Why your degree is useless and what you can do about it

“A degree might get your foot in the door, but skill is what keeps you in the room.”-Kioria

So you have just finished your university or college diploma, degree and you feel very accomplished. Guess what…your degree/diploma is worthless. Yes, you read that correct. It does not mean anything especially in this day and age. If you think having a degree will guarantee you success let alone a job...my friend you are sadly mistaken. You will spend weeks if not months looking for employment only to be disappointed each and every time.  I have applied to over 20 companies and got rejected without a moment’s notice.  I did everything as required; I wrote a great CV that had my work experience, skills and projects that I had done. Referees were even attached with letters of recommendation but still didn’t prevail. You see employers, managers, CEOs only care for one thing…results. If you can deliver results, it does not matter if you got a First class or a pass, you will get the job. A lot of people place emphasis on getting the degree and not on getting the skill. It’s the skill that pays the bills. I know very smart people who get results and they didn’t even go to university.  All the job interviews I have gone to, not once did they ask me about my degree certificate. All they interested in was my work experience and what I have done so far. Skill is the name of game my friends. Skill is what separates the wheat from the chaff. I think the only thing a degree is useful is when you are applying for a Masters or a PhD. A degree might get your foot in the door, but skill is what keeps you in the room.

SKILL IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

People should focus more on skill than the degree. I think it’s better to take your degree and hide under the mattress and grind like you do not have one. You should spend days upon days refining your skill in whatever field you are in. However, you have to be polishing up on the right skills. If you are putting in the time to learn how to use a typewriter and computers already exist, you are wasting your time. The skill you learn and practice should be timeless and serve you for life. There is no point in learning to program in a language for instance assembly language that was used in the 1980s yet new languages like Python have already outpaced it.

HARD SKILLS VS SOFT SKILLS

 

So I got you think and now you are considering learning a skill but you don’t know which to choose? Let me help you out. You see, there are two types of skills. Hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are the technical ones that you have being taught and can be passed on to others for example programming, language etc. Soft skills are the people skills, the skills that enable you to interact with others like for instance leadership, patience, teamwork etc. Therefore, it does not mean you just focus on the hard skills but also soft skills. Soft skills are usually not on the top of the list of most people but yet have the most importance. How you relate with others is more important than writing code in Java. Most businesses and jobs thrive based on the relationships you have with others. If your boss and colleagues like you, you stand a higher chance of being promoted. The inverse is also true.

BECOMING TIMELESS

Learning a soft skill like public speaking will greatly help you in life. Not everyone can speak well in front of a crowd and by crowd I mean in the hundreds, thousands of people. Another example is learning a language. If you learn just the basic conversational aspects of a new language, you are already ahead of the curve. If you are a Kenyan, it’s best to learn Chinese now as Kenya is practically owned by China and is only a matter of time it becomes a national language. The greatest asset a soft skill has, is that they are timeless and they do not fade out easily like the hard skills. If you are a great leader, your leadership skills will always be in demand as people like to follow great leaders who not only serve them but inspire them.

KNOWLEDGE IS FREE

The resources for learning new skills are in plenty and the best part is that they are free. It just requires someone to put in the time to learn them. Places like YouTube are a haven for people who are into self-development as the content is free and in plenty. However, if you are willing to spend some coin and actually want to be certified, a place like Coursera and Udemy offer great learning resources. In my personal opinion, it is best to combine both the free and the paid as having certification in something like for example AI makes you stand out more than when you do not have one.

In conclusion, for those who are still in university, focus on getting the skills rather than the degree. Sure, getting good grades is nice but anyone can do that with an intense cramming session. A well-honed skill is what will separate you from the rest of the pack and the great news is that you can start now even if you do not know anything. Also, projects. Do as many projects and participate in many tech expos as you can as that will help you become proficient in your given area at a fast pace.

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