How UNILAG Students Balance Remote Work, Academic Activities

By Dunoboh Joy, Okereke Blessing, Ugah Thelma, Akinpelumi Jumoke, Nwachukwu Francis and Jacinta Emeka

When lectures end for the day at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), another routine quietly begins for many students. Hostel rooms turn into workspaces, phones become meeting rooms, and laptops light up long after campus walkways grow quiet. Across UNILAG, remote work and freelancing have become an unspoken part of student life.

For a growing number of undergraduates, online jobs are no longer side hustles. They are survival tools, skill-building platforms, and early career pathways. Students now work as virtual assistants, data analysts, content writers, designers, social media managers, and customer support agents for clients both within and outside Nigeria.

For some, the journey into remote work started out of necessity. A 300-level Economics student, Samuel Ademide, said financial pressure pushed him to explore online jobs.

“School fees, feeding, textbooks, everything costs money,” he said. “I started freelancing as a data entry assistant in my second year. It was stressful at first, but it helps me take care of myself now.”

Others see remote work as an extension of their academic training. A 400-level Mass Communication student, Oni-orisan Blessing, works as a social media manager and believes the experience gives her an advantage beyond the classroom.

“What I learn from clients helps me understand audience engagement better,” she said.  “It feels like real-life practice.”

Yet the balance between work and academics is rarely smooth. Students admit that flexibility, one of the biggest benefits of remote work, can also become a challenge. Online meetings, urgent client requests, and unpredictable deadlines often clash with lecture schedules.

Another student who preferred to remain anonymous said the overlap sometimes affects her attendance.

“When work overlaps with class time, my attention goes to the job,” she explained. “You tell yourself you will read later, but later does not always come.”

She added that impromptu meetings make things harder.

 “My boss can schedule meetings without notice. Sometimes it is during lectures, and I have to step out.”

Missed assignments and rushed submissions are common consequences. A final-year Computer Science student, Chinedu, who freelances as a web developer, said choosing between income and lectures is a frequent dilemma.

“There are days when a client meeting and a compulsory class fall at the same time,” he said. “Either way, something suffers.”

Beyond scheduling conflicts, students also battle unstable internet connections in some locations on campus, power outages, noisy hostel environments, and exhaustion from working late into the night. Some admit that poor time management has affected their grades, while others say the mental strain of switching between academic and professional demands is overwhelming.

Still, many students insist the experience is worth it. They argue that remote work prepares them for a competitive job market where degrees alone are no longer enough.

“Remote work teaches discipline, responsibility, and professionalism,” said Funke Alabi, a 400-level Sociology student. “Those lessons stay with you long after school.”

As Nigeria’s economy becomes increasingly digital, UNILAG students are adapting in real time. Learning no longer ends in lecture halls. It continues in late-night emails, virtual meetings, and deadlines that stretch across time zones.

For many undergraduates, the path to success now involves more than attending classes. It requires balancing lectures by day and laptops by night, building careers one task at a time.