Whenever students are seeking admission and they seem to be rushing towards a specific school compared to others, it makes you wonder what exactly is the cause of it. You might even think is some sort of rumor but every rumor has its own source. Every school has its own unique qualities, a fact that becomes known to many after it is too late to make a better choice.
A school is never just a school, each and every academic institution has spent years building their reputation, from their capabilities to impact knowledge and the structure created to ensure there is no room for malpractice. These things might just seem like in-house policy, but it is not. It becomes a known fact after a graduate use his/her certificate to seek employment, they you would see how these employers filter people based on the school they attended.
That is if you are lucky to know, they take one look at your certificate and they already have everything they need to know about the quality of education you have acquired. Every employer also have experience with these institutions and they have gathered enough knowledge, to know which institution has the capability to produce highly qualified students.
For a student, it might seem unfair and you might start thinking, didn't we learn the same thing in school, after all, I attended lectures like they did. The truth is, you are right but the fact that you didn't attend a specific group of institution that qualifies you as good as you believe yourself to be, it automatically disqualifies you.
What about the certificate they offer? There is this strange perspective most employer have about polytechnic students. Only became fully aware of it after I graduated. When i was doing my internship at Lagos traffic radio, I was just a national diploma student but i knew what I was capable of. Compared to people that attended universities and their certificate is already considered as a proof of what they are capable of.
For me, I had to consistently proof how good I was, before I was given the duty and respect I deserved. The funny part is, the practical knowledge known by most polytechnic students, supercede what was learnt by students from universities but I still don't know why most employer still choose to be blind to this. A lot of my friends had to consider direct entry and cross into university. After spending 2 years in polytechnic to acquire national diploma.
I had the opportunity but I didn't, I decided to acquire my higher national diploma. As if the stigma I once experienced wasn't bad enough, the HND version was worst. The fact that HND is written on your certificate, not BSE, already place you in a difficult spot. A lot of my friends had to undergo a one year program called conversion, just to obtain BSE. I also considered it but eventually I didn't.
Not because I didn't want to and still might but it was because I just wasn't interested in hunting for a job with my certificate. I already had different side hustles. I decided to fully dive into entrepreneurship, and do things my own way. If I could go back in time and change the school I attended, would I? I think I would. I'm grateful for the knowledge acquired and I attended one of the most prestigious polytechnic in Nigeria but as long as what it offers is HND, is till doesn't change anything.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled The school you go to in hive learners community.
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