I remember when I discovered back in November 2018 that I had gained admission to the university. I was super happy and I was on cloud nine. But the school didn't resume in 2018 because there was a strike by the lecturers' union, and I had to wait some months at home. My lecture began in February 2019 and I was filled with curiosity, which was attached to the fact that I was in a new environment and really loved it.
Then, I would tell myself how by 2022 I would have finished my course, become a graduate, and do the mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC) in 2023. Everything was going smoothly, and by the end of 2019, I had changed my course to a five-year program, and my view changed. I was set to graduate by 2023 and do my NYSC by 2024, but that view and hope began to fall off.
It all started with the COVID-19 pandemic, which entered my country in late February 2020, causing an upheaval. But before the government could call for the closure of public institutions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lecturers' association went on strike. So when lectures stopped happening, it was because of the strike rather than COVID-19. When COVID-19 began getting serious in the country, the government ordered the closure of all public institutions, and the school gates were shut.
Most private schools continued schooling by doing online classes, but because the lecturers were on strike, we ended up not doing anything about academics throughout 2020. And that was a year gone without any advancement. 2021 came with a resumption of academic activities, and many schools that were affected by the pandemic or the strike decided to make up the time lost by shortening their calendars, but my school decided it was time to be slow.
We all thought it was only the strike of 2020 that was a stumbling block until the bombshell dropped in February of 2022 (just before Putin began his invasion of Ukraine) that the lecturers' union was going on strike. We all thought it was going to be a short strike action but the strike kept on being extended till the end of October 2022, again another year exhausted with no significant academic activities. 2 years had been added to my schooling plans, normally in 2024, I should be out of the schooling system. But in everything, I give thanks to God because I am still alive after going through thick and thin.
So what is that event that is certainly going to happen this year?
Well, this is the year I go on industrial training as an undergraduate, where I get to see the physical and practical aspects of everything I have learned so far. Industrial training is an important part of my schooling, as the whole of my fourth-year second semester will be dedicated to it, and we will also be graded on our performances during the industrial training.
Industrial training, or IT, as we used to call it, has been bugging my mind since late last year. Most of the good companies where someone can do IT have limited spaces for IT students, and there is a lot of work to do to even get a spot there. I am worried about finding the right company for IT because industrial training is an essential part of the learning processes and also helps in the future. For instance, doing one's industrial training at a reputable company can boost one's CV in the future.