Reality not Racism

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Jobido

Racism does exist. But at the same time, most of what is reported as racism is over-rated. Maybe over-rated is not the right word. It is definitely one-sided. Here in the UK at least, this one-sidedness has gone off on a tangent. It is now the norm. Every now and then, our media airwaves blow up because someone said or did something “racist”. When I say racist, I mean something considered offensive or derogatory by members of a particular race. It is mostly a colour-based remark, misconception or prejudicial comment. But there lies the problem. Prejudice can be negative as well as positive. We only hear of instances where it is considered to be negative. What of the instances where it is positive? In a philosophical sense, be it positive or negative, it is still wrong because it is still prejudice – judgment based on assumptions, misconceptions and preconceived ideas rather than facts. So being suspected of a crime or being stopped and searched by the police is just as offensive as being invited to play basket ball by a bunch of strangers. I have been stopped and searched by the police simply because I am black and also, I have been invited to a basket ball game by a group of random white strangers again simply because I am black. The funny thing here was that I was offended by one incident but not by the other. It was after reviewing many incidents of so-called “racism” – incidents of prejudice based on my skin colour – that I realized the one-sidedness in most of the incidents. Also, I saw the futility in taking offence to most of them. I have since revised my views on racism because all humans are instinctively judgmental – it is part of our built-in defense mechanism. All human beings at some point will jump to some kind of conclusion based on the cover of a book rather than its full contents. We will always make assumptions, run away with misconceptions and preconceived ideas rather than arrive at conclusion based on all the facts. Very rarely in everyday life are we in possession of all the facts in any given situation, yet most situations demand we make quick judgments and take action. The wrong judgment or action can prove costly so the average human being will always be unwilling to give every situation the benefit of the doubt. We all play safe most of the time and it will be [at best] stupid not to play safe most of the time but sadly, it is in most cases of playing safe that we stand most likely to be seen as racists by most people. Ironically, all those that are quick to call a behaviour “racist” will do exactly the same [or worse] in a similar situation. Besides, there is normally not enough time to look for or consider all the facts. It is my sincere hope that people – especially those who find themselves at the receiving end of such “racism” – will follow suit and see that most of what is seen as racism is nothing but everyday harsh reality and not some offensive and deliberate display of prejudice, ignorance or lack of enlightenment. I will try to explain exactly what I mean below. However, I still maintain that racism does exist and it should be fought by all means. The first step I believe in the fight to eliminate racism is to properly define what constitutes racism in the first place.

To illustrate, take for instance the case of a firm hiring a new employee. This is a true story. The vacancy arose following the dismissal of an ex-employee found guilty of financial fraud. The position vacant was that of a credit controller and a Nigerian used to occupy the post. Amongst those that applied for the position was another Nigerian. This Nigerian applicant knew nothing of the circumstances that led to the vacancy he applied for so had no reason not to feel optimistic. He was a graduate, well spoken, confident, pro-active, well groomed and his experience in the field was amply sufficient for the role. His interviewer was white and female by the way. He came across during the interview as amply competent and nothing suggested otherwise. He didn’t need prompting, was on point at all times and the interviewer was impressed. Everything went swimmingly well till he was asked of his interests. His was an Arsenal supporter. Little did he know that the ex-employee was an Arsenal supporter also. It was then that alarm bells rang in the interviewer’s head. Unfortunately, she interviewed the ex-employee also two years ago and at his interview they talked about his passion for Arsenal. The applicant was unaware of concerns going on in the interviewer’s head. She delved deeper into his love for Arsenal and he went into details that were worryingly similar to that of the ex-employee. All through the interview, the fact that he was Nigerian did not cross the interviewers mind till he mentioned his love for Arsenal FC. It was then and only then that the similarities between the two began to pile up. Both Nigerians, both very well spoken, both pro-active, both very clever, both very confident, similar builds and a passion for Arsenal. In fact it was the ex-employees confidence and cleverness that led to him being able to carry out that fraud and cover it up for so long. After the interview he was thanked for attending and was told he will be informed of the outcome in due course. Unfortunate as it was, the fact that he was unsuccessful was not racist. It was a simple case of human judgment at its very best. This is a typical example of an incident that will be seen as racist. It will be claimed here – to make the case – that the fact that the ex-employee was Nigerian and indulged in an act of fraud does not mean the next Nigerian will do the same. Easy for any Nigerian to say but not so easy when one puts oneself in the shoes of the interviewer. What would you have done? What if it happened again how would she look? I am not defending her decision on this – far from it. I am just trying to show that the decision is as simple as it looks. However you view this incident, you will find enough reasons to support your position but I have chosen to see this particular incident as one of those things in life and not as racist. It is not a case of human beings not being perfect but life itself not being perfect. Those seeking perfection in life will find disappointment almost all the way. Fortunately, not all credit controller positions become vacant because some fraudulent Nigerian had been sacked for getting up to no good. With perseverance, the Nigerian credit control job-seeker will get another interview. Now let us look at another incident.

A black guy with an English name is house-hunting and has seen a desirable property and arranged an initial viewing. The property is a four bedroom semi detached house in a very posh area. He arranged it over the phone and there was nothing to suggest from his voice or his accent that he is black. Three white guys share this house and are looking for an extra lodger to reduce the living costs. They are all employed graduates but are not from London. They only moved to London for work and all work for the same firm. The black guy on the other hand is similarly a graduate, employed – but with the same firm. He was born and bred in London and has lived in London all his life. His is impressed with the property and is happy with the terms and conditions. After the viewing, he is told that he will be notified of their decision in a couple of days as they have arranged to see two other possibilities. Mind you, two other “possibles” have viewed the property already and have expressed willingness to take the room also. They are all graduates too and white. Not many black people live in the area and a week prior to the viewing, a white female was mugged by two black youths further down the road from the house. Without giving away anything yet, I trust you have guessed already. Well, he was not successful and again, I do not view this as racism.

