Author: ZaibaaHoosen

A few years ago, I interviewed a youngster for a junior admin position. I noticed on his CV that he had a BCom degree from a decent university, and that he had qualified two years previously. I asked him what he had been doing in the two years since graduating, and his answer shocked me. He was working as a cleaner at a mall. I didn’t have to ask him why he found himself in that predicament. I knew the answer. He was one of tens of thousands of university graduates who are unable to find employment because they simply lack marketable skills. Sometimes I feel like I’m not from this planet because I don’t understand human beings. Maybe I’m an alien. Maybe I’m a machine. Maybe I’m some being that came from a planet that’s completely different from human beings. Maybe planet Vulcan, where Spock comes from. And I’ll tell you why. Because the notion of going to university is so universally accepted by people that if a kid says to his parents that ‘I’m not going to go to university,’ they become terrified. And it gives them sleepless nights, and they worry that this child has gone off his head and he’s not going to succeed in life, he’s not going to make it, etcetera, etcetera. Every parent knows that fear, but I don’t see it like that. And that’s the difference with me. I see university nowadays as a place where you go and get locked in for three or four years, studying information that is outdated by ten years, only to come out on the other end without any real prospects. Let me give you an example of what I means. Let’s say there is a person who wants to become a software developer. She opts to go to university full time to study towards a degree in computer science. Sounds good in theory. In practice, however, this is a big mistake. With the pace at which technology is advancing, can you imagine how outdated you will be in four years? You don’t need to be a tech expert to understand breakneck pace at which technology is advancing. Every two or three months, something new is coming out. Every couple of months, something new, some new crazy wild innovation, is coming out and disrupting everything and changing our world. And this poor kid is going to go for four years like she’s in prison for four years, boxed in, and she is going to come out on the other end with theoretical knowledge that was written in books ten years ago. So she’ll be essentially at least 10 years outdated in the best-case scenario. Why do people accept this situation and not look at the reality of what really is going on in the world? That the world is changing all the time. That businesses are changing all the time. And they need people who are constantly growing and adapting with the changing trends. But person who goes to university and locks herself in for that period of time is going to come out without those abilities, without that change mindset, without that ability to change with the times because they themselves lack the knowledge. So how are they going to enable the business to change? That is why I maintain that going to university for four years is like locking yourself up in prison for four years. Here is my proposed alternative: do not go to university. Rather, take the shortest possible pathway to getting a job. Do a short course, or a series of short courses, anything from three months to a year in duration, to get the skills you need to land that first job. Once you’ve settled into the job, continue studying further, part time. Don’t stop there. Keep learning. Work towards a degree if you are so inclined. Why is this a far better approach? Because with this approach you are not locking yourself up for four years while you get a worthless degree. Instead, you are working full time, getting experience, building up a resume and keeping up with the trends. In such a case, your knowledge base is growing, but your experience is growing. After four years, you will be in a position where you have the knowledge and the qualification, but you also have four years of working experience under your belt. Impressive. And that is the new career pathway. By using the above method in conjunction with the 6 skills I cover in this book, you will be placing your career on the runway, ready to take off and soar. Previous Chapter | Table of Contents