I engaged a 300-level Computer Science undergraduate, a first-class student, in what I thought would be a sweet like honey conversation. But I was completely broken when I realized he couldn’t even design a simple PowerPoint presentation.
Everything he had learned in school so far was just theory, theory, theory, talk, talk, talk.
Now, this kind of situation isn’t new to me. I’ve encountered many students like that. But what shocked me the most wasn’t even his lack of practical skill, it was the fact that he’s looking for a company that will pay him during his six-month internship, a requirement for his degree.
Oh it's shocking, First class on paper but zero in practice.
Right there, I had to sit him down and pour out my heart, it felt like someone is about to miss the road.
I was like, how can you be expecting a monthly salary when you’re actually the one going there to learn? Abi I don't understand this thing ni ?
In fact, it should be the other way round, you should be the one paying the company for taking you in, for training you, and for pouring into your future. That kind of knowledge is not cheap, and it’s not something you should take lightly.
Honestly, I don’t think we can continue to put all the blame on our educational system. Yes, the system is outdated in many ways but let’s be real, students themselves are a major part of the problem.
Most graduates expect an employer to give them a high-paying job, and still spend money training them from scratch.
It doesn’t work like that. And that’s exactly why many graduates are unemployed.
It’s not just the absence of jobs, it’s the absence of capable people.
Let’s be sincere:
Many are half-baked.
They have surface-level knowledge but no depth, no substance, nothing you can build on.
And just like half-baked bread is bad for your health, half-baked skills are dangerous in the workplace.
