Degrees, Skills, and the Future of Education

I grew up having everyone around me sing the same thing- education is the key to success. I guess they thought that if they told us that we would learn harder because we had people we looked up to and hoped to be like in the future. Back in the day, I used to have this mantra I lived by up until I completed senior high school. ‘I will marry my books and give birth to success.’ As funny as it sounds, it actually took me far in my educational pursuits because I knew nothing could go wrong so far as I isn’t stuck to the learning part.

Fast forward, I completed senior high school and it was time to go to the university. They told us all handsome guys were in university and so all my friends were in a rush to go to the best schools so they could meet all the handsome boys we were told about. It was all a lie at the end of the day.😂 Back to the point, I didn’t know what I wanted to study in university. I knew I wanted to pursue a science course but I wasn’t sure of which one. Most of my mates on the other hand just went ahead to study whatever came to mind or what the school gave them.

I entered the university knowing what I wanted and so I knew the amount of time and effort I had to put in to get the degree I came for. Growing up, getting a degree was like winning a Grammy but when I went ti the university, getting a degree was just one of these things. Everyone was getting a degree and that even made things a lot more complicated. In the sense that, you could easily get a job with your degree in the past because most people had diplomas or high school certificates. But by the time I got my degree, it wasn’t enough to get you a job in the sea of masters and PhD holders. That isn’t to say you can’t get a job with your degree certificate, you can. But it would be very difficult unless you know people or you’re lucky to land a job that doesn’t care about certificates.

Anyone that says getting a degree isn’t worth it is just setting themselves up for failure because in todays world, it’s better to have their certificates and experience than not have them. I dedicated a lot of time and effort in getting my degree and today, it is sending me places and doing a lot of things for me. All that I learnt in school, I have someway somehow been able to apply it and also pass on my knowledge to others. However, I believe the schooling system could have been better for me and my mates. My school was all about theoretical knowledge and our course was more of a practical course.

I made sure to use my vacations and holidays to volunteer and intern at institutions where I was sure to have some practical knowledge on my course and that set me apart from most of my peers who didn’t have such opportunities. Sadly, most of them still don’t have such experience or opportunities to even develop on what they know. And it’s even more sad to know that the school is still running on the same system last I checked.

In as much as we say the world today and even the job market is more about having the skills, having the necessary certification also is a plus to you. Getting educated is never a waste of time or effort because we never stop learning in this world. If you’re having second thoughts on getting that degree, masters, diploma or whatever certificate, go for it and it would really be worth it at the end of the day.

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all images belong to me.

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