Textbook & College Education vs. The Real World
While I’ve obtained a four-year degree from the university, I’ve found that the experience I’ve gained through life experience has been much more applicable. However, some degrees – such as advanced science, medical fields, architecture, and others do require the technical know-how in order to be proficient. Other degrees, such as art and social sciences, allow for relative flexibility - they teach the outline of what exists, but the depth of true knowledge is in personal experience.
In certain regards, a college degree has its benefits. For me, it’s opened up the door for me to work as a teacher internationally. However, I have a large amount of debt, and I believe in terms of cost to quality, it’s been hard to justify spending such a large amount of money when many of the resources used to obtain my degree were publically accessible. This isn’t to say that the material I’ve learned wasn’t valuable. I had a great time in college, learned a lot, and had respect for the teachers who inspired me to learn more.
College essentially tells you the rules of how things work, what’s been established, and the history behind why things are the way they are in that respective field. After graduation, real life happens, and the complexity of the situations you find yourself involved in calls for an understanding that often isn’t found in the classroom. College is beneficial – you have to understand the rules before you can break the rules to produce unique and outstanding creative results. However, the cost financially, is too high.
Depending on what you wish accomplish, it would be better to educate yourself with public resources. There are many class resources, syllabi, and materials made available to the public. If you can learn without paying, do it. Libraries are free; everyone should utilize them! Many successful businessmen and inventors haven’t held college degrees - they saved their money and resources. Success is not contingent upon getting a college degree – you only need to be willing to learn and educate yourself.
“Work smarter, not harder” is a phrase that many are familiar with. While it’s easy to accept that this is good advice, it’s not always as easy to know what is the best way to spend our energy. Analyzing all of your options is smart before you dive into something. Just because everyone in your family has gone to college, doesn’t mean that you need to go to college to be successful. There are countless workers who hold a Ph.d while remaining on food stamps or government support.
Take time to figure out what you want to do. The world may be moving at a million miles a minute, but that doesn’t mean you need to join the stampede. Rushing doesn’t help make a smart decision; thinking does. Take your time and do what you’re passionate about. Passion brings success and happiness, even if the paycheck is smaller. You can’t put a price tag on peace of mind and happiness.
