In this modern age, especially in underdeveloped countries, having a skill has become more preferred as a survival hack compared to acquiring a certificate from a university. These days, there is no guarantee of the usefulness of a certificate after acquiring it; one needs extra effort to make use of it, unlike how one can easily start up a life, even from the lowest platform, with a skill one has acquired.
If it were in developed countries where the system is working perfectly, with a guarantee of employment for anyone who graduates from the university, then that is where the use of a certificate becomes more valuable and a saviour than having a skill.
If I were to choose or advise anyone on what to go for in my country, I would advise the person to acquire a little academic knowledge and totally concentrate on learning a good skill.
Back in the days during secondary school, I knew some of my classmates who were not totally interested in getting high grades in school. When we graduated from secondary school, some of them didn't bother to further their education but rather decided to learn skills. Many years have passed and they're well grounded in their fields. Today, they are far better than most of us who chose to acquire academic certificates. They have established themselves very well and acquired wealth through the execution of the skills they learned, and the harshness of the economy that is telling on people is far away from them. As these people are today, one cannot talk them down academically because they have grown so well to the extent that the academic weakness which was usually evident in them is no longer showing.
In this life, having a skill is ruling the world.