Above, I gave two typical examples of so-called racism. Both of which I do not see as racism but as everyday harsh reality. Well, that is my point – Reality and not Racism. The most impartial and unbiased amongst us is guilty of racism of this kind. Sometimes, we just have to take a position, make a decision, take a side or say yes or no. No matter who looses out or suffers as a result – so be it. That is life. It will always happen and that is why I will not go on worrying about incidents of this kind. First, just like Nigerian job seeker, you don’t expect to get every job you apply for. Second, the three guys living in the property all work together so there is a level of trust between them which they cannot generate easily with strangers. Third, as was the case with the Nigerian job-seeker, I did not provide information about the other candidates involved. And I did not provide this information simply because I do not know. I only gave the information I was privy to. It could well be the case that the Nigerian job-seeker was out done by the white applicant who ended up with the job or that a white friend needed a room at last minute and as he was a friend they gave him the room instead of giving it out to a complete stranger – no matter how good he/she came across. My point here is that I do not all the facts but you can see how it might look to many who be quick to judge. And finally, if you are reading this and you are black, what would you really do if you were white? Let him have the room simply because he is black and you don’t want to appear racist? Or give the Nigerian the job as it would look painfully obvious it you didn’t? As I said, reality and not racism.

Racism to me is very different. Racism happens – in my opinion – when we are in possession of all the facts and still act against it deliberately. Take for instance the case of a black guy working as a member of a team where he is the most experienced and competent member of the team. Then the team leader or line manger role becomes vacant. All team members express interest in the role and are interviewed accordingly. In the end the role goes to a mediocre white member of the team. I am making this up but I have seen something similar happen. In fact, not only was the black guy aware of what happened and why but even the guy that ended up with the job was aware also. To me that is real racism and I know many will agree with me that incidents of this kind are far much painful than the odd rejection by a complete stranger. The difference here is fact that the decision was made with knowledge of all the facts. In the other incidents I illustrated above, the decisions were made on “maybes”. They will never know how good the Nigerian credit controller would have been or if he would have similarly indulged in financial fraud unless he was given the job in the first place. The flat mates would never know if the black guy would have turned out to be a good flat mate unless he was given the flat in the first place – another maybe. The team scenario was something else. They knew fully well the potential of all members of the team before the interview.

Now as I pointed out at the beginning, racism is one-sided. All the examples I gave here have been white against black racism – racism where black people were at the receiving end. Let me point out – it goes both ways. All human being display racist behaviour – that is another point I am making here. I just used the examples I did because “I is black”!! if we all dig deep, we will pull out loads of instances. However, racism still exists – white on black, black on white and even black on black. I will never be able to balance this equation even if I tried. This is just an attempt at pointing out that most of what we perceive is Reality – not Racism.

Tagged , , , | Comments Off

How To Study – Part 1

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Jobido

Studying should be a positive and lively experience. It should be something we all should look forward and be addicted to. All alone in a quiet room or library learning something you never knew before. All alone in your own world trying to solve that mathematical equation that you know you are very close to solving but not quite there yet. In fact, it should be a physically euphoric experience.  Unfortunately, due to the way we have been taught to study, the way we were taught in the classroom, the conditions under which study at home or at school, our emotional or mental state as we study and finally also partly due to our very nature as human beings – studying is not always a positive and happy experience. In most cases it is a difficult and boring chore. The challenge here is for us to find a way round studying even though sometimes it can be difficult and boring.

 If you are not already a high-achieving student, chances are that you do not find studying a happy and positive experience. As a result, you are either not studying hard enough or are not studying properly. For those involved in the business of education, this is not an easy problem to solve. If it were, all students from all schools and all backgrounds will be getting top marks. But as with all difficult problems, some theory almost always emerges that reduces the whole problem of academic under-achievement to some acceptable norm. Once this theory is well established, it is no longer looked upon as a problem but as an acceptable law of nature. In other words, academic under-performance is no longer seen as a problem but as a norm. Unfortunately, this is how the problem of academic under-achievement is viewed in our society today. Even when programs are set up to tackle this problem, they are always mostly cosmetic PR exercises with no genuine intention or will. The so-called solutions are meant to fool people into thinking something is being done about it. Unfortunately, nothing can be done and nothing will ever be done about it. Academic under-performance will always be a problem. As long as the top universities produce top graduates, academic under-performance especially in inner cities will never be a serious priority.

The natural acceptable law in the case of academic under-performance is the idea that some students are just naturally more intelligent or academically more gifted than others. There is a lot of statistics that seems to support this view but upon closer examination, it is misleading. It is misleading because it ignores other factors that affect academic performance. It is the single most destructive idea the average student can believe in. By comparing the free-time habits of the high-achieving students with those of the low-achieving students, it will be noticed that the high-achieving students spend more time studying than the low-achieving students. This is main reason for the difference in academic achievement. Other factors contribute to academic performance but to a lesser extent. Environment in which one lives plays a huge role. Having a room to oneself at home is always more conducive to studies than having to share with others. The institution one attends has an impact on academic performance. The caliber and quality of fellow students in a school affects academic performance as well. A student whose parents can afford private tuition stands a better chance than a student whose parents cannot afford private tuition. A student with formally educated parents has a better chance at succeeding academically as he or she is likely to receive more help and support from parents with studies at home than a student whose parents are not formally educated. A student with a parent or an older sibling who has done the same subjects as he/she is currently doing stands a better chance than a student who has no one who did the same subjects at home. All these contribute to academic performance in students rather than some inert or inborn ability. Obviously no single institution can deal with all factors affecting academic performance no matter how hard they try. That is why the students themselves have to take it upon themselves to take the necessary action to improve their academic performance.       

