You have a degree. They have a skill. They are employed. You are searching. The Nigerian job market has changed, and the certificate is no longer king. The certificate was supposed to guarantee entry. First class, second class, any class — the paper was the passport. But the market now asks for proof. Can you code? Can you design? Can you sell? Can you build? The certificate says you learned. The portfolio says you can. And the shame! The graduate who cannot find work. The family who invested in education. The village who expected returns. The certificate becomes a weight, not a wing. The person with the skill — learned on YouTube, practiced in freelancing — flies past. But the certificate is not useless. It opens doors that skills alone cannot. The corporate job that requires "any degree." The visa application that needs proof of education. The respect that society grants titles. The challenge is having both. The paper and the proof. The theory and the practice. The shift is generational. Parents still worship certificates. Children are learning skills. The gap between generations is also a gap between eras. Bridging it requires patience on both sides. Do you think skills have overtaken certificates in Nigeria? And what's your own balance between paper and practice?
