Today is September 10, 2008, one and a half almost years since I completed my university education and I feel so empty. I learnt a few things in the university which have proven useful but I can tell you for a fact that those things were not learnt in the classroom. No lecturer or tutor will teach you those things.
The first among the things I learnt is what is called network. This is the most important thing in our world today if you want to survive. Know someone. Anyone. Just know a human being. By this I mean be nice to a person. Like the person for who he or she is. There you are in a lecture room of 600 students and your only friend in that class is your notes you came to the class with. Make a friend in the class and get to know the person. Three days later, he will tell you that the book you have been searching for to complete your research work can be found at so so and so section of the main library and there is a copy in the library at Volta Hall where MR. GENTLEMAN you have never been.
Don’t be like a friend of mine back then in school who we use to call “the man without a social life”. The very first day he came to school he will be sitting in the library studying even when he doesn’t know his courses for the semester or like a lady in my linguistics class in the first year who went to get a candle to read in the reading room when the lights went off.
If you live such a life by the time you complete the university or college, you will be out of touch with the world. You might not know who your vice chancellor or principal is. Sit at the television rooms and watch a game with the guys, talk to the ladies and take a day off to watch a performance at the drama studio or something. Be a part of your institution.
You get out of school and tell you what, everywhere you go, you will find someone you know. Ask my editor in chief! I went to open a bank account a few days ago and it took me just a few minutes because someone I knew in school worked there. I had not been in a banking hall to enquire about my account information for several months because, a college at school worked at where I use to bank, so I just pick up the phone and she gives me all the information I need.
I got to a place to join a long queue which was so boring. Fortunately for me, I meet so old school friend there and we got the conversation going by the time we realized we had been served. There is a job offer somewhere and friend just calls; hey dud there is a job offer at this place give it a try and you land yourself a job.
That is the power of networking.
The other thing I learnt in the university which I did not learn in class was developing oneself. In the university you learn religion, philosophy or chemistry or political science. You don’t learn how to write a proposal or how to format a computer. Just sit with friends and you will find one doing something of that sort. Ask question and keep trying it in your room till you get good at it. That is the reality.
Most of the things we actually use at our work place and in our careers after school are things we happen to learn on our own than things we are thought in class. Thus I agree largely with the definition given for university education. i.e. providing a universal approach to solving issues. Giving students a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make your …..
I almost ended up writing the song.. a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make your body smooth by…….. I didn’t learn that in the university. But I meant a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make you capable of adopting and mastering in anyone field of the many. I didn’t learn that in the university remind me of my secondary school days when I was in the final year. Our science teacher came to give us an assignment to do in the afternoon around 2pm. The truth of the matter was that we were all bored and didn’t want to do the work. Unfortunately for her, the first question was something like
“Based on the urine test, explain why…..”
One handsome boy just got up and said but madam we have done any urine test in this class. It was true. We had not done a urine test in the class but I guess we had read about it before and even had notes on it. The teacher was pissed off but we just had a good laugh.
In the real world, your employer does not care whether or not you have done urine test and saliva test. They want results and you are employed to give results. Your either provide the result or get fired. That is the reality on the ground. I sometime call my mates in school and ask them question in Swahili about something I have forgotten in Swahili to continue with my lesson. If you do not have that friend what will you do.
The first among the things I learnt is what is called network. This is the most important thing in our world today if you want to survive. Know someone. Anyone. Just know a human being. By this I mean be nice to a person. Like the person for who he or she is. There you are in a lecture room of 600 students and your only friend in that class is your notes you came to the class with. Make a friend in the class and get to know the person. Three days later, he will tell you that the book you have been searching for to complete your research work can be found at so so and so section of the main library and there is a copy in the library at Volta Hall where MR. GENTLEMAN you have never been.
Don’t be like a friend of mine back then in school who we use to call “the man without a social life”. The very first day he came to school he will be sitting in the library studying even when he doesn’t know his courses for the semester or like a lady in my linguistics class in the first year who went to get a candle to read in the reading room when the lights went off.
If you live such a life by the time you complete the university or college, you will be out of touch with the world. You might not know who your vice chancellor or principal is. Sit at the television rooms and watch a game with the guys, talk to the ladies and take a day off to watch a performance at the drama studio or something. Be a part of your institution.
You get out of school and tell you what, everywhere you go, you will find someone you know. Ask my editor in chief! I went to open a bank account a few days ago and it took me just a few minutes because someone I knew in school worked there. I had not been in a banking hall to enquire about my account information for several months because, a college at school worked at where I use to bank, so I just pick up the phone and she gives me all the information I need.
I got to a place to join a long queue which was so boring. Fortunately for me, I meet so old school friend there and we got the conversation going by the time we realized we had been served. There is a job offer somewhere and friend just calls; hey dud there is a job offer at this place give it a try and you land yourself a job.
