Konnected Minds Podcast
Host: Derrick Abaitey
Episode Segment: "Go to School, Get a Job" – The Outdated Promise That's Failing African Youth
Date: February 5, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Derrick Abaitey and his guests engage in a candid conversation about the long-standing narrative in Africa that education is the guaranteed path to a stable job and prosperous life. The discussion challenges whether this traditional promise still holds value for contemporary African youth, exploring the realities of the job market, the shifting relevance of academic curricula, and the psychological and cultural factors that keep this belief alive. The speakers share personal stories about their educational paths, career choices, and the search for meaning beyond conventional education.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Limitations and Pressures of the Traditional Path

• Financial Barriers to Education

  • Guests reflect on how financial limitations affected their schooling and forced early consideration of alternative ways to earn or save money.
  • "Sometimes I would try to save the money my mom gave to me for school to gather some amount of money and think of what I can do with that money to double it up or something." – Speaker A [00:53]

• The Wasted Effort When Schooling Isn't Complete

  • A recurring theme: if one cannot continue to university after secondary school due to lack of funds, it feels like all prior schooling loses its value.

2. Questioning the 'Go to School, Get a Job' Narrative

• Obsolescence of the Old System
  • Speaker C explains that the educational system was historically designed to produce factory workers and 9-to-5 employees, matching a bygone era's economic needs.
  • "They were set up to churn out people who work in the factory… That was the problem they had at the time." – Speaker C [01:19]
  • The disconnect today: companies are not expanding fast enough, and current graduates lack innovation-driven skills.
  • "Some of them… are not equipped with skills to innovate and create more companies. So you have two things going on: companies are not being created and the companies that have been created are failed." – Speaker C [02:30]
  • Job Scarcity
    • "The job market is full, is full." – Speaker A [02:53]
    • Many graduates face saturated markets and a lack of opportunity for meaningful work.
  • Lack of Innovation in Higher Education
    • "There's no one to innovate because everybody who's going through the systems is not being taught the right way to innovate." – Speaker C [02:56]

3. Youth Perspectives: Migration, Desperation, and the Reality Check

• Exodus in Search of Opportunity

  • The prevailing solution among peers: migrate for better prospects.
  • "Mostly those that want to get a job after university, they're all thinking of flying… they want jackpot." – Speaker A [03:09 & 03:16]
  • “If there are no opportunities here for me to eat, we’ll fly.” – Speaker C [03:44]
  • The panel empathizes with the urge to leave while also lamenting the drain of talent.

• Role of 'Protocol' and Workplace Nepotism

  • Many jobs are secured through connections or luck rather than merit or qualifications.
  • "There are little spaces left that goes to people by chance, by luck… it doesn't make sense in a way to you right now." – Speaker A [03:49]

4. Personal Journeys: Rejecting the One-Size-Fits-All Approach

• Disillusionment with Academic Content

  • Speaker C describes a personal disconnect during secondary school exams (WASSCE), questioning the practical application of what was being learned:
  • “I'm learning the physics and the, and the atoms... and one day I'm sitting, I'm like, where am I going to use this?” – Speaker C [04:24]
  • Instead of following the default route, Speaker C decided to take a gap year, seek interests in marketing and psychology, and self-educate with modern resources.
  • “I actually looked through the syllabus… the things that they were teaching are not exactly what I want to learn. And the things that they were teaching are outdated and they wouldn't serve me now.” – Speaker C [05:50]

• Family Expectations and Social Pressure

  • Speaker A shares the difficulty in deciding whether university made sense for him, especially in light of family examples of entrepreneurship and resourcefulness.
  • "Every money he spends and that's nobody, none of the kids complains… everything is being taken care of… I think I would have been somebody bigger." – Speaker A [07:14]
  • Exploring entrepreneurial activities became a more compelling path than traditional academia.

5. Why Do African Parents Insist on University?

• Status & Social Aspiration
  • University education is viewed as a status symbol—an enduring cultural ideal.
  • "I think during income's time… the people, the corporate workers, I think they had a high status in the community. So everybody wanted their kid to at some point to go and become like that person." – Speaker A [08:29]
  • "When a mother's child becomes a doctor… they mostly start to forget their names. They will say 'Oh, doctor…', the status, you understand?" – Speaker A [08:45]
  • The older generation’s dreams for their children sometimes overshadow the child's personal interests and aspirations.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:19] Speaker C:
  "They were set up to churn out people who work in the factory… That was the problem they had at the time."

• [02:30] Speaker C:
  "Some of them… are not equipped with skills to innovate and create more companies. So you have two things going on: companies are not being created and the companies that have been created are failed."

• [03:44] Speaker C:
  “If there are no opportunities here for me to eat, we’ll fly.”

• [04:24] Speaker C:
  “I'm learning the physics and the, and the atoms... and one day I'm sitting, I'm like, where am I going to use this?”

• [05:50] Speaker C:
  “I actually looked through the syllabus… the things that they were teaching are not exactly what I want to learn. And the things that they were teaching are outdated and they wouldn't serve me now.”

• [08:45] Speaker A:
  "When a mother's child becomes a doctor… they mostly start to forget their names. They will say 'Oh, doctor...', the status, you understand?"

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00]–[01:00]: Personal financial struggles with schooling and early entrepreneurial thinking
• [01:11]–[02:56]: Systemic issues of the educational system and the obsolete 'good job' promise
• [03:03]–[03:49]: The desire to leave for better economic opportunities and reality of the job market in Ghana
• [04:20]–[06:50]: Speakers question the value of university education and share their routes into self-guided learning and business
• [08:29]–[09:19]: Deep dive into why parents push university, focusing on status, social perceptions, and generational ideals

Conclusion

This segment of the Konnected Minds Podcast presents a raw and insightful look at why the "go to school, get a job" narrative is increasingly failing Africa’s younger generations. Through a mix of social critique, personal stories, and real talk, the episode urges listeners to challenge outdated expectations and consider broader definitions of success, relevance, and personal fulfillment.

Listen to the full conversation for more real stories and deep dives at:

https://youtube.com/@KonnectedMinds
https://www.instagram.com/konnectedminds/