After SSCE Exams, What Next? Here Are The 15 Skills You Can Learn While Awaiting Admission Into The Higher Institution

The aim of this post is to encourage students on the need to acquire skills after writing their SSCE exams or while seeking admission into a higher institution.

After writing the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), most students will most likely enroll in JAMB or IJMB class in a move to gain admission to the higher institution of their choice. That’s fine, but have you ever thought of acquiring a skill before going into university?

Here are the 15 skills you can learn whether you’ve completed your SSCE exams or you are already awaiting admission into the higher institution:

1) Learn fashion designing

Comfort (not real name) enrolled at a fashion designing centre after writing the University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). While awaiting the outcome of the exam, her sister bought a sewing machine for her which she practiced with whenever she came back from her sewing apprenticeship class.

In less than six months, Comfort started sewing different styles. She was so creative that she came up with styles that were not common.

During this period, the young girl started saving from her service charges. Before the end of the year, her admission application went through. She took her sewing machine with her. She was so good that she was using the money she was making from her sewing service to support herself.

That’s exactly what you can do while awaiting the outcome of your result. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be deployed to execute some of the online jobs, AI has no capacity to sew clothes. Also, as a fashion designer, you can never be out of business if you know your onions, especially if you are creative and imaginative.

2) Learn coding and website design

Computer programmer and website designer are top-notch skills that are in high demand in the job market. Although, AI is capable of doing most of the coding and designing of a website with a set of prompts.

However, using AI for programming and designing requires a sound knowledge of prompting engineering, which means your services as a computer programmer will still be needed within and outside Nigeria. In fact, you can find coding remote jobs on Fiverr, freelancer, and other online job platforms without interfering with your classes by the time you gain admission.

Don’t just wait for SSCE result or JAMB result, equip yourself with coding knowledge today and be among those who earn in dollars while studying on campus.

3) Learn writing

A lot of people are still making a lot of money by writing for reputable blogs and websites. If you’ve been told that AI can do all the writing, that may be correct, but a lot of website owners still prefer write ups that are written by humans.

There is a difference between AI-writing and human-writing. And it is even easy for search engines to detect AI-written content. So, step-up your creative writing skill. On professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn, you will find hundreds of writing job vacancies, most of them are foreign employers who are ready to pay in foreign currencies.

4) Learn interior decoration

Another skill you can learn after your SSCE exams or while you await admission is interior decor. Not everyone knows the right set of colour to combine. You can put your aesthetic skill into use to earn a living while you are on campus.

5) Learn makeup

This a unisex service. There are exotic ladies on campus that will request your service if you are good at aesthetically combining color on their faces to make them look unique. With this skill, the next thing you need is a complete professional makeup kit. For a start, you can with one that is less than N100,000.

6) Learn laundry

A lot of people underestimate laundry services. The fact is there are thousands of people who make a comfortable living from the laundry business. Don’t join those that say, “Will now be watching clothes for my classmates?”

There was a guy next to my room while on campus, he offered laundry services for some of us. I never saw him complain about finances. And he lives comfortably well such that he employed three people that worked for him.

7) AI prompt writing

Prompt writing is an art of creating a set of instructions designed for the generative AI so as to get a desired output. The output of AI depends largely on the clear set of instructions inputted into it.

So, prompt engineering is the new skill that is in high demand. Learn this skill, there are online classes both free and paid ones you can enroll in and be certified within three months.

8) Run errand in your community

Are you amazed at the growing demand for local delivery services? Depending on your location, you can start using your social media profiles such as facebook and X to promote your service.

9) Shirt Customization

There are different types of imprinting names on shirts such as screen printing, textile printing, stenciling, and foil printing among others, pick one and learn. This service will make you smile at the bank among your pairs on campus.

10) Photography

A colleague narrated how they invited a videographer/photographer to cover a wedding event. According to her, the videographer only came with an iPhone 15 and iPhone tripod. Surprisingly, more than five family members of the celebrant had the same model of phone with the videographer.

She said they were stunned by the final production of the video, including the color, editing that it would be difficult for someone who was not there to believe that the event was covered with an iPhone 15.

The difference was the skill to operate. Photography is still a good business. A lot of people you see holding a powerful phone don’t even know what their phones are capable of doing. You can learn photography and videography in less than three months if you are a fast learner.

11) Hairdressing

If you have a friend who is still at a crossroad on what to do after your SSCE examination, hairdressing is a skill that will be evergreen service among ladies. They like to look dashing!

12) Learn baking

Students like snacks such as bread, rolls, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, pizza, snack cakes, doughnuts, and cup cake among others, so, learning baking will not only make you financially independent, but also an employer of labour if you’re resilient.

13) Learn ‘relevant’ skill

By relevant skill, I mean skills are closely related to your intended course of study at a higher institution. For instance, if you intend to study mechanical engineering, move closer to one of those guys referred to as “roadside mechanic” most of them are fantastic at what they do. Doing this will give you an edge over your paid in your practical classes on campus.

If you intend to study civil engineering, work closely with builders in your area, ask questions, it will help you when you get to school. You would realize the importance of this by the time you get 200/300 level, you will thank your decision.

14) Shoe making

My shoemaker told me that he learned the skill during one of the ASUU strikes that lasted almost a session. Today, according to him, his monthly revenue from his business is N120,000 on average, that isn’t bad if you asked me.

15) Computer skill

This includes repair, some little fixes, and recommendations on computer accessories because some of your colleagues will either come with their personal laptop or purchase one while on campus.

Remember, most of the courses on our campuses are theoretical, you will do yourself a favor by equipping yourself with some skills.

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