The idea for this reflection began, as many modern reflections do, in a WhatsApp group. A story was shared about an unbelievable offer from Saudi Arabia for Bukayo Saka. The figures were staggering. It later turned out to be false, but not before it sparked a lively debate.
Soon, the jokes followed. Some of us, successful in our corporate and public sector careers, playfully blamed our parents for dragging us away from football fields and music studios and insisting we face our books instead. We imagined what we might be worth today had we chosen football or music. It was lighthearted banter, but beneath the laughter sat a familiar question: What if?
As children, we do not always choose our paths; sometimes our parents choose for us. For many of us, the path was clear: study hard, stay disciplined, avoid distractions, and secure your future. Sports, certain friendships, and creative detours were seen as risks. Education was safety. Stability was success.
Now imagine this: You followed that path. You earned your Master’s degree, obtained professional certifications, founded a business, and manage it successfully. By every conventional measure, you made it.
And then there is the boy next door, the one whose parents did not care either way, who spent afternoons on the football field instead of at a desk, the one you were warned to avoid. Today, he is an international footballer like Victor Osimhen, earning in a single week what might equal your three-year income.
Or consider artists like Davido and Tiwa Savage, who turned their passion for music into global recognition and wealth. What is often overlooked, however, is that some of these global stars also backed their talent with solid educational foundations. Stars like Davido and Tiwa did not rely on passion alone; they strengthened their craft and business acumen with quality education. Their stories remind us that passion and education are not always opposites; sometimes they are partners.
The comparison can sting. But what does it really mean?
The Illusion of Overnight Success
When we see global icons like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Victor Osimhen, Davido, or Tiwa Savage, we see the reward, not the probability. For every athlete or artist who reaches international stardom, millions do not.
Success in these fields is not simply about passion or effort. It requires natural talent, relentless discipline, access to mentorship, timing, market visibility, resilience, and often a measure of luck. It is a high-risk, high-reward path, closer to venture capital than a guaranteed salary.
Education and entrepreneurship, by contrast, are slower and steadier bets. They are built on probability, discipline, and compounding growth rather than breakout moments. Even among entertainers who succeed, many rely quietly on education, whether formal or informal, to manage contracts, build brands, and sustain long-term careers.
A Parent’s Fear Disguised as Control
Strict parental guidance is often rooted not in cruelty but in fear. For many parents, especially those who experienced hardship, education equals survival. Sports, arts, and unconventional careers appear uncertain, even dangerous. Their reasoning is simple: choose the path that minimizes risk.
Was the enforcement sometimes excessive? Perhaps. Was the intention malicious? Rarely.
The conflict was never truly about football or music. It was about security. Parents aim to protect, even when it feels restrictive. Ironically, many of the success stories we admire today reflect a blend of both worlds: the discipline of education and the daring of passion.
Income Is Only One Metric
The sharpest pain often comes from comparison, a weekly wage versus a three-year income. But income alone does not define a life.
Professional football and music careers are often short. A single injury or a shift in public taste can change everything. Fame brings pressure, scrutiny, and instability.
An entrepreneur or professional may earn more gradually, but over decades income can scale, skills compound, networks deepen, and influence expand. Athletes and artists often peak in their twenties or early thirties. Many professionals peak in their forties and fifties. The timelines are different. The rewards are different.
Neither is inherently superior.
The Hidden Emotion: Agency
If we are honest, the ache is rarely about money. As our WhatsApp exchange revealed, it is about agency. It is about the version of yourself that never got tested. The afternoons you did not spend on the field. The songs you never recorded. The quiet thought that lingers: What if?
Resentment can attach itself to salary comparisons, but underneath it lies a deeper desire, the freedom to have chosen your path, whether safe or risky. The ability to decide shapes how we measure success.
Two Valid Wins
The boy next door chose a risky road and won. You chose a stable road and succeeded. Both are victories, shaped by different appetites for risk and different parental philosophies.
It is easy to glamorize extraordinary outcomes because they are visible and dramatic. But stability, education, and entrepreneurship are not lesser achievements. They are simply less flashy. And they are long games.
As the examples of Davido and Tiwa Savage show, sustainable success often comes from combining talent with learning, creativity with structure, and ambition with discipline.
Reclaiming the Dream
If football, music, politics, or another passion still calls to you, it does not have to remain buried in childhood. It can evolve through amateur leagues, creative projects, civic engagement, investment, mentorship, or simply personal fulfillment. Passion does not expire. It adapts.
Education Is Not a Scam
Education is not a scam. While stories of wealthy politicians, athletes, or artists who succeeded without formal schooling may inspire, they are exceptions, not the rule.
Education builds critical thinking, resilience, and adaptability. It equips you to navigate contracts, markets, institutions, and uncertainty. It is a strategic investment in long-term relevance and growth.
For most people seeking stability, mobility, and meaningful achievement, it remains the most reliable foundation.
Beyond Comparison
Comparison distorts reality. It magnifies someone else’s highlight reel while minimizing your own steady progress.
Step outside that lens, and your life stands on its own merit: advanced education, professional expertise, business leadership, institutional impact, and long-term growth. These are real wins, built deliberately and sustainably.
Victor Osimhen, Davido, and Tiwa Savage followed paths that worked for them. You followed one that works for you.
Different roads lead to different rewards. The myth is that one path is inherently better than the other.
Focus on your journey. Embrace your choices. And recognize that your achievements, no matter how gradual or understated, are meaningful and valuable.