CREATIVITY CLAUSE By Muyiwa Afolabi Education is a critical aspect of consideration for any government interested in safeguarding the future of her nationhood. All nations around the world devout huge budget to education and its development, every responsible parent will of course prioritise the education of the children and would always be top burner in family budgeting. Many parents suffer so much, sacrifice so much and endure hardship just to make sure their children are educated. Why is this the case, I’ve pondered on several times in recent past? Especially in a country like Nigeria where unemployment is on the rise and the relevance of many courses is low due to under development or non-existence of key sectors where practice can be carried out. Many graduates in Nigeria today are in careers and fields of practice that have no relationship whatsoever with their certifications or qualifications.q Very often young graduates approach me in search of employment and I ask where they’ll like to work and they tell me anywhere. Though this response often irritates me, in reality, many graduates have study courses with no adequate provision or opportunity for employment. Despite the growing trend in unemployment, more and more parents and young people are still in desperate pursuit of education. In my submission, I think many have actually missed the ultimate purpose of getting an education. Many of us were told we should go to school, do well in studies, get good grades so that we can get well-paying jobs and be comfortable. In fact there are so many songs about success in education making you rich, successful and comfortable. Hence over and over again, generation after generation, we all invest so much in education, primarily to access well-paying jobs and careers that will bring comfort and good living. This mind-set unfortunately is one of the major banes on opportunities for employment particularly in Nigeria. Every fresh graduate wants to be employed, majority of employees don’t want to resign after very many years in paid employment because they think career is the same as paid employment and business is the same as self-employment. Many do not really know that career is actually your life work, your purpose, the solution you want to bring, the value you want to contribute to any or many aspect of human existence weather in paid employment or self-employment. Many believe paid employment equals income security and self-employment is risky and too stressful. Many continue to see education as a visa, a licence, the key to securing a well-paying job that would translate to a life of comfort. Unfortunately, in any nation where this is a wide spread orientation, there is bound to be crisis in economic growth and development, GDP and employment opportunities. May I submit this morning that education is not purposed for you to actually get a job and live a good life. Education in essence is actually knowledge acquisition in any field of study, mastery in this field of study and most importantly creativity and improving this field or area of study. I believe a truly successful career person is not he that has made money or gathered wealth from a field of practice, I’m convinced a truly successful career champion is one who has improved on the already existing quality of knowledge and practice in that field. Putting it straight, for example as a medical doctor, what area of your medical speciality have you discovered something new, different and better? Where is the cure for HIV/AIDs, where is the cure for cancer, where is the cure for sickle cell anaemia? Is it about money, salary increases, your own hospital and all that? If that’s your ambition, you’re regular, you’re common, and you’re just another statistic or index in the list of medical practitioners. You’re not special you’re definitely not a career champion. As a lawyer, accountant, engineer, architect, management consultant, lecturer, police officer, producer, marketer, sales expert, yes you have mastery of the practice, that’s why you have a certificate, but that is not the ultimate purpose of your certificate. The real deal is in adding value to what others came up with and you studied. What do you have, what have you created, what have you contributed that is worthy of inclusion for study in your field of practice. Creativity is the ultimate purpose of education so that you can understand and build on what predecessors built. My dear friends we are too distracted about income and money so much so that we have totally diminished our true essence and potential. We have become subjects to money, controlled, driven and mastered by the power of money – we do not know ourselves anymore. We don’t even know our strengths and capabilities anymore. Can I say this again, when you are outstanding by developing or creating something everybody wants, money will start chasing you, everyone will want to offer you money for that rare useful stuff you carry. When you are outstanding you will stand out. If you really know who you are and the essence and purpose of your career you wouldn’t keep going on strike because you want more money. The quality of your creativity and ability will attract buyers from all over the world if you’re really that good and relevant at what you’re about career speaking. Hmmmm! The desire to be creative and to improve your field of practice will create in you a student mind-set at work and not a salary earner mind-set. When your main motive for employment is money, you hardly can be interested in learning anything at your place of work. What happens in other teams and departments and the overall workings of the organisation won’t be your business. You’ll only focus on your job description, job objectives, and performance. You won’t want to learn. But if you’re interested in improving your practice be it insurance, nursing or tourism, you’ll be interested in knowing everything about it so as to discover ways and opportunities for improvement and creativity. You can’t improve anything you lack knowledge of. In Nigeria today we have a major challenge on our hands in the area of unemployment. As technology in the areas of information, cyber world, digital landscape and all that continue to advance; where a simple device today can carry out the job of about 25 people 20 years ago, employers will need less and less people and would buy more and more technology. If over 70% of our population is the youth and everyone wants the security that comes from paid employment; not wanting to continue their career in self-employment by starting their companies when due, more and more people will of course be out of work as the government; the public sector and multinationals alone cannot employ all these millions of youth. The economic strength of leading nations all over the world lies with the private sector; citizens, starting, building and managing multi-billion dollar businesses. Creativity is the purpose and essence of your education and qualification. Don’t just be takers from employers all your life, try becoming a giver too by becoming an employer in your own field when the time is right. The confidence to start and manage your own practice comes from knowledge and experience. If you’re all about money at your current employment, you’ll scarcely learn anything. If you don’t know, you can’t start your own. Change that attitude; change that mind-set be willing to learn, not just a taker. Be creative; bring on something new, useful and different, chose to stand out in your field. Enjoy your day.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 05:20:57 +0000