Welcome to "Beyond School Na Scam" - a 12-part series that will transform how you think about education and success in Nigeria. Every Tuesday for the next 3 months, we're decoding the new rules of the game.
Look, I have to tell you something that might hurt.
"School na scam!" I hear this everywhere. Your WhatsApp status, Twitter bio, that heated argument with your uncle last Christmas. Hell, I've said it myself when my experience studying at LASU proved frustrating. But I was in a conversation, and I sat next to two guys. One had a degree in Engineering from Covenant, the other dropped out of OOU to sell phone accessories at Computer Village. Guess who was complaining about money? The engineer was doing Uber weekends to supplement his ₦180k salary. The "dropout" just bought his second car. That conversation kept me awake for three nights. Here's what I realized: we're all fighting the wrong battle.
Numbers That Will Shock You
Let me hit you with facts your lecturers won't tell you:
• 600,000 graduates are produced annually in Nigeria
• Graduate unemployment jumped from 1% in 1974 to 28.8% in 2020
The system overproduces certificates but underproduces opportunities.
What Really Changed
A man could have walked into First Bank in 1987 with his HND, got interviewed on the spot, and started on Monday. His salary could rent a flat in Ikeja and buy a car. That world is dead.
The Old Rules (1970s-90s): Degree → Automatic Job → Career Growth
The New Reality (Now): Degree Alone = Expensive Toilet Paper
But here's where most people get it wrong - they think education is now useless. No. Education just changed its job description. Instead of being your ticket to success, it's now your ID card for certain opportunities.
The Strategy That Actually Works
Let me give you a few typographies
- Chike - Computer Science graduate, FUTO. Learned web development on YouTube during COVID. Now makes $2,000 monthly working remotely for US companies. His degree got him past international HR filters. His skills pay the bills.
- Adunni - Mass Comm, OAU. Started a food blog during service year. Makes ₦500k per sponsored post with 100k Instagram followers. Her degree helped with media credibility. Her content creation skills built her audience.
- Emeka - Dropped out of Engineering. Makes good money importing phones but can't get certain contracts because companies require degree-holder certificates. Going back to finish - not to learn, but for the paper.
Notice the pattern? Smart people use the Triple Strategy:
Paper (Degree)
Gets you in certain rooms (doesn't guarantee the deal)
Brain (Skills)
Actually makes you money
Network (Connections)
Accelerates everything else
Most failed graduates focused only on Paper. Most "school na scam" people focus only on Brain. Winners balance all three.
Where Degrees Still Matter
Before you burn your certificates:
- Politics: Try running for governor without a degree
- International opportunities: Visa applications, UN jobs, studying abroad
- Professional services: Law, medicine, architecture, engineering
- Family peace: Your mother won't rest until you have that certificate
Is it fair? No. Is it reality? Yes.
"A degree may not guarantee success, but in certain rooms it still speaks louder than silence. Use it as a key, not a crutch."
Your Next Moves
- If you're in school: Keep going, learn practical skills alongside, network intentionally
- If you're a fresh graduate: Use your degree to get any reasonable job, build skills, leverage your network
- If you dropped out: Stop feeling bad, build undeniable competence, consider going back if strategically necessary
The Bottom Line
"School na scam" is incomplete analysis.
Complete analysis: The rules changed, but people are still playing by old rules.
Your degree won't automatically make you successful, but throwing it away closes doors you don't know exist.
The winners use education strategically as one tool in the toolkit, not the entire toolkit.
What's Next
Episode 2 (Next Tuesday): "The Skills That Actually Pay in Nigeria"
- Exactly which skills pay ₦500k+ monthly right now
- How to develop them quickly
- Real case studies of successful transitions
Don't miss it this could change your financial trajectory completely.
What's your biggest frustration with the current education system?
Drop a comment, I read every single one.
Comments
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This is exactly what I needed to hear! The degree vs skills debate has been keeping me up at night.