© Gilax Ngoya
Every year, our universities and colleges churn out many graduates with very good papers. Unfortunately, we are living in a very twisted world where those in employment are looking for papers while those with papers are looking for jobs day and night.
Many graduates who have secured jobs think the only way to reach the acme of their career is through pursuing MBAs and PhDs. There are those praying for salary increments who believe this is the way to scale majestic heights.
We must not forget that we are in a conceptual age, where mastery of design, empathy, play and seemingly soft aptitudes are the main ways for individuals and firms to stand out in a crowded market place.
MBAs are good and many are encouraged to go for them. However, many Human Resource Managements argue that people should instead venture into professional courses which entice perks and privileges. One should be smart in relation to the ilk of courses to venture into incase they want to rise through the ranks within any organization.
How many MBAs are there in the room? You need to ask yourself quality questions and then make a deliberate decision based on solid principles. This is the ambit that helps people bring in something different.
The world has moved a great deal with automation of processes. Not all employers are looking for papers. Some are looking for those who will be able to do what workers online cannot do for less money using the R-directed abilities. You can hone your skills by going for short term professional courses and at the same time sharpen your right brain aptitudes to remain relevant in that field.
This could be the reason why many students who qualified for degree courses opted for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses. They want to adapt to the new challenge by doing something that is hands-on which requires creativity; the ability to show the world what you have through the various designs of products you create.
We are competing globally for the few slots of opportunities available hence employees must double their efforts because softwares have become a forklift for the mortal mind.
We need to remind ourselves that what matters is that what is beautiful is what is useful. How one distinguishes themselves in the marketplace is what makes them beautiful and useful.
Young employees must be aware that every employer is out to maximize returns with the least input. This implies that they might hire diploma or degree holders with professional papers instead of hiring those with very high qualifications.
Companies are looking for those with symphonic abilities; people who can multi-task and weld together the unrelated parts to make a beautiful useful product.
Elon Musk, a co-founder of PayPal, Tesla, and Space X said that his companies hire someone in spite of having an MBA.
Intuit co-founder Scott Cook echoed his sentiments adding that they have to retrain even those with MBAs because the knowledge they have won’t help them succeed at innovation.
There is some truth in their prepositions. They lead their teams and have first-hand experiences with employees who give their statements credibility and authenticity. After this pandemic, there will be a lot of changes in the business world and the smart shall innovate and survive in a disrupted market.
The writer is a mentor to teens and youth. You can reach him on glaxngoya0@gmail.com
