In a significant intervention addressing graduate employability challenges, education expert Chizuruoke Collins Ezem has identified seven academic courses that prospective Nigerian university students should carefully reconsider before enrollment. Ezem, a former Martina teacher of the year, shared these insights via a detailed Facebook post on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, sparking widespread discussion among educators, students, and parents across Nigeria.
The Core Principle: Skills Over Certificates
Ezem established a fundamental premise that no academic course is inherently useless. However, he emphasized that any degree pursued without accompanying practical skills, strategic exposure, or clear career planning becomes what he termed "expensive frustration." This perspective challenges the traditional Nigerian emphasis on certificate acquisition alone, redirecting focus toward marketable competencies and strategic career positioning.
Seven Courses Demanding Strategic Reconsideration
The educationist provided specific analysis for each course, outlining both the inherent challenges and viable repackaging strategies for graduates.
- Mass Communication (Without Skill Angle)
Ezem noted that many Mass Communication graduates complete their programs with substantial theoretical knowledge but lack practical media production skills. He recommended repackaging through acquiring competencies in content creation, digital marketing, video editing, public relations, copywriting, or social media strategy, asserting that "media pays skills, not certificates."
- Sociology or Philosophy (Without Application)
These disciplines, while fostering deep analytical thinking, often face poor market demand in their pure academic forms. Ezem suggested transitioning into human resources, research analysis, policy development, user experience research, counseling, NGO work, or data-related roles, emphasizing that "thinking must solve problems to pay."
- Political Science (Without Political Structure or Exposure)
Many Political Science graduates experience career confusion due to limited practical political engagement. Repackaging opportunities include policy writing, governance consulting, political communication, community organizing, data analysis, or media commentary roles that leverage political understanding.
- History or Religious Studies (Without Direction)
These knowledge-rich fields can become income-poor without clear career pathways. Ezem proposed diversification into teaching, curriculum development, publishing, content creation, ethics consulting, leadership training, faith-based education, and research writing.
- Linguistics or Languages (Without Monetization Plan)
Ezem observed that language proficiency alone rarely generates sustainable income in Nigeria. Strategic repackaging could involve translation, interpretation, international education coordination, content localization, online language teaching, or diplomacy-related positions.
- Biology or Chemistry (Without Medical or Industrial Pathway)
Many science graduates find themselves professionally stagnant after completing the National Youth Service Corps program. Ezem recommended pursuing public health roles, laboratory technology certification, environmental science positions, health data analysis, research assistance, or regulatory affairs careers.
- Education (Without Positioning)
While teaching represents a noble profession, Ezem noted it becomes undervalued when poorly positioned. He suggested educational consulting, online tutoring, curriculum design, school leadership, educational technology integration, coaching, and professional training as viable alternatives.
Strategic Advice for Current and Graduated Students
For students currently enrolled in these programs, Ezem advised proactive forward thinking and skill acquisition alongside academic studies. To graduates who may feel concerned about their prospects, he offered reassurance, urging them to "repackage, relearn, and reposition" rather than panic. He concluded with a powerful maxim: "Degrees open doors, but skills keep them open."
Broader Educational Discourse in Nigeria
This intervention joins ongoing national conversations about curriculum relevance and graduate employability. Previously, former presidential aide Reno Omokri highlighted what he termed "obsolete courses" that Nigerians should avoid to prevent poverty, attributing unemployment partly to such academic choices. Similarly, social media commentator Brooda John controversially labeled several courses including law, microbiology, biochemistry, agriculture, sociology, political science, business administration, and English language as "useless" within the Nigerian context, though his perspective has drawn criticism from many educational professionals.
These discussions reflect growing national concern about aligning higher education with economic realities, emphasizing that strategic career planning must complement academic pursuit in Nigeria's competitive job market.
