LET ME DISRUPT YOUR ACADEMICS FOR JUST 10 MINUTES

When our fathers graduated from school, the degrees and masters or doctorates they got, was pretty much enough for them to go through the rest of life with.

It is not so today. I hope what am about to say secures someone's future.

In today's world, information has become readily available; how to apply it has become readily assessible too, but beyond that - creativity and innovation has become a daily way of life and the effect is this - on a daily basis, information you think you had is becoming obsolete and knowhow (how to apply it) you thought you understood is becoming archaic so fast. So, as I say to tertiary students, when I give talks - if you graduate Today, chances are that before you probably get a proper job in a year's time - everything you have learnt is likely to be 40% obsolete. If you remain unemployed for 2 years - you are likely to be entering the job market "full" but "empty"....

You see, if you add that to the fact that lately, almost everybody has a 1st Degree, a Masters, professional qualification and even a Doctorate, then you begin to see where Academic education is headed. So - what do you have that the world should really recognize you for?

Ladies and Gentlemen - today's currencies of competitive advantage are these - Technological Savviness and Creativity. Today, your value - whether to yourself, the community, employers, country and the world at large is either that:

(i) You know or thoroughly understand the use of technology in solving local or global problems or

(ii) You can THINK creatively to find solutions to current problems or problems that are yet to exist.

Is it the end of Education? No! But it is the end to Education as an End in itself and an era where Education is only a means to an end. You are either a solution (an end) or a problem (a means) - nothing in-between. It brings to fore the need to ask this question of every "education" you are receiving - is this education readying me to solve real problems? If the answer is "No" sorry, that education is not giving you any added value. It is merely depleting your brain cells.

So, in order to be relevant (i) understand that you will need to educate yourself beyond the classroom. Luckily the internet and prestigious university websites are a fantastic resource to source knowledge of many kinds (ii) Read very very very WIDE. Becoming creative requires that you are able to be insightful in many areas of knowledge and also be able to pull together different pieces of knowledge for solutions. (iii) Learn a Technology Skill. Don't sit back and say, I am an accounting or law student/professional and that's not my field. You are limiting your own abilities and by that your potentials. (iv) Go out there and try your hands at solving real life problems - it doesn't matter how little. (v) Travel. Every new place you go to is an unprecedentes addition to the windowa and viewpoints through which you relate to life and its challenges.

Obviously this is not an exhaustive write-up but I trust it inspires a few out there to make their lives relevant and significant perhaps!

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