Moving to another country can be as challenging as anything can be. But it is not something you should lose sleep over as with the right skills and enabling environment, you are bound to survive in any country you find yourself. Going to a country you’ve not been to before requires you to prepare yourself mentally and physically to meet the daily challenge with wisdom and strength
It’s usually called the survival of the fittest for a reason. Someone once said that if you fail to plan, you’ve planned to fail. Preparation comes with proper planning. One of the ways to prepare yourself apart from getting your documents ready and other contingencies, is getting to learn skills that will profit you as you get there.
However, before you learn a skill, the first thing you should assess is your area of strength and specialization. What do you love doing? What are you doing here? What would you love to start doing there? Answering these questions honestly will help you focus your mind on the necessary skills you need to learn if you’re planning to “Japa”. It’s not right to jump into a new country with no plan of what your strength and areas of specialization. These areas of specialization means the areas of life you find really interesting. They are some people who are interested in healthcare giving, plumbing, data analysis, cyber security etc . They can learn some particular skills that will help them upscale in their areas of interest. To learn these skills has been made easier with YouTube and other online platforms. There are now whole lots of skills you can learn if you’re planning to Japa. If you know your areas of interest, you can streamline your skills to equip you properly and make you to be better positioned for job opportunities and empowerment programs.
Furthermore, there are real life skills that you will need to start learning of you are planning to Japa. This is because there are somethings that are not taught in schools, it’s you that will teach yourself or you hire a private tutor. It’s usually said that learning does not end and the day one stops learning, the person starts dying. Anybody who is going to a new country should endeavor to learn any of these skills or all of them because no one knows where or when the right opportunity will come and it’s always good to be prepared.
1. Language Skills: The first skill to learn is the language skill. This is if you’re going to a country that’s not Anglophone. Anglophone countries are countries that have English language as their lingua franca. There may be variations in their English-speaking nature but their words or expressions always make sense to anyone who possess the ability to understand the language. However, you should learn these variations so that you will not confuse your listeners. You should even learn how to speak it fluently without the usual Nigerian accent which has been the bane of many migrants. If the country is francophone, that’s french-speaking country, you should do yourself a favor by learning it. The bottom line here is learn the official language of the country you are planning to enter.
2. Financial management skills: This is where you need to work on yourself. You need to learn budgeting, investing and saving. If you don’t learn this skill here, you will blow off every penny that enters your hand. You can go on YouTube and follow experts that talk about financial literacy. You should also learn the denominations of the currency of the country you are planning to go into. Just the same way, Nigeria has N5, N10, N20, N50,N100,N200, N500 and N1000 notes, that’s the same way each country has its own note. If you don’t learn it now, it’s compulsory that you may wish to buy something after reaching your destination, it’s obvious you might be cheated because of your ignorance.
3. Cooking skills: You need to learn how to cook or else, all your money in abroad will go to the restaurant or catering service providers. More so, you can learn this cooking skills so that you can provide catering services or work in a restaurant if you can’t find a good suitable job. You can also venture into cooking local dishes and Nigerian delicacies to foriegn clients. Some people in abroad will prefer to eat their native foods like Afang soup, Nsala, egusi, ogbono and other Nigerian soups because of its taste and that feeling of home and originality it gives them. You can put resources and structure together to meet these needs and make lots of money only if you have learnt culinary skills before going.
4. Computer skills. In a world that’s fast going digital, it’s an error for you to start planning to Japa without the knowledge of how to use a computer. It’s not even about being a computer wizard, it’s about knowing the computer basics that’s necessary for survival. They are some places and establishment you will enter, everything is computerized. You will need to type in your name and pass code before you can have access or do anything. So, to be on a safer side, have a basic knowledge of computer. Learn how to send and receive mails from the computer. Learn how to create document, PDF, spreadsheet, power point using the computer. It will help you in due time.
5. Web and graphic designing: After having a basic knowledge of computer, you should improve and invest in yourself more by going pro. This is because web designers and graphic designers are high in-demand skills in outside countries. They need these professionals to design their flyers, posters, business cards, website and other things in running their day to day businesses.
6. Dress making. This is another skill you should learn if you’re planning to Japa. You need to learn how to make your own clothes first. If you become your own fashion designer, you have saved a lot of money and you’re actually open for business. This is because anyone that will see what you wore to a place or an occasion would want to know who is the fashion designer and when they hear that it’s you, they would want to pay you any amount for you to make a dress for a them. The truth of the matter is that apart from shelter, food and clothing are still basic human requirements that people will always need and go after anywhere in the world, whether home or abroad.
