Postgraduate Studies: The Myths And The Truths

My greatest passion is to provoke minds. I love to see adrenaline boil to pulp. The caption is just right; no typo inefficiency. And I mean it to bits. I have seen, read, monitored and demystified the revelations behind postgraduate studies. Sounds mundane and vexatious. Yes! That's my objective- perforating the deception of the MSc(s), Top Up Courses,etcetera.

I have met a couple of my classmates from the Nation's Premier university; the usual convention- life after National Service queries. There is always one striking answer. I'm pursuing Masters. So I inquire from them, your guess is good as mine. NO JOBS!!! Tertiary education especially the university never teaches self-dependency. Not even the Business School. The 'Marketing Lecturer' having horrendous times in marketing his own published books to his students, how well can he prepare the same students to be marketable products for the corporate world? Such irony! That being said, I am in no way downplaying the importance of education, especially in a poverty ridden continent like ours. But its glorification as a means to an end masterminds too many fallacies.

So the secrecy lies not in further studies. Further studies is only an upgrade of certificate. You are better off with a s@ harpened mindset together with an HnD than an impressive resume (MA, MBA, etc) with a weakened mindset. If your bachelor's degree has found you no job yet, it is a good time for introspection. The problem is not with your certificate. The problem is with the holder of that certificate. The certificate is a print-out of a receipt of a completion of studies. The certificate is by no means the true reflection of what a person can offer in a particular job field. However, a certificate only vindicates what truly sum up in the head of an employee

The one-week orientation exercise for undergraduate studies failed woefully. That of postgraduate will do same but this time with a deception of being sought after upon completion. You would not be any hot cake. Remember the university is a profit making machinery. You can buy into the unsubstantiated bedlams but truthly speaking, your mind is entirely responsible for its trekking path. If after this self-assessment you still think postgraduate studies will give you a haven on earth, I pray you come out of that School of Thought sooner than expected and enrol in the Reality School.

It is high time the bitter truth is preached. The way to pursue paradigm shifts has overstretched its tentacles beyond academic certification. Graduates must break ties with conventional approaches (many of which have outlived their usefulness) and charter new paths. The Ghanaian soil is still green and adaptive to change. The era of gold, cocoa and timber has shrunk off; resources are not, they become (Zimmermann,1951). Academic qualifications do not develop a nation, critical thinking does.

To all mates who have embarked on that gigantic and bold step, I wish you the best in your chosen endeavour. I pray you come out to change the trends and contribute your quota to the progress of Mother Ghana. Share and lets create the awareness.

Kofi Nti Boateng/ www.felixkwakudua.com