Themed “Beyond the Degree: Mastering Tech, Entrepreneurship, Creativity & Wealth Creation,” the summit brought together speakers from digital media, education consultancy, tech entrepreneurship, and supply chain strategy. 

Their collective advice was that it’s no longer enough to graduate, you must evolve.

Let’s start with Joan Aimuengheuwa, assistant editor at Techeconomy, who built her career before her final exams were over. “Success is about learning and doing,” she said. “I started working while I was a student, just like you. I didn’t even want to do some of those things at first, but again, I didn’t let opportunities slide by. That’s how I started.”

She recalled taking on roles that only paid enough for data. No prestige or promise, just persistence. “Back then, I worked with a lecturer who had a company, while also working at another media firm. I was juggling school, internships in the media space, data analysis—everything. You can’t survive in this space without being a good analyst or a good researcher.”

When asked what students need to succeed in the digital media space, her answer was direct: “Discipline. You cannot be a writer, editor, or analyst without patience. Your character is very important because it’s your name that’s at stake here, not just your pay. Again, you need to learn SEO, networking, research, and use AI the right way. AI should look up to you, not the other way around.”

But perhaps the most striking insight came from her early career reflection: “Don’t wait till you’re ready. Don’t be afraid to do badly at first. Don’t be afraid to fail. My first boss was strict. She didn’t insult me, but when I made a mistake, it was like, ‘How can you do this?’ I never told her, but in my head, I was like, ‘I’m learning.’ But I went through it. She taught me. And when I applied for my next job, my new boss said, ‘She came in highly recommended.’ Why? Because of my character.”

Pascal Orisakwe the career strategist and supply chain manager at Beta Glass took over. “Success,” he said, “is not how much money you have in your bank account. It is the ability to create value, to solve problems, and reward follows that.”

He warned students about mistaking noise for navigation. “Some people just want to get out of the house. They don’t think of life after that certificate. That’s one major challenge. You don’t just jump into a career because your friend is doing it.”

Pascal shared a tough truth about adulthood. “Someone once said adulthood is a scam. But it’s only a scam if you’re not prepared. And preparation means skills. It means understanding that the world is already being run by AI, robotics, and the Internet of Things. If you’re not evolving, you’re fading.”

For students willing to further their studies abroad, Janet Amosu, business development manager at BWBS Education Consultants, pitched access to students at STS 3.0. “We do not charge for applications. 100% free service. No payment for application processing, no payment for visa submission, no charges for interviews,” she said.

It sounded too good to be true, so when asked about the success rate, she doubled down: “Yes, 100% success rate. We secure scholarships, up to 50% for academically strong students. If you don’t get a job nine months after graduation, we work with schools that refund 50% of your tuition and use the other 50% to re-enrol you.”

Her advice to those looking to study abroad? Start early. “Many students miss out because they didn’t start on time or weren’t aligned with their financial and academic realities. Stay informed. Trust the process.”

And then there was Elias Roosevelt, founder and CEO of Payable. He added weight to the tech entrepreneurship part of the conversation, stressing that “building viable products in the financial tech space, not just talking about it, is highly important.”

Pascal, when asked if he would change anything in his career, said: “In all honesty, I do not think I would change anything. When you alter your yesterday, your today and tomorrow might not come out the way they should. The journey of life requires intentionality.”

He urged students at the STS 3.0 summit and beyond, not to let emotions drive their decisions. “Discipline means waking up early. It means working late. You have to stay the course, even when it doesn’t pay off immediately.”

In our world, where many are now obsessed with immediate returns, that might be the most radical advice of all.

Beyond a panel, STS 3.0 was a roadmap, because in 2025, you don’t need another degree to succeed. You need audacity, resilience, and the humility to learn from strict bosses and unpaid gigs. You need to build a name before you build a brand.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll realise that the classroom ends at the door, but your future doesn’t.

Dr. Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.

He said that the educational system policy changed earlier this year for international students in higher education not to bring dependents into the UK was to curb the increase of foreign students bringing in dependents.

He explained that the huge surge in dependence was putting an unsustainable pressure on many universities, adding that it was the reason these changes were introduced.

Here are eight countries Nigerian Masters students can move to with their dependants

1. Canada

Canada aims to welcome over 460,000 new immigrants each year to strengthen the economy, reunite families, and help refugees.

Under its immigration levels plan, Canada is now looking to get 465,000 new permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025

The country’s dependent visa allows international students to bring their dependents and also allows them to work or study full-time once they have the relevant permits.

2. Germany

Germany’s dependent visa also known as a family reunion visa permits the spouse, children, and other family members to join and live with their family members residing in Germany. They can either reside temporarily or permanently in the country.

3. New Zealand

New Zealand also has a dependent child student visa that allows a dependent child to join their parents in the country and study at a primary or secondary school. “A dependent child can be treated as a domestic student, which means you don’t have to pay tuition fees for them to go to school.”

To apply for a Dependent Child Resident visa, your children must be single and financially dependent on you.

Your children must sign a declaration they are single when they complete their application form. Immigration New Zealand considers your children dependent if they are: 17 or younger.

4. Australia

An Australia-dependent visa allows dependent family members of Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens to live and work in Australia. This includes spouses, children, and other eligible family members.

5. Denmark

If an international student wants to bring their family to Denmark, they must apply for a green card Dependent visa. It allows Danish green card holder to bring their family with them to the nation while they are living and working there.

Denmark has several categories of dependent visas. Of these dependent visas, the Student Dependent Visa is designed for the spouse or unmarried children below 18 years of age of foreigners schooling in the country with a Denmark student visa to join their relatives in Denmark.

6. Finland

In September 2022, Finland issued more residence permits compared to the previous year as its processing time for visa application was 77 days on average, about 46 per cent less compared to 143 days in the previous period, the Finnish Immigration Service revealed.

The D visa allows you to travel to Finland immediately after being issued with a residence permit.

You can apply for a D visa if your spouse or your parent or guardian is applying for one of the following residence permits: A residence permit for a specialist. EU Blue Card.

7. Estonia

While staying in Estonia with a student visa, your family members can apply for an Estonia family visa to join you.

If they are issued a family visa, they can stay with you in Estonia for one year.

8. Sweden

Sweden is a Scandinavian nation in northern Europe with thousands of coastal islands and inland lakes, along with vast boreal forests and glaciated mountains.

The country which is highly developed, is ranked seventh in the Human Development Index, according to United Nations Development.

It has different types of permits that allow people to bring their dependents. The type of permit that should be applied for will vary depending on the situation of the person who is living in the country.

Gbubemi Boyo, the Chief Executive Officer of Cogent Education Consults, a leading education consultancy company, stated this at the company’s Lagos office on Monday, January 24, 2022.

She reiterated the consultancy’s commitment to offering quality education anywhere in the world to Nigerian students.

According to Boyo, “Cogent Education Consults provides counselling and application services for international students wishing to study at colleges and universities around the world. We understand that some of these intelligent students are also gifted in athleticism which means asking them to abandon their talent for education sometimes affects the total experience of schooling abroad.”

“So, we came up with the idea of helping them get admissions into schools that are pro-sports in activities. This strategy has seen the surge of applicants who play basketball, football, lawn tennis, and other sports applying. Some of these schools would even offer admissions because a student is into one sport or the other.”

“Cogent Education Consultants has a team of highly experienced professionals in education counselling, student placements into various institutions abroad, visa counselling, and international student support services. We assist students to find a place at a university that is right for them.” She concluded.

CogentEducation Consultants started assisting Nigerian students to access quality education on May 8, 2019.

So many students have graduated from various schools in different parts of the world after going through Cogent Education Consultants.