The Value Of Degrees In A Changing World

Decades ago, our parents and grandparents saw education as the key to success. Not just any key, but the only key to unlock the doors of success. They sacrificed everything just to put their children through the walls of education. Back then, getting a university degree was one of the most prestigious achievements. Parents would boast about their children who had just bagged a university degree. However, times have changed. We are in the 21st century where it seems like education has lost its worth. Nowadays, you hear people not wanting to further their education because “school is a scam” and getting degrees is totally not worth the resources, stress and sacrifices. Is there truth in this? Is school really a scam?

This brings me to today’s Hive Learners’ prompt: is getting degrees still worth the effort? In today's century, should people put lots of resources into degrees? This is quite a complex question, but the reality is glaring if only we choose to look at it clearly and speak the truth. Parents put in a lot of effort to train their children. It takes a lot to educate a child, especially when the parents are not well off. I know of parents who hawked to send their children to school. Some do cleaning jobs and other menial jobs. 6 or more years in primary school, 6 years in secondary school and 4-7 years in the university, spending on the course. On the part of the parent, it costs money, time, and a whole bunch of other resources. On the part of the child, they also put in the effort to work hard and come out with beautiful grades, only to face what? No job opportunities!

In my country, there are so many first class students, walking around the country, searching for jobs. So many of them are unemployed and have to resort to doing menial jobs. Imagine spending millions to get a degree and when you finally get it, it becomes “close to being useless.” So, tell me, how is getting a degree still worth the effort in 2025? Don’t quote me wrong, I’m not of the school of thought that getting a degree is completely useless. Of course, it isn’t. For some fields like nursing and engineering, I believe this field will always remain bright. Nursing, medicine, pharmacy, and some other health-related fields will always shine bright among others. In the long run, getting the degree will be worth it. However, I can’t say the same for other fields.

Again, I’m not of the school of thought that school is a scam. Of course, it has its own perks. For what it is worth, getting a degree is still prestigious, however, if you are not going into the fields I mentioned above, you should have a back up plan. Don’t solely depend on education when you know it might not be worth the effort in the long run. And the truth is that there is a very high chance that it won’t, especially in my country.

Let’s even assume that a person who goes into other fields (outside health and engineering), graduates with a first class degree and lands themself a job. How much do you think they will pay? If you are a Nigerian, how much do you think this person will get? 100 thousand naira? 150 thousand naira? Or let’s even raise the bar and say 300k which doesn’t even sound plausible to me. Considering the situation, do you think this would be enough to raise a family? Do you think this would be enough to live in your dream house? Do you think this would be enough to build your dreams? Hardly anyone who works a 9-5 job drives a Lamborghini. What does that tell you?

Nowadays, school teaches theories, not skills that students require to survive in the outside world. Are theories important? Yes, they are. But the main question is will they suffice? No, you need skills. Times have changed. Parents should not solely focus on making their kids get degrees, but also skills. No one is saying you shouldn’t strive to get a degree. Get a degree, but learn a skill alongside. Not just one skill, but many. Again, times have changed and it is only right that we adapt to it.

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Thanks for reading.