The course and the crossroads, by Folorunso Adisa

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” – Albert Einstein

For years, we have quarreled over one question that refuses to die: does one’s course of study guarantee success in life? It is a fair debate, but the answer is a slippery one. Success is a winding road, not a straight line. There is no single doorway to destiny.

Many things determine the yield of a degree, and geography is one of them. A course that blossoms in Lagos may wither in London. A discipline that brings bread in Abuja may bring nothing but passion in Atlanta. But, some fields defy borders. A skilled surgeon will not go hungry in any country. But one who studied Comparative Religious Studies may need a miracle, or a masterstroke of reinvention.

We often say, with tender consolation, that no course is useless. True, perhaps, but some are more useful than others. Opportunity does not share its gifts equally. A student of STEM has a buffet of scholarships to choose from; the philosopher, however brilliant, may find only crumbs.

The numbers tell part of the story. According to Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, over 40% of graduates remain unemployed or underemployed, many trapped in fields where demand has dried up. Degrees have become decorative when not aligned with evolving markets.

A friend once said, “If your first degree can’t feed you, it is madness to chase a second in the same course.” I laughed, but he was right. It is self-inflicted misery to dig deeper into a dry well, hoping for water.

Lately, a new trend has emerged. Many Nigerians, stranded between unemployment and despair, are enrolling for Master’s and Ph.Ds, not out of passion, but out of panic. Studying has become a refuge from idleness, when what they truly need is not another degree but another skill. To be relevant, one must evolve. To survive, one must adapt.

Of course, there are exceptions, rare souls who turn neglected courses into golden legacies. The art historian who becomes a bestselling curator. The philosopher who morphs into a tech ethicist. But look closely and you’ll see a pattern: they are either extraordinarily gifted or wise enough to fuse what they studied with what the world actually needs.

Truth be told, prosperity is not always married to one’s major. It is the educated mind, not the framed certificate, that creates wealth. Once your mind learns to think, to stretch, to solve, you can apply that power anywhere.

As Chinua Achebe once said, “The world is like a mask dancing. If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place.” The modern graduate must learn to move, to shift, to dance with the times. Diligence is a universal language. Excellence is never unemployed.

And no one who works wisely, faithfully, and with purpose can remain poor forever, for every act of diligence is a rehearsal for greatness. After all, “your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” — Nora Ephron