Is academic education really important? That question can trigger one of the most heated debates you can ever get into. Looking at the status quo in Zimbabwe it is apparent that the overwhelming majority of people making it are not necessarily educated. On the flip side, most of those who are struggling financially are the academically educated ones. Notice that I am saying academic educationeducation is a broad term so I had to zone in to my subject matter. Due to the things I just mentioned earlier most people have concluded that academic education is not really important. These are the dynamics I want to address in this article.

A Look At Some Thought Leaders’ Sentiments

Dr Lance Mambondiani – BancABC Managing Director

He recently said some things that are quite relevant to our subject here. One of the things he said is, “…knowledge does not exactly equate to high earnings, but what is important is what ones does with their knowledge.” I emboldened ‘exactly’ there because if you do not heed it you will miss the point totally. The other striking thing he said is, “I went to the University of Manchester and earned a PhD, but last year, an 8-year old earned US$26 million dollars (from Google AdSense and YouTube). Do you want to know how much my salary is?” Dr Mambondiani evens posits that social media personalities like Madam Boss actually earn more than prominent PhD holders in society.

Hopewell Chin’ono

He also said something interesting recently, “Zimbabweans must get over the idea that having university degrees defines you, it does not. It was colonial indoctrination! It is what you do with those degrees that matters in life not having them.” Bear in mind that Hopewell is an award-winning international journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is a Havard University Nieman Fellow, and also a Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Africa Leadership Institute.

Insights From These Two Pundits

Let us discuss some of the key highlights from these two gentlemen’s remarks. Being academically educated is no automatic passport to success. Just because you have got a list of academic endowments does not mean that you are set to succeed. What is more important is what you do with the knowledge that you have – just having the knowledge means nothing. Remember I emphasised the ‘exactly’ earlier right? That is because there are some who do become exceedingly successful (i.e. high earnings) just by being merely educated. However, that is a tiny proportion though.

There is also an interesting aspect that Dr Mambondiani touched on in his remarks. That 8 year old who made US$26 million last year through Google AdSense and YouTube. Evidently, the young boy is not academically endowed given their age. Rather what made them earn that much is the application of knowledge they have and tapping into the digital economy, he reviews toys on his YouTube channel. This is actually what so many people are missing in this day and age. There are limitless amounts of money to be made online without the need for any specialist academic knowledge.

Let us explore another angle to this:

A Look At Some Business Success Stories Borne Out Of Academics

All of you are familiar with the global tech giant, Google. In case you did not know, Google started off as a PhD research project. Today Google permeates virtually every stratum of the internet and social media. Contrary to the widespread belief that academic education is impotent this example proves otherwise. Consider also Facebook; this started off as just a college campus social network which Mark Zuckerberg then realised it could go bigger. In other words, this is yet another global business that started off in the confines of academic walls. Most of the creative innovations that most companies pride in are borne out of academic research.

This presents a strong case that is pro-academic education. We cannot downright shun academic education as unnecessary. In as much as it might not exactly equate to success, particularly in terms of income it has its role. Academic education actually empowers people with a lot of knowledge that they end up using to start or build businesses. In any case, going through the corridors of academic education primes or conditions people to think creatively and critically.

What Is The Bottom Line Then?

In Zimbabwe, there is a lot of outcry on high unemployment levels. I do not want to get into the political dynamics of that though. Rather what I want to highlight is that crying for jobs brings out the unhealthy sole dependence on one’s being academically educated. There are scores of people who even feel OK with being unemployed because they blame it on the government. They are actually euphoric because they foresee a time in the future when things will shift and they will get jobs. It takes us to that narrative where it matters what you do with the knowledge that you have rather than just having it. You see, there is nothing wrong with pursuing academic education. Quite the contrary it must be encouraged. You just have to ensure that you do not play into the trap of that employee mentality. Academically people spend so many years being primed to ultimately become employees. There is a time to be an employee, employment offers wonderful learning opportunities and is sometimes fulfilling in itself. However, for those who want more, settling into the employee mentality is not advisable.

The nation is riddled with so many challenges and the environment is not conducive as most would say. However, an entrepreneurial mind would see things differently because it is times like these when opportunities are rife. The gloomier it is the more the challenges that need addressing – problem-solving which can be monetized. So is academic education really the answer, well, it is yes or no – it depends on numerous factors. At the end of the day what matters is what you do with the knowledge you have rather than just basking in having it. Use your knowledge!