Young Nigerians are increasingly gravitating towards courses that align with the demands of the modern job market.
The evolution of jobs has meant prerequisites such as data analysis, an understanding of programming, machine learning and even a background in finance, are now more critical than ever to compete for newly created and high-paying positions.
This trend has become evident among young Nigerians seeking admission into tertiary institutions. Exclusive data from the Federal Ministry of Education, shared with News Digest, has demonstrated the growing popularity of Computer Science among admission-seeking students.
From 2017 to 2022, there were 140,430 admissions for Computer Science admissions across tertiary institutions in the federation. More importantly, admissions to Computer Science were the highest in 2022, with a total of 33,800.
Adekoyejo Dada, a recent graduate of Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, shared his perspective on this shift. He told News Digest: “I chose Computer Science at the time because I envisioned better prospects in the Computer Science programme than Mathematics.
“Time has proven me right,” he said. “The world at large has gone digital and it’s only normal that Nigerians are influenced by the global change.”
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Unsurprisingly, Accounting had the second-highest total admissions over five years between 2017 and 2022 with 104,500 admissions. Admissions to study Accounting were also considerably lesser than in Computer Science in 2022. This development could indicate a shift from traditional fields like Accounting towards more digitally oriented courses. Graduates of Accounting have previously sounded concerns about the industry saturation and the heightened level of competitiveness.
Law, once considered a popular option among students, is seeing a decline in interest, partly due to reduced job opportunities. Admissions have steadily dropped from a high of 6544 in 2017 to 5417 in 2022.
Despite industry saturation, Mass Communication continues to attract students with 23,000 admissions in 2022. Medicine and Surgery, considered a prestigious choice among Nigerian parents, has maintained its level of appeal among Nigerian students with a steady level of admission between 4,800 and 5,900 yearly between 2018 and 2022.
In the life sciences, Microbiology proved to be the most popular course in Nigeria over five years from 2017 to 2022 with 16,400 admissions in 2022 and 84,000. Biochemistry had the second most admissions in life sciences in Nigeria with 71,650 admissions between 2017 and 2022.
As digital skills continue to gain popularity, we will likely see a surge in the popularity of specialized digital courses that will equip students with the skills they need to thrive in a digital world.
We are already beginning to see these courses take shape.
