The privilege of success comes with a responsibility. If you're reading this as someone who listened to the voice of wisdom, whether it was a parent, a mentor, or your own inner drive, and pursued formal education, then you already understand something critical i.e. you have options. Real sovereignty. Real freedom. And now, the real work begins.
The Education Advantage Is Still Real
Let me be direct i.e. there's a dangerous myth circulating in tech circles that formal education is optional, that raw talent and hustle can replace a degree. Some people prove this possible through sheer determination and willpower. But here's what those exceptions don't tell you. They had to work ten times harder to prove what a qualification proves in two years.
Consider mathematics. The invisible hand behind innovation. From AI to blockchain, robotics to cryptography, mathematics isn't just a subject. It's the silent architect of every breakthrough. Behind every tech revolution, there's a mathematical foundation pulling the strings. You cannot accomplish these innovations without formal education in mathematics. You cannot build robust systems without understanding the mathematical principles that make them work. You can try. You can struggle. You can reinvent wheels that mathematicians solved centuries ago. Or you can sit in a classroom, learn from people who have dedicated their lives to the discipline, and stand on the shoulders of giants. That's not weakness. That's intelligence.
I listened to my father. I got certified. I pursued formal education with discipline and passion in a domain that fascinated me. And now, years later, I don't wonder if I could have made it without that credential. I*know* the options those letters after my name have given me. The doors that opened. The conversations where I could speak with authority. The freedom to move between industries because my knowledge was formally validated.
Universities may be driven by profit motives. That's reality. But the knowledge you gain, the rigorous framework, the peer learning, the credentialed proof that you've mastered a discipline, that's not a scam. That's sovereignty.
The Unspoken Part of Success
What nobody talks about in those triumphant stories of self-taught engineers is the privilege that often precedes them. Maybe they had a parent working in tech. Maybe they had financial safety nets. Maybe they lived in an ecosystem where networks mattered more than credentials. Most self-made success stories aren't actually made alone. They're made with invisible advantages.
Formal education levels that playing field. It gives someone from nowhere the same credentials as someone from everywhere. In a world that still judges you by what's provable, a degree is portable proof of competence.
Your certification, your education, is not just your achievement. It's a foundation you can stand on and extend to others.
The Next Generation Needs You
Here's where virtue comes in. You succeeded partly because someone believed in you. Your parents pushed you toward education not because it's easy, but because it's powerful. Now it's your turn.
The alpha engineers I respect most aren't the ones who built the biggest products or made the most money. They're the ones who became bridges for others. They're mentors who tell young engineers i.e. get your degree. Get your certification. Yes, you can build things on your own, but you'll build better things, with more options and less friction, with credentials that command respect.
This isn't gatekeeping. This is wisdom. And wisdom is meant to be transmitted.
What Paying It Forward Actually Looks Like
Start with the people around you. Your team. Your community. Your family. Tell them the truth i.e. education gave you options. Tell them specifically how. Show them your path, not as the only path, but as a tested one.
If you mentor engineers, push them toward formal qualifications alongside building projects. Challenge the false choice between "learn by doing" and "learn in school." The best engineers do both.
Create pathways. Sponsor bootcamps. Encourage your team to finish degrees. When hiring, recognize that someone with a degree from a university in a developing nation is bringing discipline and knowledge that beats a YouTube certificate every time. Not because YouTube is bad. It's useful for supplementing. But because formal education is still the great equalizer.
This is why I continue as a Panel Accreditation Member with TNQAB for the Tonga National University Bachelor's in Information Technology Level 7 program. This is why I'm committed to getting back to teaching within this program, specifically at Level 7, in the domains that consume me i.e. Artificial Intelligence, Distributed Ledger Technology, and Blockchain.
It's not enough to succeed individually. The work now is structural. It's about ensuring that the next generation of Tongan engineers, Pacific engineers, and engineers from anywhere have access to rigorous, world-class education in the fields that will define the future.
I'm not just teaching courses. I'm validating a path. I'm saying to young people i.e. you don't need to leave home to get a world-class education in cutting-edge fields. You don't need to compromise your culture or your community. You can build expertise where you are. And your degree from TNU will carry the weight of accreditation, the power of rigorous standards, the proof that you've mastered something real.
Most importantly, speak about this openly. The tech industry has become so enamored with the "pirate" narrative, the talented outsider who proved the system wrong, that we've stopped telling the practical truth i.e., having credentials is better than not having them. You're freer. You're more trusted. You have more options.
Your Responsibility as an Alpha Engineer
An alpha engineer isn't just someone who codes brilliantly or builds scalable systems. An alpha engineer is someone who elevates the entire field. And right now, the field needs to hear that formal education matters. That it's not selling out to pursue a degree. That your passion for technology doesn't require you to reject the rigorous frameworks that universities provide.
Your parents understood something that generations of wisdom have known i.e. freedom comes from knowledge, and knowledge is best built on a foundation of formal education. You listened. You succeeded. Now the world is full of young people who haven't heard this message. They're telling themselves they'll figure it out alone. They're sleeping on the power of credentials.
You can change that narrative for someone. Maybe many someones.
The Inheritance You Can Give
The greatest inheritance isn't money or connections. It's a template for thinking and a proven path to options. When you tell your story, include the part about education. When you mentor, push for credentials. When you hire, value the degree. When your children grow old enough to choose, guide them toward formal mastery in something they love.
This is virtue. Not preaching what others should do, but living what has proven true and opening doors for those who come after.
I am living the dream with options because I listened. Because I got certified. Because I pursued knowledge in a discipline that consumed me.
Now it's your turn to tell someone else i.e. listen. Get educated. Get credentialed. Build your sovereign knowledge. And then, bring others along with you.
That's how alpha engineers evolve. Not by climbing alone, but by building a ladder everyone can climb.
Wishing you all a Blessed Holiday Season! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
Let's Go!