Nelson Okafor, Chief Executive Officer, Carpenterway, and an Anambra-based 26-year-old carpenter, has opened up on the opportunities that abound in learning crafts, particularly carpentry.
Okafor adviced young people to learn the dignity of labour, especially at the current period where fraud has become the order of the day.
Speaking during a seminar for aspiring young entrepreneurs in Awka, on Tuesday, Okafor lent his voice to Japa syndrome and advised young people to look beyond white-collar jobs as the only way to achieve success in life.
He urged Nigerian youths to be humble enough to take up any profession regardless of how ugly or unattractive it is.
He challenged the youths to also deploy the same brain they use to scam people to think of how to learn and better their skills in order to earn an honest living.
He said, “If there is one thing young people should learn from me, it is the fact that there is dignity in labour, especially in times like this when fraud has become the order of the day. It’s now the most sought-after job description for every young person right now.
“There is dignity in labour and instead of jumping into fraud, use that same brain you want to use to scam somebody to think of how to learn skills, better your skills, and earn an honest living from it.
“My venture into carpentry has taught me a lot, but one thing that stands out is, no matter how ugly the job is or how unattractive the profession is, you can make a lot of money from doing whatever as long as you have garnered the dexterity in that particular field.
“No matter what you do and depending on the amount of time and commitment you put into it, you can make as much money or even more than those people that do the cleanest jobs.
“I have handled an interior job worth over N200 million. I have an edge over regular carpenters and interior designers because I am educated and also, as an interior designer, I am not just an interior designer who does designs, I have artisan skills.
“First of all, I am a carpenter and I had to learn the skill for a couple of years before I became a certified interior designer so it gives me an edge over regular interior designers since most of them just get to direct or supervise projects.
“For me, once I find out that someone is not doing the job the way it should be done, I’d have to do it myself and because I am a young person, it does help in hastening up the whole process. I am also very innovative and I do not work with just what is around me.
“I look up to a lot of veterans in the industry and imbibe the ideas I get from them into what I do. I recruit my fellow young people and it makes jobs really smooth, fast, and innovative.”
Asked whether he had ever contemplated quitting the job, Okafor said it was already late to quit as he had gone too far into the profession.
He added, “I think in the early stages of the enterprise, there were a lot of doubts and discouragement but right now, we are knee-deep into the whole process and it is too late to quit.
“Also, we have built a structure and on days that I feel too exasperated from everything going on, I just take a break and the company is still being run by the structure that has been erected. It is a valid feeling but it shouldn’t weigh anybody down as long as it is what you are passionate about.”
