Being a good spouse has nothing to do with someone’s level of education or their bank account. Of course you will say it is different; the way an informed and educated person handles some challenges in a relationship is different from how a non-educated person will. Maybe you are right but then, we have witnessed countless marriages between highly educated individuals end in divorce. An educated man with no romantic bone is like an empty wine bottle, promising to the eye with nothing to offer.

A good person will make you happy because at the end of the day, when the lights go off and all family and friends’ voices are quiet, it is just the two of you. This is not the time to argue about who is more sophisticated but a time to cuddle, laugh and enjoy each other’s company.

Whether he is a doctor saving millions of lives in a hospital or a farmer supplying produce, follow your heart and not your brain because when the heart whispers happiness and love, the brain is screaming. “What will people say?” But in the end, the person who makes you happy deserves the ring and not the one who looks right on paper.

Some people were raised well regardless of their level of education and others are just stubborn even with a mound of degrees. She does not need a degree to respect you or your family and neither does he need a degree to treat a woman with respect and dignity.

It is common for people to despise others just because of their level of education. Do that at a job interview because you need a qualified person for a certain position but if you are looking for someone to keep a family and raise your children, you might want to consider the personality other than the qualifications.

Take an example of Kampala downtown businessmen, most of them are school dropouts but they are successful in business, farming and carpentry, to mention but a few. And they earn better than professionals seated in luxurious offices. On the other hand, many graduates cannot even find a job for years but still they are not creative enough to explore other money-making ventures.

The world is full of nice people who are even less complicated. You just have to look in the right places and for the right qualities. If someone is honest and hardworking, he or she deserves a chance.

Do not just judge them by their academic qualifications because those too do not guarantee a happily ever after.

By Christine, married mother of three