no choice but to embrace it.

I would love to hear the lessons you learnt during your service year no matter how long ago that was, I’m sure the lesson is still valid.