Motivation and Education
As a teen, my parents made it clear to my sister, brother, and me that successful people attend college and obtain a degree. By implication, it was also clear that those who have no college education are something less than successful. I do not fully agree. Certainly I would agree that higher education equals higher income perhaps ninety percent of the time. The other ten percent or so, who are financially prosperous without college academics, make their fortunes through experience in a lucrative field, and/or good fortune.
As an employer, I have learned that very many employers regard 2- and 4-year degree programs as evidence that a person can complete goals. Beyond that, most companies would agree that education promotes critical thought, refines communication and complexity of expression and reasoning. I enjoy the Albert Einstein quote: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.” It is advanced education – specialized post-graduate degrees – that are the extreme value and prepare most effectively for success. Medical school, law school, masters and doctoral certifications absolutely translate to higher incomes. Such people have made a lifelong commitment to education.
A good question is: how many college students entering college know exactly what they want? I was jealous of the people my age who were focused on their goals and went straight from high school to college into a happy career. In hindsight, however, I am grateful for the temperance I learned through other experiences. In that respect it is not wasted time. As is true with “failure”, there is no such thing as wasted time so long as we apply the lessons learned to our benefit.
Further, I believe that there are many different types of education one can acquire, depending upon how education is defined. The son of a rancher who has been trained over a period of twenty years to take over the ranch has gained a specialized education. The wrongfully convicted prisoner who spends a decade behind bars has acquired an education. You get the picture; some educations are more relevant to business success than others, but no more valuable to survival or life-success within an applicable context. For many, vocational training is perfect. In my mind there is no right answer as to education except that which works for the individual.
In conclusion, I believe that formal education is extremely important and absolutely provides advantages, but is not the end-all-be-all of success. Success is in the eye of the beholder, and yet always subject to the judgment of others. One person’s success is another’s failure. Whatever walk of life is chosen, never stop the challenge of learning more and reaching beyond.
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