Studying is a serious activity. In fact it is a physical activity. Approach to study has to be both pro-active and physical. You use just as much brain power to concentrate as you use to perform a physical activity. The brain has to be active and engaged for you to learn anything. Your brain has to be awake for you to assimilate information. In other words, you need to be conscious. The more conscious you are the easier it will be for you to assimilate information. The less conscious you are, the more difficult it will be for you to assimilate information. Just as you need to be conscious to ride a bicycle or play football you need to be just as conscious to study. If you are drunk, your ability to drive or perform any physical activity is impaired, likewise studying. If you are tired, you would not be able to study properly. Many people do not realize this and therefore assume studying is a passive activity. They study in bed assuming it does not affect how much they can take in. They study with the television on in the background or with music playing in the back ground not knowing it affects their concentration. They study while logged on to Facebook or Twitter or Youtube assuming it does not affect their study. Some people study without making notes and wonder why they do not retain certain facts. Before any form of serious study, the student has to be prepared mentally and physically for the task otherwise the slightest distraction will disrupt concentration. Some people do not prepare physically and mentally before settling down to study and realize after spending hours and hours studying that they didn’t really learn much. It is bad practices like these that reinforce destructive misconceptions about academic ability that some are people are naturally more gifted than others. In part 2 of this article are a few tips that if any student adheres to – no matter how good or bad they are at studying at present – will improve academic performance drastically. 

Comments Off

Beware of the Super-Graduates!!

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Jobido

The global recession which hit in September 2008 continues to bite. It is affecting all sectors in all sorts of ways but come 2012 academic year, higher education will be hit harder than most. By then it will cost the average student £9,000 a year to go to University in theUK. By 2015 -16, upon graduation the average student will be £40,000 – £50,000 in debt. Now, that is a lot of money even for the reasonably employed to pay back. The fact that the recent graduate will be lumbered with such debt even before they start a new independent life away from home is very worrying. That is on top of having for the first time to make allowances for rent/mortgage, pension/savings and other necessary living expenses that come with newly found independence. As I said – very worrying.

As worrying as it may seem, I have stressed in the past that increasing tuition fees will not reduce the number of students still wishing to go to university in this country. It certainly does not reduce the number of students flocking in from the EU and it definitely will not reduce the number of students from outside the EU. Conventional wisdom has it that it is still better to be a graduate – even if you end up an unemployed or in a dead-end job. Besides forUK and EU citizens, there are loans available to the less well-off students to cover these costs. Also you only are asked to pay back the loans when you are suitably employed so crippling debt upon graduation is not as prohibitive as it might seem. In fact considering what is happening in Greece, Italy and the rest of Europe, it makes more sense for well off and ambitious students from any of these countries to wish to study in the UK. As citizens of EU member states, they are not subject to travel restrictions or conditions and they are eligible to whatever grant or loan available to British students. On top of it all, they are free to live and work in theUK afterwards. As for students from outside the EU, tuition fees – no matter how high – can never reduce the number of willing applicants. The rest of the world is a big place compared to theUK and there will always be those rich enough to payUK tuition fees. In America, where university tuition fees are much higher than in the UK, there has been a year on year increase in applications from foreign students since the end of world war 2. The only thing that will reduce the influx of foreign students to our universities is by setting quotas and not raising fees.

There lies the problem – more graduates with even more debt but no corresponding increase in available graduate jobs. We are still in a very severe recession after all so if anything job opportunities are decreasing not increasing. So what hope do all these new graduates have? To be honest – not a lot. No government, no politician, no institution of higher learning will ever come out and admit to this fact. Like most things in society, as long as no one says anything publicly, the masses will be fooled. That is how we ended up in this financial mess in the first place. Those in the know knew that the crisis was bound to happen but kept the rest of us in the dark till it happened. Some even bet against the markets and made colossal private gains while public loses were huge. Openly admitting such will be disastrous. It will send out the wrong message to students. But what many people do not realise is that it is happening already. One in five recent graduates is unemployed and a higher number are stuck in undesirable jobs. Ultimately, the onus lies with the students themselves to sort themselves out of this mess.

This should be a serious worry for the average student but not for the average employer. The average employer has never had it so good. Back in the day, graduates from certain universities and with certain degrees only applied to top firms and city jobs. These days due to the weak job market, recent graduates are diversifying their job search. For every graduate job advertised, there are about 70 applications. Employers can afford to pick and choose as they are now truly spoilt for choice. As I was thinking about the plight of recent graduates, I came up with the idea of the Super-Graduate. A Super-Graduate is simply a recession-proof graduate, a market-proof graduate, a graduate that will secure employment despite market conditions. It is what I will push for my kids to be. I thought I was the only one to think about it till I stumbled across this article by accident. Not only was I surprised to read about the Super-Graduates, the fact that companies are springing up all over to help produce Super-Graduates sent a cold chill down my spine. The Ivy League universities produce something similar to super graduates already but when Ivy league graduates start to feel they need an edge to stand out then my fear is that they will be going down the super graduate route.

The so-called Super Graduate usually has more than one degree. One or all degrees with honours and in one of the traditional subjects – Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Economics, Philosophy, Classics, Political Science, History, Law, Finance, or Computer Science. One or all degrees from a top global university. They usually are fluent in more than one European language, have an internship already from a top firm and almost certainly comes from a rich and educated family. They are normally academically above average, confident in their abilities; feel they are God’s gift, demand huge starting salaries and almost always end up doing an MBA as well.

These are the type of graduates the average graduate will have to compete with for the top jobs. As the market is shrinking, competition will be cut-throat. My question is why would a top employer go for an inner-city graduate if a super graduate exists? I predict the idea of the Oxbridge Graduates will give way for the Super Graduates and aspire to be one or forever beware of the Super Graduates.

Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Failures of Education

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Jobido

In the UK today, Education has failed. As it is currently practised, education fails more people than it helps. Annually, many graduates are deceived into believing a dream job awaits upon graduation. Many are deluded into thinking they posses the qualities highly sought for in the ideal graduate. Many are ignorant of the fact that they are doomed simply because they attended a non Ivy-league university. The fact that there exist some sub-standard universities and that those sub-standard universities are allowed to produce sub-standard graduates is tantamount to a crime. That is the failure of education of which I am referring to. However, education in itself is not a complete failure. It still serves its limited purpose. It provides top businesses, top government and private institutions with suitable fresh graduate recruits. It provides the economy with fresh graduate workers. Understandably, as long as the best universities produce the best graduates for the best jobs, it is taken as a given that education is serving its rightful purpose. But that is only half of what a proper and effective education should do. The main aim of education is to enlighten, to inspire, to educate – to a set standard, regardless of institution. And employment should be a by-product of education, not the main product.

