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What Does Education Really Mean?


Emily remembered having an interesting conversation with a previous colleague of hers.

Colleague: “Those who have education, they …”

When she heard something like that for the first time, she was confused: “Wait, what?”

Colleague: “You know, those people who have degrees and certifications.”

Emily: “Oh, you are talking about degree and certification holders. What about these people ?"

What - about - them? Do they have magic wands that make sweet dreams come true? Are they supermen who could save the humanity from the sixth extinction? Could they help the tech genius Elon Musk migrate all of us onto Mars?

There seems to be some misconceptions around education these days. Most of us may think "having education" means going to a university or college and graduate with an expensive degree.

If "having education" is not about "having a degree"...

What- on- earth is education anyways?

"(Having) Education" means having the competitive edge in order to achieve an ultimate life purpose (according to an individual's standard). Self-improvement, self-investment, self-education, and continuous learning are also called education, allowing us to stay ahead of the curve. Without continuously upgrading your knowledge, you simply become irrelevant in less than 5 years. Education is a competitive advantage, which everyone has access to, not something one has to forgo a fortune to attend school full time for.

Simply put, “those who have education” are not equate or limited to degrees or certification holders. This category, in reality, includes pretty much all of us.

Got it? Good.

Let's switch gears to examine some possible misconceptions around the two groups: degree holders and experienced doers (experienced individuals who did not have formal or higher education). What presumptions do they have on each other?

When talking about degree holders, what images do you have in mind? Bookworms who are only good at regurgitating information, passing exams, and lack of practical experience? Nerds who value education more than experience? Are they simply arrogant show-offs who know nothing about organization's day-to-day functions while trying to steal jobs from the experienced doers (over-thinking caused by fear and insecurity)?

Speaking of experienced doers, what do you think of them? University or college drop-outs? Rebels who are not a big fan of the education system? Folks who do not have the necessary training for what they do? Are they just people who lack ambition and direction in life (unfair judgement and cultural bias)?

Hold on

. . .

don’t be defensive

I’m not done with my point

yet

Degree holders are no supermen: They do not have a magic wand to make sweet dreams come true, nor can they save humanity from the sixth extinction. They are just normal people like you and me, who chose to go through a regular education system, either under their family's influence or due to personal reason. Not having the experience component in their field of study is not a result of their choice, nor is their unwillingness to find employment. They simply haven't had the right opportunity despite trying hard.

On the other hand, just because some experienced doers did not have higher education, it doesn't necessarily mean they do not value degrees or certifications. Some of them really do, but do not have the means to pay for the sky-high tuition fee. Some had to drop out due to financial reason. Others may find other paths to success without formal education. Some simply learn better through working than studying in a classroom setting. That is, experienced doers are no less valuable than degree holders,

Simply

Because

. . .

Hands-on experience is invaluable. It’s a fast track to get the necessary practical knowledge required to do well. Heard about learning by doing? Theories have their limitations and are only valuable when being implemented to solve real-life problems. Experiences allow people to learn from mistakes and examples, and later becomes expertise. It is not a package deal you can get from a traditional classroom.

You Ask : Can I have a degree and being (very) experienced in my field of study at the same time? Answer : Sorry, you can not. You can only start with one at a time. Certainly, you can eventually have both by investing in one and the other in the order you prefer. The reason is obvious: both areas require equal amount of concentration and effort over an extensive period of time. When you are enrolled in a university or college and working towards a degree, you can only work part time if you are good at time management; when you have a regular 9- 5 time job, you don't expect yourself to study full time. This also means, through gaining mutual understanding, degree holders and experience doers will reduce friction, insecurity and unfair judgement towards each other. Instead, they will see the good in each other, truly understand each other's position, and start to collaborate.

Not only individuals should adjust their views of the two groups, so should companies. Collaboration of the two groups will make a huge difference in an organization's operations. Therefore, “degree holders” and “experienced doers” should eradicate any possible presumptions of each other, build trust, and foster collaboration at their very best. If the two groups decide to rival each other out of survival, the ultimate loss will be the organization's, and no one wins. Remember, “degree holders” and “experienced doers”do not replace each other, but can provide mutual support through knowledge sharing. Organizations will benefit immensely from fostering such collaboration while eradicating fear, insecurity or hostile competition between them.

You Ask :"How come companies always seem to value experience over education when making hiring decisions?"

Answer : It's because hiring is a business decision: getting things up and running in a matter of seconds is any organization’s expectation. Sad but true, companies usually don’t have the luxury to train enough or “wait -and- see”. Put yourself in a position of a business owner, you will understand the situation.

You Ask :"What can these degree holders (with limited onsite experience) do at this point? Are you saying there is absolutely no hope for them?" Answer : That is NOT what I meant. If you are passionate enough, you will find a way to breakthrough.

Have you heard about "being resourceful without having all the resources?" A good way to go about it is to start taking courses on LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, or other online courses that simulate real-life workplace scenario or visual demonstrations. Self training with the right tools can be an alternative solution in this case. Especially, volunteering is a great way to onboard your knowledge while building your network and credibility. In addition, attending conferences, workshops, seminars, networking mixers, or simply asking for advice can also help with your experience component. How many experienced connections do you have in your current professional network possess the knowledge you want to learn? If you don't have them yet, what is your plan to build these relationships or look for other alternatives? There are many ways to learn what you don't know: you just need to be Creative. Worst case scenario, if no one gives you a chance, you can create one for yourself: Entrepreneurship . Remember, you don't have to have all the answers because no one does. Life is full of hardships, but it's also an eventful journey filled with pleasant surprises. Stay on the bright side of life and have hopes.

Do you see

that beautiful rainbow

after a week-long thunderstorm?

So, what does education really mean?

(Having) Education is not limited to having a an expensive degree or certification from an internationally recognized university, college or institution. It means acquiring knowledge through all possible channels continuously, self-educating, self-investing, going through trial and errors, exploring the unknown, finding your north starts, etc. It is a continuous process until the day we die. With that being said, you don't necessarily need to have a degree in order to "have education" but need to be curious enough to keep learning what you don't know. All of us "have education." Lastly, degree holders and experienced doers are equally awesome : they should build trust, collaborate, respect each other, and should be valued equally by individuals and organizations.

Before I close, here are my words of caution: never put people into boxes. Such can be very detrimental, causing you to miss out valuable opportunities. Maybe the person you are judging right now could be an angel investor for your business, a potential business partner, an employer, a good friend, even your future life partner. You will never know what life holds. Always keep an open mind, and do not judge a book by its cover. Read all the chapters, then tell me what that book is all about.

Sincerely ,

Summit Seeker

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's. Assumptions made within this article do not necessarily represent author's opinions. The information contained on this article is not legal advice, and is intended solely to provide general guidance on matters of interest for the personal use of the reader, who accepts full responsibility for its use.

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