Postgraduate Degrees And The Warped Mentality Of Nigerian Graduates

 Just the way many Nigerian graduates are ignorant about the difference between a university and a polytechnic, same way many are ignorant about a Master's degree and a PhD degree.

I have seen people who went to the university, but they should not have been there in the first place, because what they needed was not a university degree, but a practical knowledge in a specific field or area. Well, our society has created an unnecessary and somehow endless bias between university and polytechnic degrees. A university is supposed to be a place for research, and not just a place where people go to obtain beautifully designed certificates that carry their names. How many Nigerian

students are really concerned about carrying thorough research during their undergraduate days? VERY FEW! What majority of students do is copy and paste. I will leave this for another day. Let me analyse the central theme of this topic - postgraduate degrees in Nigeria and how many graduates erroneously see them.

To be honest, postgraduate degrees (Master and PhD) are not for everyone. They are for students who are academically sound, and who want to obtain practical skills for an industry or for academic purposes (lecturing and deep research), and for those who need to obtain specialised knowledge in a specific field or industry. This includes both course-based and research -based postgraduate degrees.

In Nigeria, you will find people who sorted and bribed their way through the system going in for postgraduate studies (especially Masters degree). The moment they are done with first degree, search for job for 2 months without success, the next thing is to apply for Master degree, without understanding the purpose of it.

If you are someone that was pressured to go to school, or you bribed your way through, and deep down, you are very aware that you do not possess the intelligence and perseverance for deep research, going for a Masters might just be a waste. That is why sometimes, you see people with Master's degree, yet are unemployable. A Master's degree is not an evidence to show why you are not working, or an escape route from coming face to face with unemployment.