In year 2025 it is totally understandable why these kind of questions come up about having a degree and if it is still worth it, everyday digital skills, traditional skills and self paced learning platforms seems to rise and sidestep formal education entirely, entrepreneurial success stories is fully all over the internet while degrees worth hundreds of thousands and millions are being kept forgotten under in our rooms under our beds.
But despite all of this a degree still holds considerable value, for me personally it depends on the kind of degree you want to get, many students write the national school leaving certificate examination only with the aim of going to the university but without critically thinking about the exact kind of degree that they want to own in the future whether it holds value or not.
A degree is more than just a paper, a person can aquire good skills today but without that piece of paper some companies that willing to pay millions might not work with that person, a degree brings about critical thinking like I mentioned earlier, and personal development. Formal education teaches so many things like time management and analytical thinking that remains valueable all over. While anyone can go online and learn at their own pace and be very good at what they learnt but not everyone has that motivation, consistency and roadmap structure, a university provides that structure.
Using myself as example, I’ve gone online so many times to learn some skills but trust me proscatination as take over— I have the zeal to learn but not the motivation and consistency, but If I had paid money to a university to be in a class to learn then why not, I would definitely be present all the way to learn and aquire my degree just so my money doesn’t go to the dust and again I need the learning environment that supports focus and engagements.
Although most job recruiters are more interested than in what you can do and what you offer rather than the certificate you hold, this is mostly applied in tech companies where bootcamps and portfolio mostly out weigh a degree of four years—yet formal education plays a very strong foundational role.
Personally I have applied within the past week, I have applied something I learned during my university education, with a degree in microbiology I have been working on contents related to health, hygiene and wellness both online and offline my knowledge of bacteria, viruses and infection control helped me to create reliable materials. It reminded me that my education was not just about exams, grades or having a valid piece of paper but it was built based on knowledge that I now use creative, non-traditional ways.
However, while degrees are very valuable, there’s no doubt that the school system needs to evolve, the current model in many developing countries like mine (Nigeria) are outdated. Most universities are still teaching students for exams and not for life. Real world skills like digital proficiency, entrepreneurship, mentorship programs, internships should be integrated in the school curriculum.