The Qualifications Disparity (Lite Version)

Qualifications and Work (Real World)

I hesitated to publish this monologue since it may appear anti-education. However, I would say it is more purpose-based education rather than "education because I don't know what to do with my life". In the absence of a grooming culture in the workplace, going to school for the sake of climbing the ladder may be detrimental if one is not promoted or is inexperienced; of course, the rules are not written in stone but bendable. This is not an argument against education. I will never (Lol, never say never) argue against education, especially learning. I'm a proponent of learning; even if you are not at school, at least be a rigorous learner. Formal Schooling is only for providing a structured learning approach and a certificate at the end of the program. While on this, undergraduate degrees are very important as a kickstarter.

The disparity of qualification in the work environment is about how those who may be less qualified than you get promoted and even appear to be doing much better. Again, in the long term, you might win, but tomorrow is not guaranteed. The knowledge we acquire must have immediate or medium-term application. This is learning not for the sake of learning but to make a difference and to learn to never forget. 

School smart is different from real-world smart. SA blacks need to start being real-world smart too. South Africa is a racist society (Mteto noted this), where sometimes intelligence (Grey matter) is trumped by skin colour (Figment of the skin). I'm not saying everything in SA can be explained with CRT. But the racial and ethnic divide of the past still exists as ideas in our heads that we transmit from one generation to the next. Let's face it, or at least what I have seen since I started working, our corporate organisational structures are qualifications bottom-heavy and top-lite. Who's the manager? Who's at the top? Does S(he) has 2 Masters degrees like the oke that reports to him? It's hard not to invoke CRT. The only time I was less academically qualified than my manager was for 2.5 years of my working years. Over the years, I have noticed that one of the main causes of workplace qualifications disparities is that managers don't care. Their job is to deliver on certain items that are non-strategic. Also, a big one is that managers don't know their subordinates, not to mention key capabilities, skills and personalities.

I may be wrong, but I think I know why 80% of the South African population is not controlling their economy. The economy is governed by the apartheid guys. Obtaining qualifications for inclusion into the economy is a dead-end strategy for Black South Africans (Forget Big Daddy). The rules will always change as long as Black South Africans don't control the economy and create rules (Also, forget the fighters, they are actually fighting against economic freedom). I think we got Mandela wrong when he said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." We are using it for inclusion into the economy, not to control it and bring change. If one does not control the economy, one cannot change anything; ask Dr Martin Luther King. Black South Africans must stop creating rules of diversity and inclusion and start making rules of owning the economy.

I think for Black South Africans to start thriving (the good kind), we need to bring back the ideology of "Black Consciousness". Without it, Black South Africans will never be free nor become entrepreneurial in the real JSE economy. Kasi economy is a BS. The sooner we stop talking about it and promoting it, the better. What's the difference between a township economy and a Shrek economy. Let's be real. The BBEEE share schemes should be brought to an end. Black South Africans must buy real shares/shocks from the real market. Otherwise, we will always preach diversity and inclusion. On the topic of qualifications disparity, we need real-world experience obtained through taking real action in the real world to advance, not the "I don't know what to do with my life qualifications". This is the reason why other pigments don't need qualifications. If we continue on the path of diversity and inclusion, I'm afraid we will get to a point where we have a big group of qualified people with continuously falling productivity and a low-growth economy (in GDP). It's funny how South Africas GDP is growing with unemployment, qualifications, corruption, and violence. 

All the bad government policies (Created with good intentions), self-doubt (Lack of Consciousness), CRT (Apartheid legacy), and other obstacle should not prevent any South African from self-actualising. Let's thrive and unite to build a better countrybased on justice which need to be served peacefully before Kalashnikovs start talking.

In summary, the knowledge we obtain through purposeful education must be used to create real products and services. That is, it must be applied to the real world by taking real action,even if failure is on the horizon (Importance of Failure Data).