School Na Scam?
It is no longer news that the unemployment rate in Nigeria is tremendously high. Despite this, students still proceed to tertiary institutions to study a course for four to seven years, and for what? To end up graduating without any chance of employment.
Many young graduates have gone into petty trades, and some are still financially dependent on others to survive. So why are people still going to school? After all, school na scam!
Why should anyone still be interested in going to 7 am classes? Why should anyone have to go through the stress for years, read and get their knowledge tested on top of something wey be “scam”? Why do people still invest five years of their lives in a ‘scam scheme’ instead of looking for other alternatives?
The thing is school no be scam, na you no choose wetin interest you. School no be scam, na you go public uni. Your reason for tagging school a ‘scam’ might be different from someone else’s. Are you tagging school a ‘scam’ because despite being brilliant and intelligent, you still have bad grades and there is nothing to show for your efforts? or you are a fresh graduate working menial jobs after all the years you spent studying at the University?
The main problem here is not the school, but the mentality we have as Nigerians and what we have been fed from childhood. We perceive BSc/B.A to be the key to wealth and riches. Back in the days, only few people had access to education, thereby making the educated folks ‘demigods’ in their society. They are provided with jobs and other benefits, but now in this age, every year the rate of unemployed graduates increases because the number of university aspirants and graduates increases every year.
What no one tells you is that education is just a plus. You need to acquire at least one skill to stand out from your competitors. Imagine a computer science graduate with a BSc certificate alone, and another computer science graduate with a certificate but also endowed with the relevant tech skills needed to thrive in the tech industry. If you were to employ one out of the two, which would you go for? Definitely the one with the skill.
School is not a scam! Schooling and completing your education is very important! You might be consoling yourself with the story of successful people who dropped out of school and are billionaires. Bill Gates, One of the richest persons in the world, is a Harvard dropout but always preaches the necessity of finishing school.
Do not make the mistake of totally depending on school, be smart enough to know that education is important, but your skill is ‘importanter’. Surround yourself with people you can learn from while you are in school. School is not just about learning from your lecturer, but to also learn from the school environment. It is an opportunity to discover yourself.
Before you begin to follow the trend of tagging school a scam, ask yourself what the term “school” means to you. There are several schools aside from the regular tertiary universities we know, there are professional schools like acting schools, fashion schools, and so on.
Pick a vocational school that focuses on the particular skill you want to develop, you will not only be certified and be a professional, but you will also get the necessary connections you need to succeed. This applies to every other aspect. The world is changing so we have to follow the trend.
Finally, many people claim to not have touched their certificate at all since they graduated from school and yet they are still successful. Dear reader, they do not need their certificate because they have learned everything they needed to learn while they were in school, not what they were taught by their lecturer, but many indirect lectures they received from colleagues and school life.
In essence, do not let the certificate be your ultimate focus. Be social and open-minded, and be willing to learn things you find interesting to you. There is no formula to success, not anymore, but going to school and finishing school is a very huge step towards being successful. Ensure you take full advantage of school, and you will be convinced that school is not a scam.
