Sometimes in our lives we have to make tough choices and it seems like we are caught between the devil and a hard place. You might be asking yourself, ‘do I go to a university and end up unemployed or do I learn a skill and make money instead?’
There is no rule that says you can’t do both but which one is more beneficial than the other? The truth is that the job market in Nigeria is tight and unemployment continues to rise. So, considering whether to pursue a degree or not is probably the right thing to do.
Should you get a degree? If you are looking for answers to this question then you are in the right place. I actually think school can be a scam and I would give my reasons in this article.
Why school is a scam
I understand that this is not something most people expect to read in a blog about professional development but given the current realities it has to be said.
I should also state that by school here I am referring to higher institutions like universities, polytechnics or colleges.
1. School does not prepare you for most of life’s challenges
There are rules in school. For example, It is clear what anyone needs to do to earn good grades. You have to study, attend your lectures and practice for the exams. Real life is quite different.
While it appears there are rules in real life , we see exceptions all the time. The smartest and most talented people don’t always end up with the most money or the coolest jobs.
Not too long ago people could go to school, get a degree and land a job where they worked for several decades. When they eventually retire, they have a nice pension to live on for the rest of their lives. Nigeria is totally different now.
People have to face the harsh reality of bad employment and even unemployment for a long time. Some people never even get a proper job throughout their working life. So, the ‘rules’ don’t always work like they should.
2. Your education is limited to a professional field
Although you certainly learn a lot in school, you don’t learn everything. That is why employers also want to know how much working experience a potential employee has. There are just certain things you can only learn on the job.
This makes education less valuable. I mean, if you really think about it, a lot of jobs these days use skills that are not taught in higher institutions. Once you can read, write and have a good amount of common sense, there are many jobs you can do in Nigeria or any other country if you have the right skillset.
3. You don’t learn how to make money in school
Money is probably one of the most consequential aspects of modern day life. It is really surprising how students learn very little about making and managing money in school.
Students learn concepts in accounting, business, economics and finance. But practical concepts like saving your money, spotting good investment opportunities, taking advantage of loans, maintaining a good credit etc are not given enough attention.
4. You actually spend little of your time learning in school
Being a student doesn’t mean you are studying all the time. We all know students do a lot of flexing and playing around. But you can’t blame them.
There are many distractions on campus these days. From extracurricular activities like sports, clubs, to personal distractions like hobbies and relationships, students would always have something to take them away from their studies.
So, you might end up wasting a lot of valuable time by attending university. Meanwhile this same amount of time could have been used to learn valuable skills and pursue a business.
5. You are never going to use most of the things you are learning
If you have any education at all, you can already tell how true this is. Not everyone gets to use concepts like ‘factorization’, ‘differentiation’, and ‘trigonometry’ in their daily working lives except if you are an academic.
Ultimately, many other things you learn in school would never actually be used in the real world.
6. Going to school doesn’t guarantee you a good job
With the high level of unemployment in Nigeria, it would not be wise for anyone to attend university in the hopes that you would find a good job after school.
Even in certain fields that are experiencing positive job growth, there is usually serious competition for jobs and there is no guarantee that anyone would earn this employment.
7. Most curriculums are outdated
There is a growing gap between university curriculums and the staffing needs of industries in the real world. Even though internships have been useful in bridging this gap, they are not accessible to every student.
In Nigeria, research work lacks adequate funding. Laboratories, libraries and research centres lack the adequate resources to prepare students to meet the demands of the dynamic world.
8. The world cares less about good grades.
Competence, skills and experience are becoming more important than GPA scores for employers. Don’t get me wrong, good grades are still very important.
Generally, for a lot of jobs today, skills and experience are more important to recruiters than good grades. This means that one’s efforts in school towards getting good grades may not translate into a good job.
9. School results don’t always reflect a person’s level of knowledge
Examinations are supposed to test how much you know about a particular subject. But students don’t fail examinations just because they don’t know the subject. External factors can impact results. Factors like health, communication skills, and how clear the questions are can all affect exam performance.
Also, not everyone who aces exams actually understands the concepts taught. Some successful students just have better memories and exam preparation strategies. This is one more reason why you can’t bank on good grades.
10. Academics makes a lot of assumptions
Most academic theories and concepts are based on certain assumptions. Some examples include some aspects of Newton’s laws of motion, rationality in economics, normal distribution in statistics, and natural selection in biology.
These theories provide useful explanations in academic settings but find little use in the real world at least for now.
11. Learning is for life
You can graduate from University but you cannot graduate from learning new things. At least, you shouldn’t if you hope to see any meaningful achievement in your life.
There are just too many things that schools won’t teach you. You would have to learn them yourself. This is one more reason why attending university may not be worth your time.
12. Many professions are still not taught in schools
Many blue collar jobs are not taught in higher institutions. If you are trying to become a hairstylist, social media manager, tattoo artist or a personal trainer, a university may not be the best place to plan your future career.
These are just a few professions not taught within the four walls of universities around the world.
Degree vs skills
Skills are definitely more important than your degree but you can have them both. When you have the right skills, you can take advantage of opportunities to earn an income even if you don’t have a white collar job.
Should you get a degree?
Although it may seem like getting a university degree is a waste of time, it has its merits as well. For example, there are certain professions such as law, medicine, engineering, that require some kind of higher education.
If you aspire to work in any of these fields then you would have to get a university education. But if your chosen career path does not require a professional university degree, going to university may not be the best way to use your money.
Bottom line
There are many valid reasons why getting a university degree may not be worth the money in Nigeria. But the most important factor that should determine whether you pursue a degree or not is your career choice.