To all ye academic braggarts and overachievers: mbinguni hakuna digirii!

JKUAT held its 29th Graduation Ceremony this past Tuesday, and a few friends of mine were among those who wore those ridiculous hats and those long gowns to commemorate the end of 8-4-4. They were all smiles as they took selfies with their families and their girlfriends and shook hands with people from the village who had come to celebrate their ‘achievement’ with them. And, after the main ceremony, majority of them retreated to reserved restaurants or back home and broke bread and made merry with their parents; who later on gave speeches about how bright their children’s futures were now that they had graduated.

This is where I have a problem. See, society has twisted our minds into thinking that once you put on that hat, you can be anyone you want to be in this world. Society has tricked us into believing that without a degree, you’re as useful as a security guard manning a police station. We have been told, time and again, that education is the key to success. Today, I want to call out this perception for what it really is; a whole bunch of bull crap.

Chaps like Bob Collymore manage some of the biggest companies in the region and take home salaries in their tens of millions without even stepping foot into colleges (except to make a donation.) Mark Zuckerberg – until only recently – was a college drop-out who owned the biggest social media company in the world. Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey...the list is endless. This article, is in no means a mockery to anyone with a degree out there. No, by all means, congratulations, you made it, I know I want one (but mostly because my Mum keeps threatening she’ll die of heart attack if I never graduate.) This article only seeks to address the nonsense we have been fed that we can’t be anything out here without that degree; it seeks to inform those who don’t have those degrees that you can kick ass out here, just as much as (or probably more than) those with degrees.

I know over fifty people who graduated with degrees in prestigious courses last year alone and are still currently jobless. I know someone with a Law degree presently doing nothing but hopping from one office to the next – with his C.V tucked neatly under his armpit - looking for vacancies in anything. His exact words were, “Hit me up if you hear of anything, man. Even if a company wants someone to serve them tea, I don’t care, you call me.” With such kind of desperation, you can’t help but wonder, was his degree really necessary? I mean, I still don’t have one but I have this space here where I get to annoy you every week. Last thing, because I’m running out of space here. Guys, if you do not have a degree, don’t let someone with one look down on you and tell you you’re useless. Always remember this; Mbinguni hakuna digirii!