Should I enrol for a second degree?
Jun 24, 2007
I am a lawyer with an LLB degree and a post-graduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre. Although I got a pass degree, it has not prevented me from performing my duties satisfactorily
Dear Jamesa
I am a lawyer with an LLB degree and a post-graduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre. Although I got a pass degree, it has not prevented me from performing my duties satisfactorily. I have been employed for the last four years and my supervisors rate my work highly. The nature of my degree has made it difficult for me to find another job. In addition to this, my current employers are raising questions about my degree even when it has not affected my performance.
Should I enrol for another Bachelor’s degree in a different field using my A’ level results? I am sure I would perform better because I found LLB programme hard in my first and second year. This challenge affected my grades, but I later picked up and scored good grades in third and fourth year. Would applying for a Master’s degree help me in a society like Uganda where most universities need second class lower and above?
MM
Dear MM,
Many employees and employers are grappling with this ‘transcript grade syndrome.’ The common assumption is that a transcript grade is a reliable yardstick to gauge performance in the world of work.
However, this is never the case because the employment world is different from the classroom. It is possible to score low grades in the classroom and become a star performer in the world of work.
Career success results from a number of factors and a transcript grade is not the sole deciding factor. Like many other professions, Law demands extensive knowledge of the subject matter, making it necessary for you to undergo years of rigorous training before practice.
Law requires a critical understanding of legal issues and ability to use that knowledge to argue out your case in court. Knowing the Law is one thing and applying that knowledge to argue out your cases is another.
A good transcript grade lays a foundation, but does not a guarantee that a lawyer will handle the cases competently.
Transcript grades are a measure of intellectual intelligence obtained from books. Dr. Daniel Goleman in his book, Working with Emotional Intelligence says intellectual intelligence accounts for about 20% of success in your career.
The remaining 80% is constituted by emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise, understand and manage our emotions as well as our interaction with others.
As much as professional knowledge is important, success in legal profession largely requires emotional intelligence. The fact that your employers rate your performance highly means you reflect both intellectual and emotional intelligence at work.
From what you have revealed, you seem to hold some beliefs that need to be challenged.
Need for a master’s degree
A master’s degree is good, but is not a prerequisite for excellent performance in the legal profession.
You must have realised from practice that the skills you need to win a case are basically acquired at undergraduate level. It largely depends on how well you understand and articulate your case, rather than how many degrees or class of degree you hold.
Employment syndrome
This is a belief that you can only succeed in your career when you are employed. Contrary to what most people believe, employment is not the climax of career success.
Think about a few lawyers you consider successful and find out if they have made it through salaried jobs. You are capable of establishing and maintaining a broad-based clientele given the success you have demonstrated so far.
Amassing more qualifications so as to move from one job to another might narrow your success road. This all depends on how much you believe in yourself. If you want to remain competitive in the job corridors, you have no option but to acquire additional papers.
But if you want see yourself beyond a salaried job, an additional bachelor’s degree is not necessary.
This is a challenging decision that requires you to have a face-to-face session with a professional counsellor. I wish you the best.
Send your questions to
Education Vision,
P.O. BOX 9815, Kampala
OR jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
Any question received in
whatever form is deemed to be for publication
I am a lawyer with an LLB degree and a post-graduate diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre. Although I got a pass degree, it has not prevented me from performing my duties satisfactorily. I have been employed for the last four years and my supervisors rate my work highly. The nature of my degree has made it difficult for me to find another job. In addition to this, my current employers are raising questions about my degree even when it has not affected my performance.
Should I enrol for another Bachelor’s degree in a different field using my A’ level results? I am sure I would perform better because I found LLB programme hard in my first and second year. This challenge affected my grades, but I later picked up and scored good grades in third and fourth year. Would applying for a Master’s degree help me in a society like Uganda where most universities need second class lower and above?
MM
Dear MM,
Many employees and employers are grappling with this ‘transcript grade syndrome.’ The common assumption is that a transcript grade is a reliable yardstick to gauge performance in the world of work.
However, this is never the case because the employment world is different from the classroom. It is possible to score low grades in the classroom and become a star performer in the world of work.
Career success results from a number of factors and a transcript grade is not the sole deciding factor. Like many other professions, Law demands extensive knowledge of the subject matter, making it necessary for you to undergo years of rigorous training before practice.
Law requires a critical understanding of legal issues and ability to use that knowledge to argue out your case in court. Knowing the Law is one thing and applying that knowledge to argue out your cases is another.
A good transcript grade lays a foundation, but does not a guarantee that a lawyer will handle the cases competently.
Transcript grades are a measure of intellectual intelligence obtained from books. Dr. Daniel Goleman in his book, Working with Emotional Intelligence says intellectual intelligence accounts for about 20% of success in your career.
The remaining 80% is constituted by emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise, understand and manage our emotions as well as our interaction with others.
As much as professional knowledge is important, success in legal profession largely requires emotional intelligence. The fact that your employers rate your performance highly means you reflect both intellectual and emotional intelligence at work.
From what you have revealed, you seem to hold some beliefs that need to be challenged.
Need for a master’s degree
A master’s degree is good, but is not a prerequisite for excellent performance in the legal profession.
You must have realised from practice that the skills you need to win a case are basically acquired at undergraduate level. It largely depends on how well you understand and articulate your case, rather than how many degrees or class of degree you hold.
Employment syndrome
This is a belief that you can only succeed in your career when you are employed. Contrary to what most people believe, employment is not the climax of career success.
Think about a few lawyers you consider successful and find out if they have made it through salaried jobs. You are capable of establishing and maintaining a broad-based clientele given the success you have demonstrated so far.
Amassing more qualifications so as to move from one job to another might narrow your success road. This all depends on how much you believe in yourself. If you want to remain competitive in the job corridors, you have no option but to acquire additional papers.
But if you want see yourself beyond a salaried job, an additional bachelor’s degree is not necessary.
This is a challenging decision that requires you to have a face-to-face session with a professional counsellor. I wish you the best.
Send your questions to
Education Vision,
P.O. BOX 9815, Kampala
OR jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
Any question received in
whatever form is deemed to be for publication