Today, the aim of education is simply to lead one to employment. This is not just wrong but wasteful. It is wasteful because there will never be 100% graduate employment or 0% graduate unemployment. As it is prescribed, education turns the average student into nothing more than a professional job seeker. At any given time, there are far too many graduates for the economy to absorb. As a consequence, the business of education is reduced to a heartless, wasteful, competitive, win-loose, sum-zero, elitist business. Those with the means to get the best education get the best jobs and opportunities. The rest – which are a majority – loose out. Not only do they loose out on the jobs but they also loose their education. A graduate has no validation without suitable employment. This is another failure of education.

This failure comes from the format in which education is delivered today. Education should be a two-way traffic. First, education has to enlighten, inspire, educate – to a set standard regardless of institution. Second, education should only be provided to those who want to be enlightened, those who want to be educated. In other words, only those who deserve it should be educated. This is very controversial but education cannot be delivered in any other format if it is to be proper and effective. Education cannot be delivered in any other format if the independence of the standard is to be maintained. To be worthy of education, one has to be able to demonstrate education-worthiness beyond all doubt. Anything less than an ample and appropriate demonstration of ones desire, eligibility to be educated to the highest standards should be rejected. Anything less than a comfortable demonstration of one’s academic abilities prior to entrance into a university and through out the duration of ones course should be rejected. Sub-standard graduates end up devaluing the institutions that produces them. As a consequence, education can never be for all. A medical doctor without the minimum grades and right disease-diagnosing instincts of a medical doctor is more of a menace rather than a messiah to society. An engineer without the right objective and analytical mind ends up a danger to his profession and mankind. In order to ensure those with the right attributes and capabilities go on to qualify as graduates, proper periodical testing should be the norm. This view that education should be for all is the greatest threat to proper and effective education. All intentions to open education, especially University education up to all, has always been political. What is the benefit to society of a graduate who cannot speak, write or think like a graduate? Such egalitarian practices inevitably lead to wastage and devaluation in standards of education. It also leads to the emergence of elitist universities where standards are maintained and selection processes a nightmare. If standards were maintained everywhere, there will be no room for elitism. The sub-standard students end up paying a higher price in the end.

Education is about attaining a certain academic standard. That standard has to been defended, protected, maintained and monitored for education to justify its worth. Education has to be difficult. Education has to be demanding. That is the first part. The second part is that the students themselves have to submit to this standard. Students must want to attain this high standard themselves. No institution, teacher, library or lecturer can bring a student to this standard without the will of the students themselves. The defining difference should come from the individual student. That is why there always has to be some sort of vigorous standards testing in the form of regular examinations to monitor standards.

In the final analysis, a university education should be able to guarantee a certain standard in a graduate regardless of university attended. The fact that some universities are obviously head and shoulders better than others defeats the object of setting up a university as an institution of higher learning in the first place. Why should a PhD from say South Bank University be viewed any differently from a PhD from Oxford? A levels in this country are far better in this respect as an “A” grade say in mathematics from any College is still an “A” grade regardless of the College from which it is obtained.

Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Crisis in Education

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Jobido

Ever since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a crisis in Higher Education was just round the corner. The recent student demonstrations against the increase in university tuition fees in London and other cities across the UK in November and December of 2010 were just the beginnings of that crisis. On the 19th of January 2011, college students demonstrated again in front of the houses of parliament in Westminster against the scrapping of Education Maintenance Allowance. Further demonstrations against tuition fees increases and the scrapping of EMA have been arranged for later this month and March of this year. With both the government and students determined not to yield, brace yourselves for a thorny ride. It will get much worse before it gets better. It has already dawned on clever students that demonstrating from here to Herefordshire will not change a thing. We are in a recession, the current higher education funding is unsustainable and national debt is staggering. The government had to do something. This is the time for students – just like the rest of us – to rise to the huge challenges that lie ahead. I can see something similar to the 80’s poll tax riots on the way. It is hard not to be convinced of the impending crisis in education if you have been following the build-up and are equipped with good judgement.

On the 15th of September 2008, Lehman Brothers – one of the world’s biggest investment banks – filed for Bankruptcy. Apparently they [Lehman Brothers] made a lot of losses in the sub-prime mortgage market. That brought about the end of a global financial powerhouse that had been in business for over 150 years. For an investment bank so large to collapse so spectacularly highlighted for many the severity of the 2008 credit crisis. Severe credit crisis inevitably lead to economic recessions and governments react to economic recessions by making fiscal and monetary policy adjustments. In the UK, in response to the global recession and the huge national dept, the last labour government in its final Pre-Budget Report on the 9th of December 2010 made some fiscal policy adjustments. VAT was increased from 17.5% to 20% which took effect in January 2011 and National Insurance Contributions were increased by a further 0.5% to take effect in April 2011. In November 2009 they [the last labour administration] also commissioned The Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance to make recommendations on the future of fees policy and financial support in Higher Education for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The key recommendation of the report – headed by Lord Brown and published on the 12th of October 2010 – was that for education in this country to remain competitive and sustainable, the current £3,000 cap on university tuition fees be removed and individual universities should have the freedom to charge tuition as they saw fit. It is believed that universities will charge anything between £6,000 and £9,000 per year as from 2012. The report also recommended that repayment of any student loans after graduation only begin upon graduates earning salaries of over £21,000 a year – an increase from the current £15,000. On June the 22nd 2010, George Osborne – in his first budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer under the new coalition government – announced further fiscal adjustments. He announced a series of government spending cuts. The sectors affected by these cuts included Education, Health Care, Defence and Local Government. For Education it meant the reduction of the number of spaces available on certain courses and/or discontinuation of certain unpopular/unpractical courses all together at some institutions. Also it meant that as from January 2011, new college students no longer got the weekly EMA – Education Maintenance Allowance – which was between £10 and £30 per week.

