Qualified without qualifications

Written by Thembie Terry

I had dropped outta college last year and I was dead set on never going back to finish my degree. I had actually convinced my father #MHSRIP into coming around to my way of thinking. My winning argument was, “Daddy, you built us this life without a degree.”

Mum thinks I have too much depth. Cause I don’t believe in the degree I’m working towards. Yes, it changed my way of thinking but I don’t feel like it adequately equipped me for the line of work that I want to venture into.

I walked away with a lot of theoretical substance but not enough practical experience. Since then I have worked for magazines, NGOs and radio and none of them I can confidently say my skills were without fault. I passed courses that I cannot do in real life. ZiFM Stereo had to teach me studio stuff from scratch even though my transcript says I did well in both radio courses.

I don’t feel like degrees nowadays are an accurate depiction of intelligence or one’s mental capabilities because we are all getting them by whatever means necessary. So it’s now a measurement of who is slicker than the other. You can bribe your way through it and wear the black robe to what I believe is a funeral for genuine intellect. I have a colleague that graduated but she hasn’t a clue about things related to her degree.

This isn’t even what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to art school and study fine art. So imagine forcing things for four years and coming out without it? I’m not good with failing in school. I was always in the first class from the jump. The only thing I failed was Maths and that’s ancestral so excusez moi. Anyway, despite all my struggling I’m back in school finishing off my degree cause I need that paper regardless of how irrelevant it is but I will not attend the graduation. You took the donkey to the river, you made it drink but you can’t make it enjoy it.

Check out the rest of her hilarious blog on thembieterry.co.zw