Like everything in Nigeria, getting admission into any top-rated university is long, stressful and highly competitive — from the long queues during JAMB registrations to the hurdles of WAEC and post-UTME examinations.
It can also be difficult to determine what to pursue as a career in the first place. We checked and these are the best courses to study for a successful career in 2024:
Computer Science
Some of the richest young people in Nigeria today tech bros. To join the gang, you should probably start with a degree in Computer science. The possibilities are endless — you could become a games developer, cybersecurity expert, cloud computing engineer, software engineer, or UI/UX designer. The minimum amount for each role ranges between ₦200,000 to ₦1.5M per job.
Fashion Design
Once upon a time, fashion design was something for middle to lower-class Nigerians. Now, with designers like Mai Atafo, Atelier, Veekee James, and Yinka Ash making millions per dress and changing that narrative, we can look at fashion design as a goldmine.. Bachelor of Fashion or Creative Design does have a nice ring to it, and it wouldn’t hurt to charge $500 (₦750,000) per dress for starters.
Management
Every team or organisation needs a manager. The managers start from entry level roles and work up the ladder. They often work as Human resource managers, Project managers, and General managers among other things. The salary here often increases per certification and role but can start from a minimum of ₦200,000. The salary increase is often tied to the success of the projects or businesses.
Accounting
Accountants are highly sought-after professionals in every sector of the economy. Studying accounting makes you qualified for financial analyst, auditor, bank manager and credit officer roles. Payscale stipulates that the average salary of accountants in entry-level roles is about ₦200,000 to ₦450,000 monthly.
Marketing
Marketing has become an indispensable need with entrepreneurs and start-ups taking over the business world. Marketing graduates can fill corporate roles in sales, business development, digital marketing, retail management and management. The average monthly salary is ₦200,000 for these roles.
Medicine and Surgery
Nigerian parents will be happy to see this on the list. Facts don’t lie and one is that doctors are some of the most sought-after specialists across the globe. According to Glassdoor, the average Nigerian doctor earns about ₦283,000 monthly. Graduates can work as surgeons, residents, general medicine registrars and more.
Law and legal studies
Legal practitioners are some of the most esteemed and sophisticated professionals in the country. Every sector of the economy has a role waiting for lawyers and law graduates. Glassdoor speculates the average law graduates earn between ₦180,000 to ₦200,000 per month at entry level. Some available job roles include compliance officers, human resources managers, corporate lawyers, criminal defence lawyers and mediation officers.
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is focused on the production and prescription of drugs to treat patients. Pharmacy graduates can work as pharmacy managers, pharmacists, researchers, and factory managers. Entry role salary starts from ₦150,000 for pharmacists.
Civil engineering
From designing buildings to constructing roads, civil engineers are the cream of the crop when it comes to engineering courses in Nigeria. Civil engineering contracts are one of the highest-paying in the country with a minimum of ₦400,000 per project.
Theatre arts
Theatre arts is an exceptional course with many opportunities waiting for its graduates. The entertainment industry is always on the lookout for the next talent in dance and acting, with professionals in this course being the first in line for such projects and opportunities.
Other jobs like actors, set managers, producers, filmmakers and costume designers all give Theatre arts graduates a variety of career options to choose from. They charge from ₦400,000 to ₦700,000 per movie, depending on the scale of these projects.
Architecture
If you have a passion for bringing imagination to reality and can work independently as well as with teams, this is the course for you. Payscale research shows that the average architect can make about ₦1.5 million per project for entry-level roles like project architect, site architect, senior data architect and site operations manager.
Mass communication
In love with the media? Mass communication allows you to work around it. Mass communication is versatile in practice and offers opportunities in roles like public relations officer, journalist, editor, radio host and content writer. Payscale research shows the average salary of Mass Communication majors in Nigeria is ₦300,000.
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineers are also amongst the top-rated professionals in the engineering field in Nigeria. Their technical abilities are essential to the development of many equipment, devices and systems, making them invaluable to the production sector in Nigeria. Jobs like assistant engineer, technician, instructor and manager are available to professionals in this course. Payscale research shows the average salary for an electrical engineer is about ₦1.2 million per project.
Estate and property management
Estate management is a highly lucrative industry in Nigeria with professionals earning a fairly high income thanks to the number of property projects in development. Available roles are property manager, property agent and site supervisor. Payscale also shows the average salary expectation can go as high as ₦600,000 per property.
Nursing
They might not be the first courses to pop into your mind when you think of the health sector, but nurses enjoy a comfortable work-life balance. Nurses might not make as much as their stethoscope-wearing counterparts, but they are in even higher demand. According to Payscale, the average salary of a registered nurse is between ₦100,000 to ₦250,000 monthly depending on experience in the role.
Business administration
Business administration is a high-income field of professionals with a variety of applications across the labour market. Senior administrative roles often provide a steady income for graduates in this field. The salary is estimated to range from ₦200,000 to ₦450,000 monthly.
Biochemistry
Like MLS, biochemistry offers a variety of career options in the health sciences. The variety is even higher here as professionals play an integral part in other important industries like food and pharmacy.
Jobs like lab assistant, research scientist, forensic scientist and clinical biochemist are all available to professionals in this course. Salary Explorer indicates the average monthly salary of professionals in this course is about ₦200,000 to ₦300,000 a month.
Agricultural science
Your father might have a heart attack if you put this on your JAMB form, but agricultural science is one of the most technical fields of study in the university. With many branches and innovations around it, agriculture helps you make a living and still have time for other businesses.
Jobs like farm manager, biotechnologist, extension service provider, geneticist, pathologist, food scientist and surveyor all pay competitive incomes to graduates of the course. The average salary for agriculturists is around ₦150,000 to ₦250,000
Economics
Graduates who study this course can take their pick of jobs like financial analyst, business operations manager, economist or lecturer. Glassdoor puts the average income of professionals between ₦130,000 to ₦230,000 monthly.
Medical lab science
Medical lab science or MLS is the go-to course for fans of the health sciences who don’t want to spend 7 years studying medicine. Professionals here have access to an array of jobs like lab assistant, lab manager or medical officer. Payscale research indicates the average monthly salary is ₦100,000
English and literary arts
This is one of the most sophisticated art courses to study in Nigeria. As language and communication experts, graduates of this course are highly sought after for roles like journalist, editor, content marketer, and administrative executive.
According to GlassDoor, the average salary for graduates of this course ranges between ₦80,000 and ₦200,000 monthly for entry-level roles with an abundance of jobs available in multiple industries.
Language and communication studies
Like most language courses, this provides art students the flexibility to work in media, communications and management teams across industries.
Available roles include public relations officer, content marketer, copywriter and editor. The average salary for these professionals according to Glassdoor is around ₦70,000 to ₦150,000 monthly.
There’s always the option of switching to entrepreneurship if these courses and figures don’t work out for you and you change your mind.
Read more: A Case for Staying Unemployed