The implications of all these cuts for the average student are huge. It will bring about changes in higher education of which many students are still not prepared for. That is the other part of the crisis. The demonstrations are just the beginnings. The economic boom times are definitely well and truly over. From 1997 to 2006, with the exception of the dot com bubble bursting in late 2000 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 – which slowed down the economy briefly – the UK economy was in a continuous and steady boom. According to New Labour, “Things could only get better”. More and more money was poured into higher education; more and more students were attending university. By 2007, there were already too many unemployed graduates. Unemployed not because of a recession but because there simply were too many graduates for even the boom-time economy to absorb. By 2008, things changed. A global credit crisis hit. A global recession followed. Fiscal and Monetary policies were adjusted. Public spending cuts were announced. Inevitable public sector redundancies lie ahead. The higher education tuition fees cap was removed and universities are set to charge as they see fit. Come 2012, tuition fees will be between £6,000 and £9,000. Student debt upon graduation will rise from its current average of £20,000 to £30,000 in 2009-2010 to a new average of £30,000 to £50,000 as from 2013 onwards. And there is more. College and University student numbers have been increasing yearly since 1997. University student numbers might dip come 2012 but that is not likely to be that significant as loans will be made available to cover tuition fees. Despite the severe recession and higher tuition fees, more and more school leavers are still opting to go to university – most probably because of it. Everybody seeks the good life and all students have been made to believe a university degree is the answer. The European Union is now a 27 member-state entity that offers citizens the freedom to travel, work, study and settle anywhere within the union. London is still a top international city, English is still the global language and the UK is doing better than many EU states like Greece, Spain and Ireland. These facts make the UK very attractive and draws many students to the UK especially London. In addition to EU students, there are Non-EU students as well. Many end up working and living in the UK after graduation. It is within this challenging framework that the average student is supposed to do his/her A levels, obtains good enough grades, obtain a place at University, graduate, seek and secure an ideal graduate job – stress free. That is the crisis.

If competition for university places were as bad as the reports told us in 2009-2010, competition for graduate jobs were even worse. As bad as it was then, it will be even worse 2011. With the private and public sectors both downsizing, with huge numbers of graduates chasing few jobs, with the country going through the worst economic recession since the great depression, with the cost of living rising year on year, with college students no longer entitled to EMA, with university tuition fees set to increase to £9,000 per annum come 2012, with average student debt set to climb to between £30,000 and £50,000 upon graduation, with graduate unemployment at an all-time high, with morale amongst fresh graduates at an all-time low the average student should think long and hard before deciding to go to university.

In fact the decision to go to university should now be a decision to fully commit to the expensive investment in education. It is a decision to fully commit to the hard work needed to make a return on that expensive investment in education. It is a decision that the education will and must pay off in the end. It is a decision to make oneself employable despite severe competition. When I went to university, it was assumed there will be a job afterwards. Today, to get a job, you must either be lucky or exceptionally good. Those hoping on luck need not apply. In other words, it is no longer an insurance policy, but an assurance policy. That simply is and should now become the basic requirement for those willing to attend university. There is no point attending university to see what will happen or wish a suitable job will materialize. It is way too expensive to wish for a good return. It has to be the absolute driving and burning ambition. It is either a student is willing to completely commit or not bother at all.

In a very weird sense, this crisis is good. As with every crisis, it can be an opportunity to make any system better. For sometime now, there has been concern about the quality of education in this country. There has been concern that A Levels and GCSEs are dropping in standards. I totally agree. Comparing examination papers – say Pure Mathematics – of the years 1977 and 2007 will reveal this fact even to the blind. Graduate employers have been saying this for years. This crisis should be an opportunity for reform. Higher education standards should be seriously looked into and education needs to be incentivized either via scholarships or otherwise both to motivate excellence and ensure the best get the financial support they rightly deserve. Instead of a flat system of grants and loans, universities especially in inner cities should stimulate ambition and achievement by offering scholarships to the best performing students.

In the final analysis, this crisis will hit students hard. No amount of student protests will prevent the government cuts or the increase in tuition fees. Upon graduation, the average student will amass a mountain of debt and the struggle for employment will ensue. These times present real challenges for the average student. The onus lies wholly and ultimately with the student to demonstrate his or her fitness to succeed despite the crisis.

Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Sweet Dambisa Moyo

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Jobido

Tagged , , | Comments Off

This Facebook Craze

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Jobido

I joined Facebook in 2007. Back then, Myspace was the more popular social network but for some reason I didn’t like it. Most likely it had to do with the lay out. I found it very confusing and all over the place. Besides, it was full of X factor and Britain’s Got Talent types vying for attention. I can’t sing and I don’t have any singing ambitions so Myspace was definitely not for me. Round about the same time, Bebo was another popular social network. It was very popular with teenagers and college students. As I was not a teenager or a college student – Bebo was also not for me. Then I heard of Facebook. At first I thought it was yet another teenage social network. I browsed the website and liked the simplicity of navigation. What I found particularly interesting was the story behind Facebook.

