Why The “D” Students Will Have The Money Power to Employ The “A” Students By 2040
Out of the 881,416 students who sat the 2022 KCSE exam, 173,345 scored the minimum university entry grade of C+ and above compared to 145,776 in 2021. A total of 1,146 candidates scored grade A compared to 1,138 in 2021. Candidates with grade E in the 2022 KCSE exam declined significantly to 30,822 compared to 46,151 in 2021.
However, the elephant in the room is that half of the KCSE candidates scored grade D+ and below. This alarming but at the same time magical in the sense that the technical skills required for the growth of a nation lies in them. The narrative has always been pushing the students to the university. The number is so meagre-just 173,345 slots up for grab. All in the name of getting a degree, and you fly into an upper-middle-class citizen, is that correct? Certainly not in this world. Obtaining a university degree is not a recipe for success. Pushing for technical and vocational training in the 21st century with softer skills of technology can drive a developing nation such as Kenya into a middle-income earner based around industrialization.
Why A students work for C Students?
Reading the number 1 best seller Robert Kiyosaki book “Why A students work for C Students?’’, one understands the bigger picture around education segmentation and class and why the KCSE should be upbeat as they head to the world of training and job market.
Whether you are a plumber or a stockbroker, this book will positively speak to you. It empowers the young generation how to overcome the struggle to find decent work in an overly ambitious and combative workforce. Furthermore, it also helps you understand finances, and why “A” students fall behind the “C” students.
It is important to note that school and education, in overall, sometimes fail to recognize the potential in some kids, case in point, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. They were both labeled as insubordinate, headstrong, clumsy, and mixed up. Nonetheless, they came out of the woodwork years later and revolutionized the world with their great inventions. No wonder, most countries globally have changed their education system to cater for skills, talents and target individual learner’s abilities. Kenya is now facing uphill task settling down with the new CBC system.
So, the question is: How come the “C” or “D” students overshadow the “A” students in real life?
It is that simple: they learn what “A” students regard as irrelevant. They learn financial management in a hard way. This is the basic literacy that lacks in A students. Let us understand how Robert Kiyosaki learnt the financial skills from neighbouring Rich Dad. When Robert was just a boy, he would occasionally skip the chores to play Monopoly for hours after school. His dad would then come along, and tell him to stop wasting his time. Robert Kiyosaki’s dad was a socialist (or at least leaning toward socialism); the average paycheck guy should you prefer.
Between the age of 9-18, he would go to the Rich Dad house and learn the process of running a business firsthand. He understood the true meaning of capitalism, and how we all benefit from other people’s skills and talents. The endless stream of knowledge he received from being involved in the real deal from an early age, gave him the edge in real life. The Poor Dad (his father) wanted the safe path instigated through college, salary, security, pension, medical benefits, among others.
Now you understand why so many people are graduating from college or university. The standards are lowered to the degree that almost any young kid who has no clue about his future can just sign the papers without understanding the financial burden of such actions.
Teach the kids to walk the path not taken-the thorny woodlands
You cannot help but notice that parents, and people in general, try to protect their children from the harsh reality of today. As the world progresses, new expenses and liabilities will incur, leading to even greater uncertainty. Hence, many kids straight out of college cannot seem to fit in this workforce.
This leads to a backlash and the rise of a phenomenon known as “boomerang kids.” These are the kids who cannot survive on their own and are reliant upon their aging parents to take care of them.
Understanding the employability Quadrant
Study the following quadrant. What do you notice?
Here:
- E for employee
- S for small business or self-employed
- B for big business (500 employees or more)
- I for investor
Quadrant E – Employees represent the majority of the workforce, and are mainly those who strive for higher paychecks.
Quadrant S – A large chunk of the people here are the “A” students such as doctors, lawyers, engineers etc.
Quadrant B – The innovators, the business creators such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc.
Quadrant I – Active investors such as Warren Buffett, Elon Musk.
From the quadrant:
- Your mom and dad want you to fall into “E” or “S” quadrants, because it’s much safer, while the Rich Dad prepares you to take over the “I” or “B” quadrant.
- Socialists live in “E & S” quadrants, while capitalists live in “I & B.” Whenever people shout “Tax the Rich” they don’t understand that the taxes are raised on high-earners, which means people from “E & S” quadrants.
- Investors and smart entrepreneurs prefer to remain capitalists who create jobs and value effort. It’s not too sketchy for them to find legal ways to pay less taxes. It’s simply a matter of finances not a matter of policies.
Lessons we learn from the Quadrant
- If you are keen to prepare your child for the battle lying up ahead, you have to make sure that you’re teaching them how to spend wisely and avoid unnecessary costs.
- In all honesty, it’s never too late to change quadrants and start thinking critically.
- Address the problem and start learning
- Rich dad would say: Money problems can make you smarter, while Poor Dad dreads the idea of having money problems. You have to understand that long gone are the days when a person would get a job and spend 40-45 years in a single company only to retire and accrue various benefits.
- The main bridge between wealth and poverty is how we handle the money problems.
- Rich Dad places emphasis on assets, while Poor Dad on liabilities.
- You have to know where you draw the line by singling out the things which put money into your pocket and eliminating the ones that squeeze every bit of money that you earn.
- “Bs” & “Is” focus on asset acquisition, unlike “Es” and “Ss” who are not prone to think critically.
Cone of learning
In essence, learning is a life long process. Active learning tends to build our skills and competencies which are essential in job market compared to the traditional passive learning.
See the table below.
Takeaway bits to remember
According to Albert Einstein Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
It is insanity to say to your child, “Go to school and get a job,” when jobs are being shipped overseas or replaced by advances in technology.
It is insanity to say, “Work hard,” when the harder you work, to earn more money, the more taxes you pay.
About Robert T. Kiyosaki
Robert T. Kiyosaki is an American businessman and an author who has shed light on why having the best grades is not sufficient for success.
He is the author of:
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant
- The Business of the 21st Century
- Rich Dad’s Increase Your Financial IQ
- Retire Young Retire Rich
Also read Junior Secondary Schools In Kenya
