When Nigerian parent spends their money to send us to school, they assumes we are going to become one of the following – a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, a banker or what have you.
Now, some professions have been added to the very short list. We now have people appreciating their children in other fields – geology, biotechnology and even entertainment – music, acting and football. After they heard Wizkid charges a million per show or that Mikel Obi’s salary per week is what they collect in a year? Why wouldn’t they agree? But still at that, there are a few jobs that not all Nigerian parents have come to admit. A lot of them have to do with the fact that they cannot brag about it to the friends or in most cases, cannot explain fully what you do.
“Kunbi is a doctor”, “Timi is a lawyer”
“My son? He works with……………. Oya Bankole, tell your auntie what you say you do again”
Here are a few jobs Nigerian parents may not fully understand:
1. Blogger/Vloggers
Try explaining to the average Nigerian parent that you are a blogger and the reaction is one you will never forget. The ones that understand what it means will ask you how you successfully spent their money abroad and now all you do is carry make-up around their house and teach your “fans” to use it and the ones who do not will spend nights trying to figure how sharing food preparation methods as a food blogger will bring money to the house.
2. Developers
“So what do you do now Timi”
“I write codes and develop programs for companies”
What kind of programs really? What exactly does a program do?“I knew you shouldn’t have gone to that school. We should have invested the money instead of you to sit down all day and be pressing laptop”
“Are you sure it’s not 419 you’re doing?”
3. Photographers
“So you’ve decided what you want to do is carry a camera and be snapping people ehn?”
How will you make it? Is this what we sent you to school to do? How will you take care of us in our old age?
4. Social Media Managers/PR Executives
“So Nnanna explain exactly to your Uncle what you do for a living because I don’t understand clearly”
“Uncle, I work with social media. Facebook, Twitter and the likes”
Your dad and your uncle probably look at each other, sigh and try to understand how you work with Facebook – the same facebook they use to post about their rendezvous in the old boy’s association groups
5. Models
Nigerian parents will never understand being a model too. Most especially about the ones from staunch Christian families
“So you want to go and show off your unclothedness to the whole world abi?
The ones that understand modeling will try to understand how that will make money over a long period of time.
6. DJ
No words. Nigerian parents will insult you for even thinking about it in the first place UNTILL THE MONEY STARTS FLOWING OF COURSE
7. Artist/Sculptor
Like make beautiful art pieces and have exhibitions. But the average Nigerian parent will say no to this.
“You better drop this hobby and pursue real life”
So true!