Mark Zuckerberg – the Founder and CEO of Facebook – was only 19 when he started Facebook as a first year student in 2004 at Harvard with his roommates Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris R. Hughes. He apparently got the idea from the Harvard Student Register. This register was simply a student directory with every student’s name, a portrait photo, course of study and year of study. What Mark and his friends did was to make an electronic version. At the time they didn’t know that they were creating what would be the biggest company of the information age. To them it was just a bit of fun. As it was electronic, it made easier and better viewing than a big book with boring pictures. Students need not go to the student office to check out the register, all they needed was access to the internet which most had in their rooms. Every student could update their pictures at will as opposed to having people see a probably unflattering picture of you. Not only that, but students could add hobbies, friends, etc – the rest is history. That was the genius of Facebook. It became so popular that other Ivy League students browsed the Facebook as well. Soon Mark and his friends opened up the network to students of Stanford, Yale and Columbia Universities, all Ivy League schools, Boston University, New York University and MIT. It was then opened up to all high schools, colleges and Universities in America and In September 2006, the network was opened to any individual who had an email address and was over the age of 13. Currently it has 500million users. The mother of all databases. In fact so successful has Facebook become that it the story has been made into a Hollywood movie – The Social Network starring Justin Timberlake!!

Who would have thought a petit project amongst nerdy friends will turn into the beast that it is today. In June 2004, the co-founder of PayPal – Peter Thiel – paid $500,000.00 for a 7% stake in Facebook. Those were very early days because by October 2007, the software giant Microsoft paid $240m for a measly 1.6% stake in the same company. That places the monetary value of the company as at 2007 at £15bn. In 2010 that value has climbed to $33bn, not bad for a teenage start-up for kicks.

Even though I liked Facebook when I stumbled across it in 2007, I was still sceptical about joining. It was not as popular as it is now back then amongst my friends. With no friends to interact with what was the point of joining? With that problem I decided to make virtual friends. As it was so easy to make friends even though I knew nothing about them, I decided to use a pseudonym instead of my real name. Slowly but gradually, everybody else around me joined. Now almost everybody I know is on it that I have set the security settings to hide from certain people. Before no one I knew was on it, now almost all are on it – an indication of how big a beast Facebook has become. Obviously, now I feel no shame with being on Facebook and it is a good time to ditch the pseudonym but unfortunately, it has taken a life of its own that I have decided to keep it.

Now I am addicted to Facebook. The first thing one asks upon meeting another is whether they are on Facebook. Forgetting to take ones number or e-mail address or business card is no longer a big deal. Once you have a name and are on Facebook you can be found. When I do find someone on Facebook, the first thing I do is go straight to their personal info. I check out the Basic info, their relationship status, the one line bio and favourite quotes. That tells me more about them that they will ever be able to tell me themselves. I then look at Education and Work just to check if I should get excited about them or not. After that I go to their photos. There I see what they really get up to. Some people reveal absolutely every thing on Facebook – personal details and photos. I am very selective about what I dump on Facebook. As I do not know most of my friends on Facebook, I restrict what I reveal even though I love snooping through others photos and details. Sometimes I come across personal details that leave me wondering if security means anything to some people. A girl had her home and work address, date of birth, e-mail address and landline telephone number on her Facebook page – Jesus Christ. She is not naïve but outright stupid. The fun of Facebook. Imagine what the identity scammers will be thinking of Facebook. Sooner or later some will learn lessons that they will never forget simply because they were not very careful on Facebook.

I fully understand why a grown man like me with many responsibilities is hooked on something as juvenile as Facebook. Apart from snooping on other people, what keeps me absolutely hooked on it is the interactivity. First must be the notifications. There is nothing more addictive to me than checking who has responded to my status update or wrote anything on my wall or even sent me an e-mail or made a comment on any of my photos. Those three little icons on the top left corner next to the Facebook sign, I always check them. Whenever little red numbers appear next to them, I must suspend whatever I am doing and click on them. I have terminated serious phone calls, burnt food, burnt toast, left baths running, and left the front door open just to click on those red numbers. Mark Zukerberg struck gold by making Facebook very interactive. I have never recalled ever being on line without peeping at my Facebook account – even at work!! When no red little numbers appear, the next best thing is to check friend’s status updates via the news feed. That way I get to see who is saying what and what interesting links have been posted. That is also just as addictive. I managed to see the Audley Harrison vs. David Haye fight because someone posted the link on Facebook minutes after the fight. I would not have seen it so soon otherwise. I would have checked it later on Youtube but thanks to Facebook I didn’t need to. Also it was on pay per view on Sky but free on Facebook. My point is you never know what you will find on Facebook. I have since seen so many links – weird, funny, informative, useful, silly and even disgusting. All the joys of Facebook. But Facebook has a really dark side. And that dark side comes via privacy. Mark Zukerberg himself once said that in the new digital age that “Privacy is dead”!! He was spot on there. No other place has this been true as in RELATIONSHIPS!!

You must have heard about one or two relationships that have been ruined by Facebook. Whenever I read things like that, I laugh. I laugh because it has not yet happened to me. I used to think people are so stupid and petty to let Facebook ruin their relationship but not anymore. It can happen to all of us. I have even read of extreme cases where people have been killed by jealous spouses for something as little as changing their relationship status from “married” or “in a relationship” to “single”. In this piece I am not going to go into those extreme cases as Facebook cannot be blamed for them. Those are just cases of unstable individuals that would have been triggered by any other stimulus. In this piece I will stick to [and make fun of] those everyday emotions stirred and fired up by our membership of Facebook and those of which we can blame no one else but ourselves for our mishaps.

