Dear Aspiring traveler, did you know that there are some soft skills that can transform your life abroad? Some of these simple skills can save you money, provide you with income, or form the foundation of a very lucrative business.
1. TRUCK DRIVING – Driving is a critical skill that every young person should learn. The US 🇺🇸 and Nigeria 🇳🇬 have the same driving system (right-hand drive), while the UK has a left-hand drive system. By obtaining an international driver’s license, you can drive in the UK for one year after arrival. Truck driving can bring in money by partnering with delivery companies, or by working for a trucking company.
2. COOKING NAIJA FOOD – If you are a talented chef, this skill can save you from hunger and financial hardship. There are many supermarkets abroad that sell Nigerian food items, and cooking is an affordable way to feed yourself. Additionally, if you can cook Nigerian delicacies well, many Nigerians will be eager to hire you to cook for their families or events – for a handsome fee.
3. HAIR STYLING – Hair styling is a gold mine abroad, as many Nigerian women are always searching for someone who can do wonders with their hair – braiding, locking, fixing. If you have this skill, you won’t lack customers on weekends.
4. SEWING – If you have the ability to cut, pattern and sew, especially with native materials, you will be in high demand. All you need to do is make some good clothing for someone to wear to a party, and word of mouth will do the rest. Your business can grow quickly as more people learn about your skills.
5. BARBERING – For men, many salons abroad are unfamiliar with African male hair. If you can cut hair well and give a good fade, you can easily make £15-20 per haircut and even save money by cutting your own hair.
6. PHOTOGRAPHY – If you have a professional camera and can take excellent photos, all you need to do is let people know. You will receive requests for birthday photoshoots, professional shots, wedding shoots, and more. This is a highly marketable skill abroad.
7. WRITING – If you have a talent for writing, you will always be in demand. From companies looking for good writers to create their social media content, to individuals searching for brilliant writers to articulate their thoughts in essays, books, writing projects, proposals – you can earn solid cash from writing. The best part? You can do this from anywhere, with just your laptop and some free time.
8. GRAPHIC DESIGN – If you have expertise in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and can create beautiful designs, you will have plenty of opportunities. Businesses need flyers, and individuals are always looking for designs for their social media presence. You can be their go-to person for these services.
9. WEB DESIGN/SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT – Even if you don’t know how to code, if you understand the basics of web design and can create beautiful, dynamic websites, you can make money. Individuals and companies are always searching for good web designers. If you can code and develop software, the sky is the limit. You can earn a great income from tech companies who will always need brilliant developers. And you can do this work remotely!
10. VIDEOGRAPHY/VIDEO EDITING – If you can create a good video or you are very good at editing videos, you can make cool cash on the side. You can cover events – birthdays, weddings, graduations – just let people know that you are good at this. If you can edit videos, you can earn massively from persons in need of good video editors for social media content – YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
You can earn well from some of these skills from Nigeria even without relocating. Some of these skills can be learnt for FREE on YouTube and from taking some free courses on Udemy, Coursera and the likes.
Which of these skills are you good at? Let us know in the comment. Are there other soft skills I have missed? Let me know in the comment too.
