BUULE FRANCIS
Going to college is one of the biggest investments—if not the biggest one—families will make in their lifetimes. In some circles, the pressure to get a jump-start on the university search process to get into the “right” school is intense, although half of Ugandan universities have become less selective in the last 10 years. In other words, it’s easier to get accepted than ever before at many universities cause they are too many and most of them were built for commercial reasons.
Apart for Government institutions,there are, of course, countless guidebooks and rankings that try to help you make sense of it all, but many end up confusing students and parents even more. This confusion often works to the advantage of these universitites: in the end, they know more about you than you know about them.
Certainly affordability is a huge issue—for low-income families and all but the richest of families. And of course, many of the other crises—university’ unsustainable business models, growing stratification, which means where students go to university too-often depends on their family income, and rising doubts overall about the ROI of college—all arise out of the affordability question.
Any way,back in 2013 , right at the exact time after my graduation. As clearly as if it happened 5 minutes ago, I remember sitting there with my mouth gaping open, staring at the T.V, not knowing what to do…I was literally paralyzed while my life flashed before my eyes.
This was the first time in my life anything like this had ever happened to me. It was so startling to me! What made it even more bizarre was that I was actually crushing all the goals that I had planed for my future life. How could this happen to me?!?! As days went by,I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. From shock, terror and sadness, to just downright pissed off!
If you are, or ever have been in this position, your anger is totally normal. If you haven’t ever been through this, be prepared for it anyway.
But if you are reading this you may get some relief.
I had a friend who is an exceptional musician, and was recently accepted to one of the most prestigious universities in Uganda (Makerere). So one weekend I went to visit him, he took me me to the music lab to show me what he was learning about the science of harmonization, and how music that sounds spontaneous is actually the result of complex scientific principles.
Like any good friend would be, I was immensely proud of him. And, like any friend would be, I wondered how he will take what he learns in school and translate that to a lucrative career—or at least one that pays the bills, and opens even the possibility of supporting my friend’s hoped-for future grandchildren.
It’s a scary thing if you’ve invested a significant amount of money in an education other people label “useless”.(Musiru dala dala,literally meaning an empty head) But as someone who has hired people for a long time now, I don’t believe any degree is “useless”.
If I can’t see the value of someone who understands the science of harmonization could bring to my organization, then I am doing a poor job as a hiring manager. And I’m missing the chance to bring some outside of the box thinking and potential for innovation into my business.
That said, it’s still the job candidate’s responsibility to find a way to demonstrate how their education has increased their ability to think critically and bring a fresh perspective.
Job Training vs. Education
The infamous “underwater basket weaving degree” doesn’t exist. Next to that, art history might be the most dismissed major, at least in music. However, art history is defined as “the study of art in its historical development and context”. Remove the word art, and think of that sentence in a different way. If someone can understand historical development and context, they can surely be taught the more practical aspects of most jobs.
Our tendency to conflate job training and education is a mistake. If we really believe in the power of the free market and good economics claimed by Bwanika and a like, than by definition most jobs people get trained for are in the process of becoming obsolete.
People do need to be trained to do whatever it is they are going to do for a living, but they also need to know how to think critically, observe and understand patterns, and be forward thinking – among many other things. If they don’t know how to do those things not only will the workforce leave them behind, but the companies that hire them will eventually be left behind as well.
Those qualities can be developed in a variety of places, but an arts degree is one of those places.And just some advise to Kaguta, we do need engineers and computer scientists, but we also need people who understand what it means to be human.
Uphill Climb
All of that aside, if you are someone with a degree that others may dismiss, and you aren’t becoming a curator or a musician, you face an uphill climb. Hiring managers are short on time and long on candidates, and it’s on you to show how your education impacted the way you think, not just what you know–because, for the vast majority of professions, how you think is more important than what you know.
That’s true for any recent university grad, but it’s especially true if you just spent a significant amount of money on a degree that others don’t always view favorably. Finding ways to demonstrate your value, critical thinking skills, and entrepreneurial drive is not easy, but it is easier than it used to be. Write a blog, design an app, start a nonprofit—do something that shows you are more than just a piece of paper and that what you learned actually gave you a skill set that others may find valuable.
The only thing useless is accepting a paradigm that doesn’t have to be true.