A friend of mine is under pressure from his new girlfriend to change his status from “single” to “in a relationship”. Basically the issue here is when do you change your status from single to in a relationship when you start seeing someone. We all want to wait a bit and see how it goes before we openly declare that we are actually in a relationship but as we all live out our lives on Facebook, the whole world is watching. I practically go everywhere these days with my Nikon D60 Digital SLR camera. Increasingly, people are getting sensitive and demanding “No Facebook Please”! The prevailing assumption is that I will upload them to Facebook. Understandably the dodgier the place the more requests I get to either delete the pictures or to send the pictures to private e-mail addresses and not to post them on Facebook. It is either that more and more people have things to hide about their everyday lives or that Facebook is making more safe and private aspects of our lives public. I think the latter. Another thing I find interesting is tagging. How many times have you viewed your page and seen that someone has tagged you in a picture taken at some event you have no recollection of or you rather they didn’t. Many a friend has had to explain to other halves about such pictures. Yet another grey area is friends of the opposite sex. How many friends of the opposite sex and ex partners are on your list of friends on your Facebook account? Do you have to explain to the other half new male friends or female friends? Have split up with someone recently and you have mutual friends with whom you are all still friends with? How convenient is that split if you can still see everything they get up to? Do you check to see if your ex has moved on while you still want to kill them for dumping you? Each time you log on do you not check their pages, check out their latest friends to see if they have new female friends [or male friends – as the case may] especially ones as hot or even hotter than you. Or since you have split up, do you not check to see if they are now getting closer to that fit girl or guy you never really trusted around your girl or man but didn’t want to seem insecure and said nothing as a result? Believe you me; Facebook has turned sad people into even sadder people. Back in the day, you finish with someone you get to know very little about them but thanks to Facebook you can have a daily update. As sad as what you read might seem to you wait till it happens to you. A friend told me that she was told off because she took pictures with strange men on a girl’s night out that her best friend uploaded to Facebook. We are all linked by this super social network and more horror stories will be revealed in time. How many times have you split with someone and had to remove from your photos, pictures of the “good old days”? When the going was good, did you ever think the good times will ever come to an end? Not only did it come to an end but the fact that it is all being played out chapter and verse on Facebook makes it even harder to forget. Or what about this guy who demanded that his girl remove all pictures of her ex from her Facebook photos. Or what about those who do their sweet nothings on line. Post sweet loving messages on each others walls. Is it really love and affection or is it signals to others to keep off. What about a guy who was using his girlfriend’s computer to check his Facebook account but forgot to log out and she checked his messages and saw messages from exs and other females. Or what about the guy who is on his girlfriend’s page constantly and questions everyone that post nice things on her wall.

I can go on and on but these are the joys of Facebook. We are all living in this umbrella, more like a pressure cooker with so many close relationships. Naturally, sooner or later, the volcano erupts and funny thing about Facebook is that we [friends] get a bird’s eye view.

As I said, this is not a phase in our lives it is a craze – The Facebook craze.

Tagged , , | Comments Off

A Message to young and ambitious students.

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Jobido

In the UK, the education system was designed to produce well trained, capable and intelligent individuals to take up all the key jobs. In other words – the best people for the best jobs. Today, that is still the intention but the playing field has changed significantly. In those days, only 5% of school leavers went to university. Students didn’t have to pay tuition fees, there was no EU [not as it is today] and there were not enough graduates to go round. That was then. Today [2010] the percentage of school leavers that go to university stands at between 35 and 40, and according to statistics, this figure increases every year. Today we have a 27 member-state European Union that offers citizens the freedom to travel, work and study anywhere within the union. Many are choosing the UK especially London. In addition to EU students, UK attracts hundreds of non-EU citizens as international students some of whom settle in the UK after studies. Today we are going through the worst economic recession since the great depression of the 1930s. This is a massive change from the conditions under which our education system was designed.  This has a huge impact on higher education funding and the graduate job market. There are simply too many graduates chasing after very few jobs.

With the huge number of graduates seeking the very few available jobs, with student tuition fees on the increase year after year, with the average student graduating with a £20,000 – £30,000 mountain of debt, with the average university course taking 3 – 4 years to complete, with graduate unemployment at record levels, with the country going through one of the worst recessions in history; the serious question now should be if going to university is still a good investment for the average student.

The answer to that question is yes and no. No because only those willing to make the huge commitment should be encouraged to go to university. Yes because if done properly, a good education is a ticket to riches beyond imagination no matter the cost.

Higher education in this country is highly overdue for revision. The current system is not sustainable. University education is simply not for everybody. A more effective method of selection is needed to reflect current times. A more ruthless system is needed to cut down on quantity and maintain quality. Quality has suffered under the current system at the expense of quantity. Former polytechnics were all given university status for the wrong reasons. Higher Education has to be elitist. The current system mass-produces graduates. Polytechnics should be brought back so that universities can concentrate on specific areas and research. Grants-for-all has to be changed to scholarships for the few. That way, only those good enough get to go to university as should be the case.

I always advice my students to aim for nothing but first class honours. The decision to go to university today by the average student should be a decision to graduate with flying colours. It should be either that or nothing. It should be a decision to go from average to above-average. Nothing else is good enough. Not only will the average graduate today need good grades to survive these cut-throat competitive times, the average student needs good long-term job securing strategy. Investment in career management is also advised.

Posted in 1 | Tagged , , | Comments Off

I LUST FOR GOD

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Jobido

I lust for GOD like I lust for a sexy woman. Just one difference.  If I switch on the charm, I might be lucky – with the woman and forever cherish the wicked memory. As for GOD, I know he does not exist and I simply lust for him to prove a point. If he really does exist as all the religious people say he does and with all those powers – then even I would be a fool not to believe in him. But as he doesn’t, sometimes [just sometimes] I wish he did.

 

One of my most interesting early memories was when I was made to believe there was a GOD. Before then, my father was GOD. No other person had more power in my small world. That all changed as I grew up. I actually believed there was some man up there watching over our every move.  It was like that for a while till I realised bad people were getting away murder [figuratively]. I even saw more bad people get away with murder in the name of God. I knew then [in my late teens] that something was not right but did not have neither the guts to voice my concerns nor the words to articulate my position.

