NYSC Series I: Gold

Hey Guys

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the NYSC Series begins today and I'm starting off with an article a friend of mine wrote on my pass out day. His name is Akinyemi and he wrote it for myself and my friend, T. Now, T had been saying NYSC is almost over, we are about to become gold. I really didn't get it, thought he just made it up but apparently it is a popular saying. You'll understand why Corpers are told they become gold after reading this article.

This is Akinyemi during his Man o'War Training

Enjoy and do leave a comment. It's slightly annoying/disappointing when effort goes into writing a post and no one comments, the views are there but comments make it interactive and are really encouraging. Some people call me and say Awww, Detuke, I like your blog, keep it up, etc. I appreciate the calls and messages but the impact is greater when you leave a comment beneath the post. You don't need to have a google profile to leave one by the way, there is an option to leave one anonymously so yeah, Leave a comment today.

This is specially dedicated to my Corper friends (I know of just 2) who turned to Gold today.

Now the year is over. At the beginning, It looked like the end of National service will never come.  But now, I am sure it feels like it started yesterday. No more “allawee”, No more day off each week in the name of Community Development Service (CDS) when you don’t get to leave your bed until 10 am (that is if you go for CDS at all), No more clearance, No more head count, No more Khaki, You are no more government Pikin (children). For some, it’s the beginning of a search for a good job, for the lucky few, they have Jobs waiting for them.

It’s a season of transformation, the beginning of exploration. It’s a fresh start, the change from Corper to Gold.

So I thought of highlighting these attributes of Gold to my Corper friends that just turned Gold and all those that have passed through the National Service system. I hope this will inspire you to greatness.



i) Perfect: Gold represents perfection in all matters, on any level. It also symbolizes humankind's quest to perfection. At this stage, you should strive to be the best in all that you do as there is no place for "second best".

ii) Light: Due to its golden colour, it is almost universally associated with solar symbolism. Therefore, illuminate your world.

iii) Immutable: Gold's resistance to heat and acid, qualifies it as a symbol of immutability (i.e. it is unchangeable over time). You are now in an enduring state, immovable, unshakable and unstoppable. You have no limit.

iv)   Beautiful: Gold is so beautiful it was God's first choice for the decoration of his tabernacle: "Thou shalt overlay it with pure gold," He instructs Moses on Mount Sinai, "within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about". That was just the beginning: God ordered that even the furniture, the fixtures, and all decorative items such as cherubs were also to be covered in pure gold. If your life is a beauty to behold like gold, you will be sought after by all, You will be a Man/woman after God’s heart.

v)  Malleable: Even the most primitive of people were able to create beautiful objects out of gold. Moreover, gold is imperishable. You can do anything you want with it and to it, but you cannot make it disappear. Iron ore, cow's milk, sand, and even computer blips are all convertible into something so different from their original state as to be unrecognizable. This is not the case with gold. Every piece of gold reflects the same original qualities. Gold is so flexible that it can be shaped into anything. Get ready for the change that comes with your new Status.

vi)  Rare: Nations have scoured the earth for gold in order to control others only to find that gold has controlled their own fate. The gold at the end of the rainbow is ultimate happiness, but the gold at the bottom of the mine emerges from hell. Gold has inspired some of humanity's greatest achievements and provoked some of its worst crimes. You have gone through different levels of baking, moulding and remoulding. Let your life inspire your world. You should make positive contributions to humanity.

vii.                Stable: We yearn for gold and yawn at steel. When all the steel has rusted and rotted, and forever after that, your great cube of gold will still look like new. That’s the kind of life we all yearn for. You should live a life that is enduring, let your good work be known to all. Strive to leave legacies that will live long after you are no more.

It’s a totally new world where you will be treated as a matured man/woman that you really are. You will meet different people (Good & Bad). The Good ones will teach you how to behave, the bad ones will teach you how not to behave. You will have different experiences (Kind & unkind), the experiences can be very useful in the future. Let your mind be open to everything around you, but sieve what goes in.  Don’t stop dreaming.

This is where you can become all that you want to be.

Welcome to the world of possibilities.

Congratulations!!!

Now when I read the email containing Akinyemi's words, I was in shock when I realized he wrote them. The best passing out present ever. Hope you learnt a thing or two from it. Feel free to share other qualities you think gold has.

Like he mentioned at the beginning  of this article, some of us have jobs while others are still looking. A friend of mine started this really cool initiative, Careers Link Up, which would help you in the job search process so do get in touch with them and they will definitely offer some life changing advice. 

Careers LinkUp is a careers consulting organisation which is committed to helping individuals maximise their potentials and achieve their dreams. Their in-house experts have over 10 years of experience in CV writing and providing careers advice. Apart from the employability services they offer, they have a range of partners who are industry leaders who could provide you with support in a mentoring capacity. They also have access to information on job vacancies in various sectors, recruitment events and networking events that you could benefit from. 

For more information, follow @careerslinkup on twitter and instagram or send an email to:enquiries@careerslinkup.com. 

Take a positive step closer to achieving your careers aspirations. Get in touch with @careerslinkup

You see guys, I started what I said I would in the previous post, what about you?