One of the fundamental reasons we attend academic institutions is basically to acquire knowledge about a particular profession or interest in life. This is defined in the differences in our various career pursuits in the universities, polytechnic, colleges of educations and technical schools. Each of these institutions evaluates the knowledge acquired by her students through examinations-either written, oral or both. These examinations are graded base on the proximity of individual performances to the maximum percentage. This process is successively repeated through a period of time-usually greater than three years depending on the institution and course of study-averaged and cumulated into a class of degree we are familiar with. Although I am a study believer that the current examination process-which involve mostly written examination-might not be the best method to test students’ knowledge, but so far, it’s the most accurate yard stick to test students’ knowledge all over the world. As a student, to underrate this important process, I believe is suicidal.
Truth be told, there is a factual bridge between knowledge and education. But knowledge is never an alien to education; the two walks hand in hand. I have met with different class graduates, from first class degree holders to second class and third class students. Unfortunately, I haven’t met a pass degree holder. With my various conversations with these students, I noticed that most of the students with average degree tend to excuse themselves with reasons like “baba the certificate no matter ooo na your hustle sure pass”. Then they say “see, Bill gates, Steve jobs, Mark Zuckerberg etc. drop out from school oooo; they are one the most successful people on earth today”. What they said is not totally wrong but a flamboyant excuse for their underperformances in the university. I also believe these obnoxious excuses are birth from their disappointments and social frustrations associated with their class of degree coupled with segregation of their class of degree by employers of labour.
Let’s take a logical look into the life of the two most popular college drop outs today-Bill gates and Mark Zuckerberg cofounder of Microsoft and Facebook respectively. Bill was a student of one of the best universities in the world, Harvard University. He was a brilliant person right from childhood. He was exposed to one of the rarest opportunities of his time in the 60’s and 70’s-access to computer from his high school at lakeside through to his university. Bill was a very skillful programmer right from his high school. As a teenager, bill has begun to write software for big companies like ISI (Information Sciences Inc.) and TRW. As an undergraduate at Harvard, Bill and Paul Allen wrote the operating system code for one of the first portable computers in the world, the Altair 8800. Both Bill and Paul later signed a big money deal with IBM computers which finally close the door to the completion of his Harvard degree. As an undergraduate at Harvard bill dropped in on courses that interest him the most and did very well in those courses. From bills female colleague “Bill sleeps most of the time in class and still have his B”. Bill gates was not in anyways a below average student as portrayed by many undergraduates. In fact Bill gates was an excellent one. He had a perfect 1590 out of 1600 in his SAT.
As for Mark, he has been an excellent programmer right from childhood. As a young lad, his father employed a private tutor to take him in programming. Mark was an excellent student from his high school-a frequent academic prize scooper at Ardsley and Philips Exeter high school-through to his Harvard days. As a matter of fact, Mark was well recognized as a programming prodigy at Harvard. Mark dropped out of Harvard after successfully marketing the Facebook-majorly through Peter Thiel investment. My questions are, how many of our undergraduates have built or are building their own business to warrant the petty accolade associated with the degree today? How many have ever signed a big money deal with big firms such as the oil and telecommunication industries? I will say none. Why compare yourselves with limited resources and skills to far away people who worked hard to succeed financially as undergraduates? Why belittle the importance of degree?
I’m not advocating that a good degree automatically guarantees you financial or professional success, but that it does open the door of opportunities for you at least as a job seeker. As far as I know, the best prizes and scholarships from individuals, alumni associations, big firms, school authorities etc. always go to students who are academically excellent or at least are good enough. Why don’t you work very hard for a good degree at least to build a fortress for yourself against all form of disadvantages associated with poor degrees? It is a common believe that skill(s) is not directly proportional to the class of degree. This of course is true but arguable. With my little experience, I can say that most graduates with good class of degree are also equipped with the necessary skills in their various fields. So, I am against the notion that most of the graduates with lower class of degree are better equipped skillfully than graduates with good class of degree. But let’s assume that all graduates with lower degrees are more skillful than those of good degrees, what is the benefit of one being skillful but not opportune to showcase his skills? In todays’ Nigeria, most vacancies require for degree classes not lower than a second class-mostly upper. What is the use of a skillful individual with a middling or poor degree who can’t even apply for his loved profession talk less of being called for interview to showcase his skill(s)?
In conclusion, I know for sure that good degrees do not hand you the tittle of the richest man in the world, the best inventor, the best writer, a world renowned speaker, the best artist etc. But that all the people associated with these titles are hardworking people who refuse to swim in the pool of their shortcomings. I believe that if Nigerian undergraduates give their all to their studies, the lowest graduate should come out with at least a second class lower degree which I believe is a good enough class of degree-at least average. Most undergraduates should do away with the idea that degree is not that important because the degree is a reflection of at least four years of your life depending on your course of study.

It's the economy of the country we find ourselves. Sadly, this is the bitter truth.

Good advice for our students.

Yeah

Well, good write ups. Let's take a look at China, if Nigerian govt could focus on technology just like China, I tell you, little we will be running after degree.
But the mentality is there already, I believe someone somewhere will break the jinx.

2kaybiel:
Well, good write ups. Let's take a look at China, if Nigerian govt could focus on technology just like China, I tell you, little we will be running after degree.
But the mentality is there already, I believe someone somewhere will break the jinx.

Chinese government do send students to the western part on various scholarship schemes to go learn & use what they've learned to develop the country

op you have just said the truth.it's unfortunate that those who fall victims for your post are the'failed one',so they decide to come up with cock and bull story to cover up their mess.
I wonder if they really know what it takes to make at least second class upper in most of our Fed.uni.
it's a pity!

Well said. Well said.


The truth is; the world of today undergoes a very high degree of specialization; which occurs in the third or fourth year of study.

Hence; it would be foolhardy to break away from a course when you have barely even grabbed the basic concepts.