That is the power of networking.
The other thing I learnt in the university which I did not learn in class was developing oneself. In the university you learn religion, philosophy or chemistry or political science. You don’t learn how to write a proposal or how to format a computer. Just sit with friends and you will find one doing something of that sort. Ask question and keep trying it in your room till you get good at it. That is the reality.
Most of the things we actually use at our work place and in our careers after school are things we happen to learn on our own than things we are thought in class. Thus I agree largely with the definition given for university education. i.e. providing a universal approach to solving issues. Giving students a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make your …..
I almost ended up writing the song.. a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make your body smooth by…….. I didn’t learn that in the university. But I meant a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make you capable of adopting and mastering in anyone field of the many. I didn’t learn that in the university remind me of my secondary school days when I was in the final year. Our science teacher came to give us an assignment to do in the afternoon around 2pm. The truth of the matter was that we were all bored and didn’t want to do the work. Unfortunately for her, the first question was something like
“Based on the urine test, explain why…..”
One handsome boy just got up and said but madam we have done any urine test in this class. It was true. We had not done a urine test in the class but I guess we had read about it before and even had notes on it. The teacher was pissed off but we just had a good laugh.
In the real world, your employer does not care whether or not you have done urine test and saliva test. They want results and you are employed to give results. Your either provide the result or get fired. That is the reality on the ground. I sometime call my mates in school and ask them question in Swahili about something I have forgotten in Swahili to continue with my lesson. If you do not have that friend what will you do.
Fail to deliver and probably loose you job.
Your mingling with your colleges in school also helps you to know places and things. A girl once told me that she had to go live with her friends during the holidays so that she could learn how to cook. Her mother wouldn’t allow her to cook at home because they had servant and she wanted to know how to cook so her only option was to spend time with her best friend during vacation to know how to cook. I hope her mum doesn’t read my blog because she doesn’t know her child did that.
In school you go places, crazy places, good places, unknown places and more. It exposes you and makes you know places. I know some short cuts to use to avoid traffic in town because some duds I go to town with show me. We drive out late in Accra so that we can get to know so unknown places. I got to know Frankie’s, koala and those shops around because my roommate decided we drive out one evening to eat ice cream there.
I know a lot about students’ life and about thing concerning young people because in the university the young people live like adult and still do the thing they want to do. One a boy told to uncle to go home and take care of his children if he thinks he can give advice. Bad as it may be, it gives you an insight into how students think in the university.
For those of you who think that you can sit on the fence and not get involve, this is my piece of advice.
Don’t just pass through the university, let the university pass through you in its totality and you will come out a better person than before.
Let them tease you, and you will be able to restrain yourself and control your anger overtime. Did I forget to tell you that a friend learnt how to ride a bicycle in the university? I mean rather when we completed school through one student programme.
Do you want to know how many marriages I attended between school mates? A friend once told me, the biggest insult you can ever get is to be told you don’t have a classmate.
But it is worse when you have classmates yet you know none. Socialize and make a friend. They will worry you today and help you tomorrow. But you can choose to be without them today and it will haunt you tomorrow.
THE CHOICE IS YOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your mingling with your colleges in school also helps you to know places and things. A girl once told me that she had to go live with her friends during the holidays so that she could learn how to cook. Her mother wouldn’t allow her to cook at home because they had servant and she wanted to know how to cook so her only option was to spend time with her best friend during vacation to know how to cook. I hope her mum doesn’t read my blog because she doesn’t know her child did that.
In school you go places, crazy places, good places, unknown places and more. It exposes you and makes you know places. I know some short cuts to use to avoid traffic in town because some duds I go to town with show me. We drive out late in Accra so that we can get to know so unknown places. I got to know Frankie’s, koala and those shops around because my roommate decided we drive out one evening to eat ice cream there.
I know a lot about students’ life and about thing concerning young people because in the university the young people live like adult and still do the thing they want to do. One a boy told to uncle to go home and take care of his children if he thinks he can give advice. Bad as it may be, it gives you an insight into how students think in the university.
For those of you who think that you can sit on the fence and not get involve, this is my piece of advice.
Don’t just pass through the university, let the university pass through you in its totality and you will come out a better person than before.
Let them tease you, and you will be able to restrain yourself and control your anger overtime. Did I forget to tell you that a friend learnt how to ride a bicycle in the university? I mean rather when we completed school through one student programme.
Do you want to know how many marriages I attended between school mates? A friend once told me, the biggest insult you can ever get is to be told you don’t have a classmate.
But it is worse when you have classmates yet you know none. Socialize and make a friend. They will worry you today and help you tomorrow. But you can choose to be without them today and it will haunt you tomorrow.
THE CHOICE IS YOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 comment:
Didnt you meet your future wife in university...? ;-)
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