The Untapped Wealth of Being a Skilled Artisan
What do you want to be when you grow up? That famous question we were constantly asked right from childhood. I want to be a doctor; I want to be an Engineer; I want to be a lawyer, was always our quick response. We had grown up thinking these were the only prestigious professions, these were the professions that could earn us enough money to buy a ‘big’ house and a nice car, go on expensive vacations and indeed have a great life! Our parents on the other hand had looked forward to being called mama doctor or papa lawyer. But you grow up and you discover that your talents are neither in medicine nor engineering nor law but rather in plumbing or carpentry or electrical repairs. But does this mean you cannot achieve your dreams of building your own house, owning a car or taking care of your parents?
According to a forecast by the Global Construction Perspective and Oxford Economics, the growth in construction in Nigeria, will be one of the fastest globally. This forecast is set to become a reality with urbanization and the enormous demand for buildings across all sectors of the economy as well as the focus on infrastructural development in Nigeria. Yet one of the major challenges of the Nigerian construction industry remains the shortage of skilled manpower which has resulted in bringing in foreigners to fill up this skill gap. The skills of artisans are needed now more than ever, skills ranging from plumbing to electricals to masonry to welding and so on. With higher demand for such skills comes higher income for those who fill up the gap.
Furthermore, with a very high population which also translates to many households as well as investments which translates to more companies, the services of skilled artisans are a necessity. The houses and companies built have to be maintained and repairs have to be done yet there are not many skilled artisans to fill up this gap. Imagine the revenue that stands to be generated in having an outlet that provides maintenance and repair services to households and companies? This is a golden opportunity which not many artisans have taken advantage of.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said ‘If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper that did his job well’
Although there might be many artisans what makes you a unique tradesman is the quality of your work. This is where professional prestige sets in. One of the problems that we face in Nigeria is the low quality work of artisans which over time have caused havoc; buildings have collapsed, some buildings burnt down due to electrical fire and so on, as a result of this deficiency. We seem to have only a few artisans who are good at their work. With training and upskilling yourself as an artisan, you stand a chance to deliver a job well done. It is important to bear in mind that once you are good at your trade you are sure to get many recommendations and referrals which in turn will yield more income.
References
Emiedafe, W. (2015, March 10). Major Opportunities in Nigerian Construction Industry. Retrieved from sapientvendors.com.ng: http://sapientvendors.com.ng/major-opportunities-in-nigerian-construction-industry/
Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics. (n.d.). Global Construction 2020: A Global Forecast for the Construction Industry over the Next Decade to 2020. London: Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics.