I’m one of those people who, as much as I understand the stereotypes & lifestyle we hear about different tribes, try not to let that guide my personal judgement of people. Turns out not everyone is of that same mindset.
So one of the nights I was bored, I decided to follow my cousin out to say hello to a mutual friend. On getting there I was introduced to this man, a person of importance I must add. While my cousin discussed with him, he goes ahead to ask me what course I studied in the university, when I mention Theatre and media studies…he looks at my cousin and says…”I thought you said she is smart, what is a smart person doing with such an inferior course? I thought she would have studied Sciences, or Maths or something to be smart”
My first reaction wasn’t anger, it was disappointment. This is not the first time I was hearing it, so I pressed for more details. Besides everyone is entitled to their opinion but I wanted a reason as to why theatre arts is so “inferior”. Now this person of importance couldn’t give me an intelligent answer and all I saw and received was ignorant laughter.
Then I remembered the days we argued amongst friends in school that looked down at their colleagues who were in History, or English or Religious Studies, even Sociology and discuss about who deserves more respect and whatnot. The lawyers especially and some of the medical departments always felt superior above others, while I won’t argue the importance of some of these courses, I refer to what is now and not what was.
Today, what you studied in school can influence more than your career choice. I remember hearing the story of a lady who got engaged to her man, but his family wouldn’t allow them go through the marriage because her course of study was “ not befitting” to them. The man’s mother asked why he should spoil the prestige of the family who had lawyers and doctors and bring in someone who studied fine art. Since when do your courses define you? Some of the lawyers, as respected as they are, remain some of the lousiest people ever, same with some of the medical people and some of them are clueless at their jobs. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against these professions, but when growing up back in the day, if you don’t say you want to be a lawyer or a doctor or even an engineer, you haven’t made a good decision.
I sit in public and hear people say,
“he studied Psychology, how is he supposed to provide for me”
“Ahh she studied French, na bank she go end naa with that kind course. If I want to learn French, I will go to a summer school not spend four years in university studying it”
Really?
Our personalities might work in hand with our degrees, but does that define you in all entities, NO!!
Parents choosing courses for their children to study in the university, disapproving when it doesn’t go the right way, keeping them home to keep re-taking JAMB, refusing to pay fees when the child rebels; what happened to supporting your child? Are you going to live their lives or practice a profession that you don’t enjoy? We have a problematic system, a system that claims self expression and self choice, yet give you options and ultimatums behind closed doors.
Oh well, I should stop ranting, all I can say, as much as our degrees influence where our careers lead us, it doesn’t define a personality or the intelligence of a person.
Let’s learn to drop the stereotypical opinions or ideology at our doors when stepping into public, knowledge is vast, knowledge is healthy and it never ends.
