Is There Such Thing As A ‘Useless’ Degree in Kenya? HR Managers Share Advice

By Florence Mukunya,

Mike Wanjala undertook a Bachelor of Science in atomic energy, he says he has been searching for a job for 3 years and he is yet to find one.

“I graduated three years ago, and I have been looking for jobs that fall under my area of study for 3 years and I cannot find any. I was forced to settle for another job. My question is, is my degree useless or is it just unmarketable?” he writes in an email

Talking to S Kwendo, a HR Consultant in Kenya, he strongly believes that there are no such things as useless degrees or unmarketable ones.

“Degrees cannot be useless; after all, the person has done a lot to acquire the degree in terms of research and finance.”

He adds that, “Only the holder of a degree can term his/her degree unmarketable because if you believe it’s unmarketable then it will be.”

Mr. Kwendo also feels that a degree is not what markets a person but it’s how you put yourself out there, your aggressiveness as an individual and how you sell yourself to the employer.

He advices that, “Job seekers need to be aggressive and flexible when it comes to job searching. They should stop giving excuses that their degrees are unmarketable. It’s also good to note that some people are lucky when it comes to getting jobs, it’s not about their degrees.”

Susan Munene of Virtual HR feels different about unmarketable degrees.

She says that, “I have met people with degrees that will not land them jobs in Kenya; the jobs are only available in developed countries but not here.”

On the same note, Mr. Kwendo says that, one might not be marketable in the Kenyan job market but one can always find work.

“We have multinational companies here in Kenya that can always employ you if you have the qualification to work for them,” he explains.

He also notes that, “Some of those rare degrees are offered in Kenya to create a link between today and tomorrow. That’s why if a new company dealing with different concepts is set up in Kenya; there are always people who get hired for the jobs.”

Ms. Munene, though, agrees that there are no useless degrees.

How about degrees offered by unregistered colleges?

“I would prefer calling them fake as you find that you cannot be registered by the professional bodies of the specific area of study,” quips Ms. Munene.

Bottom line is, if you are looking to join a college or a university do a research on the marketability of your degree in Kenya and also think of the impact you want to have in the society after you are done with your degree.

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