 

When I started looking at history I realised that as far back as one is prepared to go, the strong always trampled on the weak – just like in the school play grounds where the stronger kids always picked on the weaker kids. It matters little who is right or wrong. The only thing that mattered was who was stronger. So much for a fair God observing us from somewhere.The funny thing is that despite all this, we all still believe in God. I agree with Richard Hawkins – the famous Atheist – who says that God was defined into existence and that the whole concept of GOD is more of a fantasy than reality. We all attribute good things to God and bad things to the devil. If that were the case then the devil is just as powerful. On second thoughts – more powerful even. Why are we all amazed when someone actually does something nice? How many people follow their moral code to the letter? Why is it always more difficult to do good and to be good? Why does crime always pay? It took America and the allied forces to stop Hitler. It took Bush to topple Saddam. The Nigerian dictator – General Sani Abacha – died in office June 8th 1998. When he died, everyone was happy. Had he not died, he would have ruled till God knows when. My point is that shit happens, yet we all believe in an all-powerful, all-loving God. What all-powerful? What all-loving? I bet even Hitler, Sadam, Stalin thanked the same God when they made it to the top. It is not as if they walked into the post, they worked hard for it. Just as hard as Obama. Just as hard as JFK. If God helped Obama, just as much, he helped Hitler, Stalin, Sadam and even Mugabe.  It is funny how believers decide what constitutes God’s work and what doesn’t. Selective reasoning if you ask me.

 

I don’t see the need to complicate things by listening to Christians [or other religious people] who never seemed able to prove from first principles the authenticity of their religion or of God. I am yet to meet a Christian that has been able to explain the holy trinity. Christians, like all other religious people never want to accept that their religion is nothing but a set of beliefs. All peoples have a set of beliefs. Just like every people have their own unique language, attire, food, tradition etc so too do they have a set of beliefs. These set of beliefs explains [or tries to explain] their relationship with their creator and in their own words. This is what constitutes culture. Certain people’s beliefs have been replaced by other people’s beliefs just like languages and attire and certain traditions. In certain regions of Africa, the main belief there now is Christianity. What annoys me is that the traditional beliefs are looked upon as primitive. Isn’t Christianity just as primitive? It amazed me when a Christian friend of mine said that African traditionalists were idol worshippers. I asked what the crucifix was and he went silent. I have seen people bow in front of huge crucifixes in churches or statures of either Jesus or the Virgin Mary without question. Is that not an idol? In fact Christianity is sexist, racist and outdated. I am yet to see a Christian who believes in the gospel to the letter. If that is the case, do you approve of homosexuality? Most Christians I know are quite liberal in their views about homosexuality but still see the African traditional religion as primitive and Christianity as authentic. As I always remind my Christian friends, despite your modern and liberal views the bible does not approve of homosexuality. To point out what is primitive or backward about a belief without seeing the primitivism of Christianity is both prejudicial and stupid if you ask me. The spread of Christianity in Africa in particular had nothing to do with the good work of God but brutal and selfish force of man. Memories are short but Christianity spread with slavery and colonisation. What a way to spread the word of God! So much for all loving!! Need I say more? Back in the day all over Africa, when you convert to Christianity you adopt an English or Hebrew name and got rid of your original name. I am yet to see a more effective system of devaluation of a people. Stephen Jay Gould brought to our attention Scientific Racism. Early Christian practices in Africa were nothing but Religious Racism – racism in the name of God. I know a Christian will soon tell me that these are acts of men and not acts of God. Exactly my point!! Including the bible – there is nothing remotely Godly about it.      

 

 

Another thing is when religious people tell me to have faith. Why should I have faith in something I do not believe in? All through my adult life, I only have faith in things that make sense to me. If faith was all it took to believe, then I might as well have faith in a pig. Maybe one day [if I have enough faith] the pig will reveal to me how it is GOD. At least that is what I have been told to do by many Christians.  Just the other day, a woman handed me a leaflet. On it was the saying, “Children of Israel – Repent!” I stupidly told her that I was not from Israel.  She said that as long as I was a Christian that I was from Israel.  I told her that I was not a Christian. She told me that I should be. I asked why? And as she wanted to explain, I made my excuse and left. Why should I spend time with a woman only interested in children of Israel? That brings me to my other point – what is this obsession with Israel? I am from Enugwu Agidi – a little village in the eastern part of Nigeria. I don’t see this village mentioned in the bible whereas almost every town in Israel is mentioned in the bible from Nazareth to Bethlehem! Christianity and the Bible is meant for children of Israel. That is the problem.  That leaflet would only have meant something to me if it referred to children of Enugwu Agidi. What about the “chosen ones”? and the line of David? I sure as hell am not related to David so that rules me out – does it not? Christianity to me is meant for those from the line of David. I am not prepared to be a second class citizen and not even in heaven.

 

The only higher power out there is conscience. The thing that makes you feel guilt when you lie, cheat or steal. We all feel this to varying degrees. I try to eliminate guilt from my day to day living. By that I mean I don’t do anything that will make me feel guilty afterwards. Others carry on regardless. As we all know, they carry on like that because there is no God. You only suffer retribution if you get caught and what a big if. In my younger days I got away with not paying for my transport fares all over London for over a month and nothing happened. I am too old to even think of doing the same now and thank God for that. My point is you pay if and only if you get caught. If not, you live in peace – that is if your conscience allows you. By all measures it is not fair and that is why I lust for God.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments Off

Classical Music

Posted on April 13, 2008 by Jobido
I was at a friend’s this weekend and just happened to notice his music collection. As I was looking at a particular CD of his, he told me he listens to “Classical Music” every weekend to unwind. There was something about the way he said Classical Music that I found offensive. By looking at him as he said it, there was some pride he obviously attached to the fact that he listens to classical music.  I was angry for very personal reasons. I asked what Classical Music was – just to justify the not-so-nice things I was feeling at the time – and he said it was the most civilized genre of music. I was surprised at his answer for it proved ignorance on a higher scale than I expected. From him I was expecting a more sensible definition. Something more like the very particular genre of music related to or originating from the ancient Greeks and Romans. Just like Classics as a discipline covers the History, Literature, Architecture and yes – you guessed – and a particular composition of music of the ancient Greeks and Romans.  Music of this kind is called Classical Music. Obviously to him, Classical means best. If to him music by Ludwig Van Beethoven, Jacques Offenbach, Antonio Salieri, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, John Adams and Frederic Chopin is the best – I beg to differ.

Below is my Classical Music

alt : http://www.youtube.com/v/4aS1zUP9QcA&hl=en

Tagged | 1 Comment