On Thursday, August 21, I had the honour of appearing on the NBS After 5 show, where I discussed the intriguing and thought-provoking aspects of a Ugandan youth’s life, specifically the role of academic papers, skills, or both in securing employment in today’s workforce.

The main question discussed was whether degrees are losing their value in today’s hustle economy. Is it possible for creatives without formal education to overshadow graduates?

And should schools start treating music, film, and entertainment as serious career paths? Personally, contrary to what many people think, education does not necessarily mean going to school.

It means having knowledge and understanding. How do you gain the knowledge? It could be through reading books, interacting with others, or having experience. But what matters most is how you use that knowledge to elevate yourself on top of solving societal problems.

If you can identify a problem, develop a solution, and positively impact people, then you are truly educated. Now ask yourself: is the education I am receiving really preparing me to solve problems?

My co-guests at the show, Lil Pazo and Quex, are young performing artistes who have already positioned themselves to succeed in life, thereby overcoming the job-seeking bug.

They learnt much earlier that in Uganda’s hustle economy, utilizing your talent could be a better path to success than seeking to bag a degree that remains only on paper. Don’t get me wrong.

I am an educationist heading an institution that awards degrees. The difference is that we champion practical knowledge in students tailored for the world today and tomorrow.

Therefore, the issue has to do with the fact that in spite of our poor education system, there is still room to have it corrected. Any normal, decent, and excellent education should reflect the real world.

Education that confines you to a room, where you gain so-called knowledge and collect credentials but cannot apply them to solve real societal problems, is holding you back. True education should empower you to act for the betterment of society.

What’s more, numbers are crucial in life. If I have a message to communicate and know the facts but lack the numbers, I will turn to someone who has them to deliver it. That’s the potency of numbers.

It is also why people hire individuals who may not have degrees but can reach a large audience. Just look at this irony; chances are high that a medical camp organised by a respected professor will flop while the one promoted by an artiste will succeed and attract huge numbers. How do you explain that?

This does not diminish the value of education, and we must not abandon our responsibility to educate everyone in this country. You can change society without being a professor; you just need to use your talent.

Finally, we need to appreciate that all of us are created differently. We each have unique potentials, and sometimes school educates us out of our potentials. Pretty Nicole, for example, may not have a journalism degree, but she has the talent and potential.

She is constantly inspired to pursue her dream and actively practices it. If handled properly, she can reach out to millions of Ugandans that experts can only dream of. You might find that she even stands in front of the mirror, speaking to her reflection of Nicole as if she were addressing an audience.

She has honed a skill that most universities do not teach. Back to the key issues of the show, my simple two cents’ worth is that degrees are not losing their shine in today’s hustle economy; it is the approach that is archaic and needs a complete overhaul.

Meanwhile, it is also becoming evident that creatives are stealing the spotlight from graduates simply because they are pragmatic and not theoretical. Finally, schools should start treating music, film, and entertainment as serious career paths.

You only need to look at the recently released Forbes billionaires list of 2025, in which, of the 23 Black billionaires, there is not a single professor or educationist, yet about a third of them are creatives who built their fortune from scratch. That is the true inspiration today’s Uganda youth needs.

The author is Vice Chancellor, Victoria University.