- Alexander Hamilton, a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, spent seven months job hunting after completing NYSC
- Hamilton sent over 350 applications and faced repeated rejections, including opportunities he turned down himself, believing he deserved better
- His persistence eventually caught the attention of one of Nigeria’s biggest companies, where he says day one has only just begun
Alexander Hamilton, a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has celebrated landing a role at Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals seven months after his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme and more than 350 failed job applications.
Sharing his story on LinkedIn on August 25, Hamilton, who earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree from UNN in 2022, described the period following his National Youth Service Corps discharge as one of the most testing stretches of his life.
Photo Credit: LinkedIn/Alexander Hamilton
Source: UGC
He said the relentless string of rejections gradually made him question his own abilities, something he had never expected to happen.
350+ rejections before one yes
Beyond the rejections that came from companies, Hamilton also revealed that he turned down some opportunities himself, convinced he was worth more than what was being offered. Looking back, he admitted that the line between knowing your worth and refusing to start somewhere is much thinner than it appears when you are in the middle of it.
Through those seven months, he kept applying, kept learning, and kept moving, leaning heavily on faith to stay calm when the situation felt hopeless.
Then Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals offered him a role.
“That ‘yes’ did not erase the 350+ ‘no’s’. It simply reminded me that sometimes, you don’t need everyone to believe in you,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
“You need one person to give you the opportunity to prove yourself.”
Day one, not a victory lap
Hamilton was clear that the offer is not a finish line. He framed getting the job as the beginning of a responsibility rather than the reward for surviving a long struggle.
“Getting the opportunity is not the achievement,” he wrote. “It is the responsibility that comes with it. So this is not a victory lap. It is DAY ONE.”
He said he intends to earn his place at the company every single day.
Nigerians react to Hamilton’s story
Yusuf Ibrahim said:
“This really means a lot man… I am currently a first class graduate trying to figure out life too. Hopefully things will start making sense soon!”
Adewale Alamu Ojeniyi said:
“350+ applications is nothing but crazy. I can only imagine how emotionally draining that journey must have been, yet you’re here. It’s an amazing testament to how strong your mental health is, or better put, how much you’ve preserved it. You earned your place. Congratulations!”
Mfon Anang said:
“Congratulations for getting one yes that erase 350 no’s. My question is how do you track applications and know that you have applied up to this number of jobs?”
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a UNILAG graduate had celebrated landing an HR role at Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals.
High crude prices: Dangote Refinery raises alarm
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Dangote Refinery had raised an alarm over high crude prices.
Devakumar Edwin, Group Vice President for Oil, Gas and Fertiliser at Dangote Industries Limited, made the clarification in response to data published by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), which showed the refinery rejected 15.5 million barrels of crude offered by domestic producers in the second quarter of 2026.
Edwin argued that the NUPRC figures did not tell the full story, saying the statistics failed to distinguish between crude that is formally allocated on paper and volumes that are genuinely available on commercially competitive terms.
Source: Legit.ng