Skill or Degree, Which One Should Come First? -

This article explains the importance of skill acquisition as a complement to degree and other academic qualifications.

This topic is debatable, no doubt about it, but let’s start with an illustration:

Israel is a 24-year-old graduate of Mass Communication from one of the Federal Institutions. After five months of job-hunting to no avail apart from a ridiculous teaching job that offered N30,000 per month, he enrolled as an apprentice at a fashion design outlet.

His boss, Funmi, is an 18-year-old lady, who just wrote the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and is awaiting admission. Findings showed that Funmi started learning fashion designing when she was in JSS 2. And set up her fashion design shop when she was in SS 2.

Skill vs degree defined

A skill is a special ability that is learned in a certain job on how to execute certain tasks in a more refined and professional way.

I’m not talking about general skills such as time management or teamwork in this context, but domain-specific skills such as operating a sewing machine, operating a borehole machine, skill to repair a computer or laptop etc.

On the other hand, a bachelor’s degree is evidence that you’ve studied and passed a subject of your choice at an accredited academic institution. You must successfully complete a course of study in a higher institution before you can be awarded a degree.

You don’t need a degree to acquire a skill. Also, a skill is not needed to acquire a degree.

While getting a bachelor’s degree will enhance your access to job opportunities, expose you to new ideas, a skill will expand your earning potential.

A degree in Nigeria

In Nigeria’s educational system where most of the courses at the higher institution are theoretical, most degree holders have to enroll in a real practical outlet or with a professional to get the required practical skill in their area of specialization.

A survey in 2023 by GetBundi, an online education technology outfit, reveals that 85% of Nigerian graduates are unemployable because they lack digital skill.

I’ve heard a story of an undergraduate mechanical engineering student who claimed that the vehicle they used for practical purposes was a 1970 model of Mercedes Benz. You’d begin to wonder how such a graduate would be able to repair minor mechanical faults of G-Class SUV, Mercedes-Benz GLA, and Mercedes-Benz GLS, and other latest models of Benz.

In most cases, the so-called road-side mechanics Benz specialist, who has no degree, would teach a degree holder in Mechanical Engineering from a Nigerian institution the ins and outs of Benz.

Verdict

Just like the illustration in the opening paragraph, Israel was a graduate without a skill that could sustain him. Funmi on the other hand already had a skill that could make her an employer of labour even while in school. That’s the beauty of a skill.

If you have the opportunity, try to get a skill before writing your SSCE and UTME examinations, which will pointed out in our earlier article.

A skill will always place you above your colleague who has only a degree without a skill. In most cases, a skill will make you self-sufficient.

A skill, if adequately explored, will turn you to an employer of labour instead of job-hunting or depending on white-collar jobs for survival. This is why a skill should come before a degree in a country such as Nigeria.

Dorcas Opeyemi

Dorcas has over five years of experience writing about scholarships, undergraduate studies, and education financing. She provides valuable insights and tips to help students navigate the complexities of funding their education. Her writings have featured on InfomediaNG

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