DREAM BIGGER: ACADEMICS WITH WUNMI 

Hello beautiful,

I hope you all are basking in the blessings of this season, a big congratulations to all those graduating this season; I felicitate with you on this great milestone and achievement (whether its SSCE…lol, Bsc, Msc, MBA or professional qualification…it is an achievement!), my prayer is that the next phase of your life’s pursuit shall be filled with greater achievements. I was elated when the Editor of this segment told me she got a mail from a reader of this segment that found some points shared on here useful and helpful for her research. – This gave me pure joy.

In today’s post, I would like to share a bit of my ‘after graduation’ experience and I hope someone (more than one person actually..lol) finds this well-in-season and helpful.

I remember when I graduated from Covenant University in 2011, it was like a big burden off my shoulders (excited.com…lol) coupled with what I was told that after university, ‘the rest is small’ (practically speaking, that is not the case) in the midst of this ‘relief’ I had concerns on how I would write my professional exams, obtain a second degree, what was going to distinguish me in the ‘labour’ market amongst thousands of unemployed graduates, this is just to mention a few of my endless list of concerns.

Fast forward to sometime in 2014/2015, I came across a diary where I wrote things I wanted to do after school and the time frame, to my surprise I had attained all I listed earlier than I projected….God alone takes all the glory. However, like Apostle Paul, I didn’t consider myself to have apprehended.

I began to set bigger goals and dream bigger then I realised how little I was doing and how much I still have to do; I could only question myself for dreaming so small back then…I could have run with bigger dreams than I did. Newsflash! It’s never late to dream big. Mind you, you are a reflection of your dream (goals). No wonder God told Abraham that as far as his eyes could see, He would give to him.

Now that you have graduated (or will be graduating) what next? See ‘ehn’, the world is full of the good, bad, ugly and beautiful (this is not to scare you). Knowledge acquired at school is not adequate (and sufficient) to stand you out amongst other graduates and the world at large. The world will ask you ‘who are you’? What then will your answer be? Will you be caught stammering? Trust me you don’t want to be in those shoes.

As a fresh graduate, you need to clearly establish your short, medium and long-term goals. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? (This is not just a cliché interview question), put them in black and white.

So much is happening in the world right now, its super easy to ‘follow-follow’ and go in the wrong direction. You need to be firm, content in your portion and stay true to your purpose and goals. It’s easy for the sailor of a ship going in the wrong direction to put it back on course (where destination is known). Where the destination is unknown, the sailor cannot even tell whether the ship is in the right direction.

One thing that helped me after my Bsc. Graduation was the positive mentality I was able to build while in school. The bible says all things are possible to him that believes; ‘blessed is he/she that believes, for there shall be a performance’. Galatians 3:9 that says those of faith are blessed. See, you need to believe that God is working for you always and that you are positioned to experience the supernatural the situation of others (or the economy) notwithstanding. Remember we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. The Bible says through Him was all things made and without Him was nothing made. We are better in Christ than outside Christ. Seriously speaking, we cannot separate the spiritual from our physical experiences. It is important to always step out with our dreams knowing that we have the Almighty on our inside. Don’t just have a conqueror mentality have a more than a conqueror mentality. Having the mentality is not enough, we must confess what we believe and reflect it in our day-to-day actions.

No matter how huge your dreams are, start from where you are. It costs you nothing dreaming but it costs you everything to actualize that dream. The truth is, your dream should not match where you are now. So do not worry if you don’t look like it yet. Joseph had dreams though his present status communicated something different.

So I encourage you on this great milestone to stay;

D – determined

R – responsible

E – educated

A – ambitious

M – motivated

B – believing

I – in-depth

G – God

I hope this post spurs someone not just to have a dream but to dream bigger as you enter a new phase with higher calling. No doubt life is not ‘problem-free’ but good news! Those that know their God are always sure of victory and doing exploits.

Stay Winning

Wunmi

The Education segment of the blog is one where you can find resources as a student/prospective one to help you succeed academically. Periodic posts would be published ranging from advice to questions and resources, all of which readily available to help you. I wish you all the best in your academic endeavours- Tosin Alabi( editor).