Daviot Kelly

I want to go back to school but honestly, mi fraid!

I've heard about some of the courses people have to choose, the books (make that encyclopaedias) they have to read and the classes that always seem to take place at some ungodly hours of night.

With the working world demanding better money for the higher profile jobs (nepotism and cronyism can only take you so far), the average young person (and a few older ones) are heading back to the classroom to up their qualifications.

But a friend of mine, who is doing her Master of Business Administration in literature, recently showed me her course outline. Ouch! Forget my first statement; I'm not scared, I'm flat out terrified. My brain did enough bleeding when I was in third year. I barely made it out of the good old University of the West Indies with my sanity intact. I'm not so sure about this more studying thing!

Unlike some people who don't want to be the 'old guy' in the class, I have no such problems. Furthermore, it's a master's, so you would think the first-degree students would be younger. Part of the thing for me is the choice of things to do in the post-graduate phase of life. I never see anything that I would find to be fun, not too taxing on the brain (if at all), but would still get me a higher degree.

A master's degree in, let's say, something like how to appreciate the fairer sex (in humanities, perhaps) seems right up my alley. Prescribed literature could be Maxim or Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions. I would gladly catch up on my reading! If they have training schools for terrorists, why is my idea so bad?

The problem

Ok, so no topic that would tremendously excite my brain is ever going to happen unless I start my own university, and just doing that would be work enough. But in a society (and Jamaica is not alone) in which the hombres are falling behind academically, it's guys like me who are the problem. Reach so far and go no further.

For those who do push further, they usually excel and end up in some pretty lofty positions. Some will be content to say at least they went to university and have a degree, but real ambition is always about pushing further until you get as far to the top as possible. And what is the top? What's pretty good for me might be mediocre to someone else. Outer space is the limit.

Nuclear war? I don't sweat it. Tropical storms? Bring 'em on. But those thick textbooks? They scare me!

Study with me at: daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com.