I had this experience at a job interview that really got me worried.
The aptitude test/interview venue was crowded with young and vibrant job seekers from different states and academic backgrounds.
I spoke with one of the candidates who said he travelled for twelve hours just to make it to the test centre, and he’s lodging in a hotel.
We all fell calm when one of the conductors of the test came out to address us.
He announced that all HND holders should go back home, stating that the organization doesn’t recruit Polytechnic graduates.
Unfortunately, the guy I met initially who travelled for 12 good hours was an HND holder.
He felt really sad. By his expression, I knew he was wishing he turn back the hands of time and start all afresh with BSc this time around.
As if to confirm my guess, he said he’d enrol for a degree course.
Trying to make him feel less disturbed, I told him that if HND was the issue, he won’t have seen a crowd of unemployed youths here as most of them were University graduates.
I, for instance graduated with a 2 1 in economics since 2018, yet I’m struggling with job. If having an HND result was a reason for unemployment, having a university degree would have been the solution.
We keep hearing the lawmakers say they’ve abolished the dichotomy between University graduates and Polytechnic graduates, yet employers are doing as they please.
Why not stop Polytechnic if it’s no longer relevant in today’s world, rather than subjecting innocent people to inferiority complex?
No one cares how intelligent you are as a Polytechnic graduate, you won’t even have the opportunity to prove yourself.
Worst of all, you will see something like “third class/HND. How do these belong in the same level?