We live in a “certificate-centric” society where the
quest for certificate had been overvalued and overhyped than what you can do
with your hand, brain and emotional intelligence. I once heard Leke Alder’s
story who after collecting his certificate at University of Ife, now Obafemi
Awolowo University said “vanity upon vanity all is vanity”. Not because he had
low grade in Law but because he could not connect his future with what he has
studied in the school. Today, he is a
brand consultant per excellence.
I once invited a friend to an
event, after attending the event she candidly appreciated me for the new things
she learnt at the program. She later called me in the night to ask if certificate
of attendance will still be given to participants after the event. I did not
know what to say but I could understand her phobia because of what she had been
programmed to believe that certificate sells more than education.
Perhaps you don’t know, the
moment you get your certificate from school, that is the moment the certificate
expires. I’ve heard of people who could not get jobs after their graduation
from school went back to school again to acquire certificates in different Diploma
and Master programs but the most pathetic thing is that their life has not had
additional value as they thought the certificate will did.
Education is good but certificate
is just an attendance paper giving to you for attending an institution as it is
not the best yardstick to measure your productivity and efficiency in life. I
have seen people who had best of first class certificates from Ivy League schools
that are finding it difficult to survive.
I am not advocating for bad
result from school and I’m not saying that certificate is not important but we
should never see certificates as the panacea to having great success in life.
Often in life, we are so pompous
in the gravity and “sophisticateness”
of our certificates that make us to miss the reasons for existence in life. I
pay keen attention to most of those guys when they are describing their so
called certificates “I have my
certificate” “I am a Master degree holder, why is he wasting my time” “He
cannot be treating me like that, I have First Class” The silence question
that ponder in my heart is that if you have first class, then let your first
class certificates put food in your belly, let it put money in your pocket,
take your certificate to Shoprite to purchase anything then.
I am not saying you should tear
your certificate into dust bin, if you do so you are on a very “looooong” thing but you must live your life
not in the confinement of your certificate. There is noting spectacular in certificate;
it is just an ink on paper. It can never be quantified with the great values and
resources that are still untapped and available in you.
Never think much or brag in your
certificates as it will never take you ahead in life. And never think acquiring
more certificates will give you fulfillment in life. I have done good jobs for
people which I get good pay not because of an ink that was imprinted on a paper
that they called certificate. I have gotten referral from people not because of
my certificate but because of my commitment to be focused and be relevant in my
calling of journalism.
Thank you.
Seye Joseph
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