There is no work that is too small, little or insignificant to do, no matter your level of education, so handwork can be embraced by those without education, school dropouts and graduates.
Moreover, with the alarming rise of unemployment in Nigeria, which government is having a tough time addressing, there is a need to seek alternative sources of income and be self employed.
Handwork is not difficult to learn if one is willing and determined to listen, observe and recreate what one is taught, once you can make use of your hand to render a service that is essential or appeals to the modern world you can make money.
Many people seek the services of craftsmen and craftswomen for many reasons depending on their area of expertise. Their services range from electrical repairs, to hair dressing, makeup artistry, plumbing and even fashion designing to mention a few.
This article aims to give you an insight into 7 best handworks you can do in Nigeria which is guaranteed to put money in your bank account regularly.
BARBING
As a barber you can make money daily or weekly, if you either work for someone or setup your own barbershop. This is the act of shaving peoples hair for a fee and there are times that barbers get tens of customers in a day.
To learn barbing is not difficult, if you have a friend that cuts hair for a living, you can approach him to teach you how it is done, or visit one of the barbing salons in your neighbourhood and offer to learn as an apprentice.
That way you don’t have to bother about daily transport because it is trekkable and after learning, you offer to work on a probationary basis. When you have mastered the work, you go begin to get paid for it can go independent.
The standard duration for learning how to cut hair is four to six weeks, especially if you are allowed to do practical during this period.
If you have the capital and wish to establish your own barbing salon, below are equipment you will need.
- Hair Clipper
- Rotating Chair
- Hair Brushes
- Large Wall Mirror
- Neck Tissue Paper
- Fan or Air Condition
- Generator (optional)
- Sterilizer
- Music Sound System (optional)
PHOTOGRAPHY
Another lucrative skill you can learn is photography. They have always been relevant because events, occasions, and seminars have been holding for decades. But their job became more profitable in this social media age, as people always wish to have birthday photoshoots, official photographer for their wedding, pre-wedding photoshoot, maternity photoshoot, graduation photoshoot and so on. There are tutorials on YouTube which teach you how to operate a camera and be good at it. Also you can visit photography studios and offer to learn as an apprentice while running errands and arranging props for photoshoots.
TAILORING/FASHION DESIGNING
The next handwork that never goes out of demand is tailoring or fashion designing business, this is because people often have clothes they need sewn for school, weddings, official events, etc.
Learning to sew dresses will take one year of training at a fashion school. Fashion designing is a high-paying work in Nigeria, which has become so big that there are celebrity stylists like Ugo Monye, Yomi Casual, Swanky Jerry, Mai Atafo and Toyin Lawani.
Tailoring has been in existence long before style became a thing. Fashion designing is the fune-tuned version of tailoring where tailors sew clothes to come in certain unique styles and designs.
BEADING AND JEWELRY MAKING
The craft of bead making and jewelry creation appeals to both men and women, but women patronise it more because they love to be adorned with lovely accessories.
Bead making involves attaching beads to make a string-like necklace or bracelet and they are worn in different kinds of ceremonies like traditional marriage, royal coronations etc.
The types of beads availabe are; Larva, Pearl, Vinyl, Glass, Seed, Gemstone, Coral, Bali, Bigle etc.
Materials needed for bead making are as follows; Beads, Crimps, Bead shovels, Crimping pliers, Tiger tail strings, Bead mats, Clasp, Headpins, Fishing line, Glue, Gilder paste, Bead reamers, Crimp covers.
ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE/REPAIR
An electrician does electrical repair and maintenance of equipment in residential homes and offices. If you studied electrical engineering, there is a good chance you know how to fix some gadgets.
Instead of waiting endlessly for white collar jobs, you can use that skill to make money. However, if you wish to learn it, there are trade schools that offer such programmes or you can learn as an apprentice for about six months to one year.
An electrician can advertise his services in his area using posters, print outs or go online and reach out to those who are unable to find one offline.
HAIR DRESSING
Hair dressers just like hair barbers make money on a daily basis. While there are male hairstylists, it’s mostly women who do this type of work.
Why is hairstyling a lucrative handwork in Nigeria? Many women love to look good, we are in an era where ladies are crazy about brands of wigs, braids and hairstyles. Some just want to appear nice on a regular day while others visit salons to fix new hairs for events, interviews and when they want to travel.
To learn how to become a hairdresser it takes about six months being an apprentice to a salon owner. After learning, you can choose to seek employment at a beauty shop or open yours if you have the capital.
MAKEUP
Another lucrative work that many modern ladies are tapping into is makeup artistry. There are makeup artists that make as much as N500k monthly. You can attend makeup schools or use online tutorials to learn this and become really good at the craft. There are women who feel they are not good at doing makeup on their faces by themselves, or they do not like the stress of it, so they visit makeup artists.
On the average, a makeup session costs between N10,000 to N30,000, but it all depends on the type of makeup and the artist. Professional makeup artists as low as N25,000 to a high as N100,000 for bridal makeup jobs etc.
CONCLUSION
If you graduated from school several years ago, but you do not have a job, why wait for a white collar job and Nigerian government recruitment when you can make money for yourself by learning any of these skills. Did you recently come upon a sizable sum of money and your intention is to lavish it only to start looking for money in a few weeks or months. Why not use that money and register for any trade programme.
Working as an electrician, barber, makeup artist or fashion designer will never be out of demand because we are in an age where there is a crave for more beautification, so keep yourself busy and embrace any of these today.
