Qualifications – the stamp of recognition relevant to most professions – are defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a pass of an examination or the official completion of a course, especially one conferring status as a recognised practitioner of a profession or activity.”
While specific qualifications can unlock particular opportunities, without adequate preparation they can leave one unready for real-world challenges. My ill-fated entry into politics in 2020 is a case in point.
We acquire qualifications by mastering the theory of a field of study. Economists usually predict business cycles based on the existence of certain pre-defined conditions yet some of them have failed to predict 14 of the past 15 recessions. Where theory attempts to provide clarity, real life is highly unpredictable.
A politician who waits until winning academic credentials may never learn how to master the street-level skills that decide elections – building alliances and navigating unwritten rules – they often face before the contest begins.
Experience bridges the gap between knowing and doing. My knowledge of hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro tells me I need to plan by training for nine months for the mountain’s demands. My experience running for three years has taught me that stamina and fortitude is perhaps more important than physical preparedness. The will determines how physical means are marshalled and must be bolstered by a mindset that stays resilient. Strength is learned in class; mental fortitude is earned on the streets.
After years living in Budapest and returning to Kenya, I felt ready to enter politics. I assumed that other parliamentary candidates – who appeared more gifted than me – would struggle if they got support. I was wrong.
For years, I had managed projects that directly benefited local communities but to create tangible gains, grassroots organisation mattered. Before pledges were made or strategies devised, people wanted outcome. Some were questionable, others outright illegal.
A certain politician once had a first-rate team and still failed to win because key areas required pre-determined deals.
While my foray into politics shows that experience can be a double-edged sword, it also strengthens the argument that theory alone provides little guidance when real-world events take their course. Along the way, mentors can reveal the hidden realities of professional training, avoiding the consequences that come with failure for lack of preparation when challenges appear.
The bottom line is this: qualifications are important, but it’s experience that separates winners from losers – whether in navigating life’s unpredictable rules in political campaigns or other unforgiving realms in business.
If you want to join a new industry, start in the shallow end; dive straight into the deep and you’ll likely drown.
