Should You Go To School?
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” – Isaac Asimov
Are you asking yourself, “Should I go to university or college? Is it an investment worthy of my time and money?”
If you need the credential to perform the job you want, then, yeah; kind of hard these days to practice medicine legally without it. Sometimes, in fact for most professional careers, a college or university education is necessary for legal and obvious reasons. A rule of thumb: if you can’t learn it on the street or in a book (i.e. how to perform a successful heart transplant in an ER), then find out where you need to be to develop those skills, and do it!
Know what skills and habits you enjoy developing and how to leverage these to best provide service to others.
For all you social science department majors, ummmm…. Yeah. I got a degree in some lovely double major, then another in computer science, then another in real-world education. I suggest going the shortest route; but then again, you don’t know what works for you until you try it or learn from someone who has been there, done that. And again, if you’re smart, you’ll learn something no matter what you do. A helpful mantra to keep in mind when you’re taking the plunge and trying something excitingly risky to improve your life situation is this: “There’s no failure, only feedback.”
So, listen up, people — especially those who have no clue what to do yet think that school is a decent enough ‘better than doing nothing’ option — rethink your plan. Know that the degree in itself doesn’t guarantee anything. It is an accomplishment and shows that you can finish what you start, which translates into greater peace of mind for the hiring department. It may also make your family proud of you, for some reason, and give you self-esteem. All good things, but know what the degree can and cannot do for you. The degree is a side-effect of your efforts. it is not a thing in itself to be admired. Who you become (other than sleep-deprived) by getting the degree, is what is important.
Obviously, education is important. Processing feedback and using it to adjust your behaviour and strategies for a definite outcome is a smart, necessary skill, a.k.a intelligence. Learning is a life-long process that you activate each moment you evaluate something as being valuable (or not) to your wellbeing. Learn! Pay attention and know what you need to really feel good about yourself. If you’re not learning/expanding your means to live better in your present environment, then go to school or learn from those who are doing what you want to do. Emulate the practices of those you admire. But remember, you’re there for results. Know what you want to get out of and put into whatever you do. What you do, becomes you.
Remember: There are many paths to the castle.. some pass through the woods, and some pass by the lake; some paths are yet to be formed. All will lead (eventually) to where you want to go, so choose the one that best suits you. Choose the path that resonates with your heart. Okay; that’s cheesy, but true.
Links:
The True Value of a College Degree
