Jolinjo

FOREIGN STUDENTS: COMPLETE YOUR COURSE. I came to the United Kingdom in 1990 and started with an early morning cleaning job. I graduated from a burger frying job at McDonalds. I got promoted to another cleaning job by being the resident night cleaner at a London Underground station. Later, I got another job as a night Protection Master on London ground. Those days! At my last job, I was earning £100 per night for a few hours night job. One day, I asked myself a question. Is this the legacy you will bequeath to your children? The answer was no. I decided to add value to my life. I left Nigeria because there was no one to sponsor my university education. Poverty is a bad thing. So, I decided to pursue my dream here. There was no one to give me a loan or a bursary as I was still battling with the immigration authority. So, I decided to work and study at the same time. I decided to pay my university fees privately with the support of my wife after having two children. I worked at night for 7 years and studied and did my law training for 7 years during the day. The rest is history. I graduated, became a Solicitor and set up my law firm 19 years ago. I have bequeathed a legacy to my three children. They have all joined me in the legal profession. People who relied on strength are now looking haggard. So, you foreign students, why are you abandoning your studies for lower-standard jobs? Good education is better than a lower-standard job that you use energy on rather than your brain. Education starts working when the powerful who have used energies all their lives become tired. A nurse took my blood pressure in London last week. She is 72 years old. She is still earning. Everyone may be downgrading but you are not everybody. You are unique. Opportunities may come for a higher duty in the future, what would you tender when the time comes? I decided to study to have my law degree so that if they deported me, I would practice law in Nigeria or any other country. Do not only think of today but also think of tomorrow. I heard people saying, ‘This or that does not lead to settlement”. I laughed. There are many routes to settlement and the Health Care route is not the only one. It does not have to be 5 years for a settlement. Lawyers, doctors and others spend more years in training but most of them live a life of luxury forever. Don’t only think short-term. If you want to drop your education for low-skilled work, you may regret it for the rest of your life, especially single men and single ladies. Because I decided to add value, I earn in an hour what many will earn in a week or two weeks after a hard labour and the hardest thing I do is talk or write. There is no substitute for a good education. It is an accelerator and a lifter. I am waiting for you at the TOP! Here in this picture, my second child joined me and his older brother in the legal profession. This should inspire you. Dele Olawanle is my name. I write and speak to make lives better. Follow me for more uplifting posts.