Certificates and Titles Don’t Feed Nations–Productive People Do

“Do you see a man skilful in his work? He will stand before kings.” – Proverbs 22:29

One of the greatest consolations in Cameroon is the tendency to substitute productivity with credentials and titles. The moment a conversation turns toward contribution, performance, or value creation, many people quickly respond by listing academic, professional, or traditional honors: “I have a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree, a PhD,” or “I am a Professor,” “Dr.,” “Engineer,” “Rev.,” “Barrister,” or even “Chief,” “His Royal Highness,” or “Honourable.” While education, professional recognition, and traditional titles are all honorable and necessary within their proper context, none of them was ever designed to be the final proof of impact.

A degree is evidence that learning took place; a title is evidence of recognition by an institution or community. But productivity is evidence that learning and recognition have become useful. A Professor may hold vast knowledge, a Doctor may carry specialized expertise, an Engineer may design systems, and a Chief or traditional leader may carry cultural authority–yet all of these remain incomplete if they do not translate into tangible value that improves lives.

The reality of life is that society rewards value, not titles. Even the most prestigious academic, professional, or traditional designation only creates an opportunity to serve. Employers, clients, communities, and even traditional societies do not ultimately pay people because they are Professors, Doctors, Engineers, Barristers, or Chiefs; they pay people because they solve problems, create solutions, preserve order, and deliver results. The certificate may open the door, and the title may command respect, but it is productivity that determines whether one remains relevant in the room.

Many people also seek comfort in external achievements such as houses, vehicles, positions, and social status tied to titles like “Honourable,” “Director,” “Chief Executive,” or “Royal Highness.” Yet these things are not truly possessions in the deepest sense; they are products of something greater that already exists within a person. The house came from productive effort. The car came from value exchanged. The promotion, appointment, chieftaincy recognition, or honorary title came from contribution that was acknowledged. When we identify ourselves more with what is outside us than what is within us, we risk celebrating the fruit while neglecting the tree that produced it.

This is why Scripture consistently focuses on fruitfulness rather than appearances or titles. Jesus taught that people are known by their fruits, not by their claims, degrees, or positions. But even deeper than the fruit is the reality of the tree and its seed. The fruit is visible and temporary, but it is only the outward result of an invisible life system rooted in the tree and carried in the seed. God is not ultimately impressed by fruit alone–He is concerned with what kind of tree produced it and whether that tree carries seeds capable of reproducing life again. Titles, achievements, and visible results may look like fruit, but the true measure of a person is the inner life, character, discipline, and capacity that produces continuous and generational impact. In the Parable of the Talents, the servants were rewarded not for appearance or possession but for multiplication. What mattered was not just what they displayed, but what they were able to reproduce.

Emotional maturity requires us to separate our identity from our achievements and designations. A Professor who loses institutional status but retains wisdom, discipline, and productive capacity can still create value. A Doctor without a hospital appointment can still heal, innovate, and serve. An Engineer without a corporate title can still build systems. A Chief without administrative power can still influence and preserve culture meaningfully. A person who loses position but retains productive capacity can rise again because the true asset was never the title–it was the ability within.

As believers, we must remember that God created us to be sources and not merely holders of titles. Rivers are valuable because they keep flowing, not because they carry names or designations. The Kingdom rewards service because service creates value for others. Therefore, the question is not, “What degree do I have?” or “What title do I carry–Professor, Doctor, Chief, or Honourable?” The deeper question is, “What am I producing with what God has placed within me?”

Cornelius Tawong