Yemi Oniya Jr, founder and head of online growth at YO Digital Agency, says in our interview – ‘Unless you’re going into the professional fields like Medicine, Law, Engineering or even Teaching, I don’t think you should waste time or money on a 4 year institution’.
‘Given this current climate, job security isn’t what it used to be anymore. Fifty years ago one could work at the same company all their life that would provide them an adequate income to take care of themselves and family and even retire with benefits. That’s not the case anymore especially with mass jobs going overseas and the advent of A.I. and machine learning. Both of which employers don’t need to provide with healthcare or holiday time.’
He adds, ‘Nowadays you have to take the reins in your own hands and determine your future. That’s where entrepreneurship comes in and in particular learning a specific skill. Preferably a high income skill such as UX/UI, coding, copywriting, closing, SEO, etc. Something that is highly in demand and will be needed for the next decade or so. These skills can be learnt on your own through online/YouTube content if you’re resourceful enough or you could invest in a mentor or teacher who is an expert in the skill and really fast track your progress’.
Yemi goes on to further state, ‘here’s the kick, investing in a mentor will cost you up to 3k at the most. Your first client potentially can pay you that same 3k a month for your skill(s) which you would provide as a service and boom you’ve already made your investment back with ROI in month 2!
Compare that with paying 20k (on average) per year for a four-year university. That is 80k in debt upon graduation with no real skill other than a degree that will land you a job at 45k annually starting out if you’re lucky. Factoring the cost of living with rent, groceries and miscellaneous expenses and your salary is barely keeping your head above water. Oh and this is before student loan repayment kicks in after your 6-9 months grace period post-graduation.’
‘Bear in mind you’ll be competing with loads of other fresh graduates and even then you’ll have no real work experience and will be turned down more often than not unless you’ve got connections that can hook you up.
You need a job to get experience and you need experience to get a job. It’s a vicious cycle that isn’t practical. So now you tell me which is the smarter investment, the 3k for an in demand high paying skill? Or 80k for a piece of paper?’
‘Skills pay the bills, you get the point?’
To connect with Yemi Oniya Jr or to contact him for advice, please visit @yemioniyajr on Instagram.
