Certificate of Merit, or Certificate of Birth?

Behind every “self-made” success story are invisible layers of cultural, social and economic capital that determine how far we go.

Do you ever tell yourself, “If only I had someone to show me the way, someone to light up the path so I can get to the end of this tunnel”?

Even without social media, it is hard not to notice people who seem to effortlessly excel at school, who are intelligent, confident and influential. Sociology has a name for some of these invisible advantages: social and cultural capital. Both are shaped by the people we are born to, the environments that raise us and the networks we have access to. Luck by birth, as I often call it.

When I was in high school, I met people whose pathways already seemed mapped out. People whose families had doctors, whose parents worked in government parastatals and who could casually say, “I want to study medicine after high school.” Everyone wanted to become a doctor or an engineer.

But these career choices are not simply about ambition. They are also about access. You can try to force your way into certain spaces, but without understanding the hidden rules of those spaces, the journey becomes much harder. This is where cultural capital comes in.

Cultural capital refers to the advantages that come from having certain skills, knowledge, education and cultural habits that are valued by society.

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If you grow up with doctors in your family, you have direct access to a world that may feel distant to others. You can ask questions, observe their experiences and understand the pathway. This is different from someone who grows up in a family of self-made entrepreneurs or a small-scale but successful farmer, where success may be valued differently but the medical world may remain unfamiliar.

Through proximity, you learn that becoming a doctor is not only about getting A’s in Biology and Chemistry. Those grades matter, but there are other invisible skills involved. Maybe you already have academic support at home. Maybe someone guides you on what universities to apply to, what opportunities exist and how to navigate the system.

Social capital is equally important and language carries power. We may argue over accents, and pronunciation all we like but in real life the way someone speaks peaks a window into their mind. As unfair as that sounds, certain dialects and accents directly imply access to prestigious and elite circles.

You learn how to speak confidently, when to ask the right questions and how to present yourself. Sometimes you do not even need formal coaching because you have been observing it your whole life. You see how doctors communicate, how they dress, how they interact, how they carry themselves.

The advantage is not only what they know. It is knowing that this world is possible for them and knowing how to enter it.

Yet we have many first generation of lawyers in families, engineers, doctors and you might compare yourself to them. But it might go deeper. Social and cultural capital isn't only limited to big , influential people.

We often overlook smaller forms of privilege: modest parents who still understand the value of education and give whatever they can to support their children. Parents who create a stable environment at home, a peaceful house. Emotional capital exists too, even if it is not something we usually see or measure.

We often think of connections as social capital, money to access good schools as economic capital, the know-how we grow up with as cultural capital, and even the assumption that you will become a diplomat because you come from a long line of successful diplomats.

Except sometimes it takes a parent who doesn't utter words like “ people like us don't make it to college.” , “ a parent who says , I may have not gone to college because I lacked school fees but you will.” You know your parents struggle, you may go days without a proper protein meal, you may struggle to get clean As because while others were studying you were negotiating second hand clothes prices in gikomba so you could come back and resell them in the hostels and even afterwards you were too worn out to open your notes.

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You feel like you are behind in life because support systems are not always visible. It often looks like everyone is struggling in the same way, because nobody will show you their connections, their money, or how they actually got admission into university. You assume admissions boards simply select people fairly. Some places are fixed behind the scenes, but you will rarely hear anyone say it out loud.

You feel you're not pretty enough yet you never grew up in a household that encouraged beauty. Where pretty was dangerous and invisibility encouraged. You grew up not looking people in the eye when they speak because it was deemed rude, you were told being good and putting God first is all you need.

While others were taught to use their influence, their seduction, beauty, white lies, fake tears, being at the right place at the right time, saying the right thing to the right person. Nobody let you in on all of this.

Some people grow up learning how to be seen. Others learn how to disappear. And it makes a big difference.

Still, you are moving. And that is enough. You're building at the best pace you possibly can

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