Editorial: Must Read: 10 Most Marketable Courses In Nigeria

Note also that this is not based on who earns the highest salary, but who has potential to earn decent income with his degree.

Potential is the operative word here.

Here we go:

10. Mass Communication/Journalism: Mass
Communication will remain a marketable because not
many universities do it, but many institutions need it.
The downside is, journalism is not seen as exclusive
preserve of MassComm graduates, as graduates of
almost any course are recruited by news outfits. Yet, the
course still stands a decent chance.

9. Law: Maybe the supply is fast outstr*pp*ng demand and
affecting pricing, Law has declined in economic value.
However, it remains a Top 10 course. Whether you decide
to practice or go into corporate world, or you decide to go
into allied things like real estate agency, you still stand a
decent chance of earning decent income with a Law
degree.

8. Nursing/Laboratory/Public Health Science: Nurses don’t earn mouth-
watering pay, but they are hardly jobless. I see Nurses
change jobs like clothes. Hospitals and clinics – private
and public – are springing up everyday, and a medium
size clinic needs at least 4 Nurses. Some may have as
much as 20. Same goes with Lab public health scientists, although in
lower demand.

7. Mechanical, Electrical & other related Engineering
courses: Engineering courses generally sell in the oil and
gas industry. In addition these courses are also asked for
in other major industries.

6. Economics/Accounting/Finance: The good thing about
Economics is that it fits into many roles. I hesitated to
include Accounting here because Accounting degree alone
without professional qualifications is not usually so
helpful; however, I included it because I expect the
accounting graduate to do the needful of writing
professional examinations after his degree. Even without
professional qualifications, you can still get a decent job
with Accounting degree only in the many small to medium
scale firms that require the services of accounting
graduates. Finance is another great course. The three
courses, sometimes alongside Management and Business
Administration, are usually in hot demand, although
supply still exceed demand and many graduates of these
courses are still jobless.

5. Computer Science/Computer Engineering/IT courses:
IT professionals are in hot demand the world over. Nigeria
is not different. With special IT skills, your chance is even
brighter. The downside is, anybody can learn IT skills,
even if he doesn’t study computer engineering.

4. Geology: It is also a course that places you in good
position to penetrate the much-sought-after oil industry.

3. Chemical/Petroleum Engineering : These courses have
the potential to fetch you the fattest pay check after
graduation because the companies that ask for them are
those that pay heavily – the oil companies.

2. Estate Management/Architecture/Building/Survey/Civil
Engineering: A degree in any of these courses places you
in a good position for self-employment. Even from school,
Architecture students make money drawing plans for
people. We consider these courses the second most
marketable courses in Nigeria.

1. Medicine: Medicine may not earn you N500k per month
at entry level, but it is the course that guarantees you job
the most. I have never come across a jobless medical
doctor. The pay may not be as heavy as the Chemical
engineering guy in the IOC, but you are guaranteed
of better-than-average income as a doctor. Medicine is
number 1 on our list.