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…Yep, there, I said it – I have no desire to ever go back to school – no need for higher education – and see no value in putting myself into thousands and thousands of dollars in debt to walk away with piece of paper that says I’m smarter and more qualified than you. No thanks.
Nicole Crimaldi over at Ms. Career Girl – a good friend and someone I’ve had the pleasure of working with – wrote an outstanding post recently about the value of self education. I share in her initial disclaimer – if you’re seeking a career as a doctor, attorney, professor, or some other high level profession – this “screw the degree” post isn’t for you. I fully understand and appreciate the need for higher education when it comes to those specific career paths.
To the rest of you – I encourage you to take a look at where you stand today – what you’re doing and how you got here. Odds are, your schooling had very little to do it (except for maybe impressing a few folks with your resume) – rather – it’s what you’ve done for yourself – and what you’ve taught yourself over time.
I’m living in Chicago, working as an Internet Marketing Developer and developing a name for myself as a freelance web developer and consultant – but one year ago, I had absolutely 0% experience in this field. Funny what you can do when you actually set out to do it, right?
You see, a lot of us think that extra school is the pathway to success – maybe your lost, wandering and confused, wondering what you want to do with your life, and in your search for fulfilment and happiness you consider going back to school because your title and credentials will guarantee you success, right? Wrong.
In this day and age – its much less about the amount of school you take on and much more about what you’re willing to take on yourself. EXPERIENCE trumps formal education, hands down. Self education is, without a doubt, the highest form of learning (and yes, higher ed graduates, I’m talking to you to, and you know I’m right). School can teach you a lot, it can give you the technical know-how, but you’ll never be as successful as you can be and want to be until you take initiative to go the extra mile and start teaching yourself.
The beauty of the world that we live in today is that everything…EVERYTHING you want, all of the information you need, is out there for the taking. If you want to start a cupcake delivery company, do it! If you want to risk it all and move to another country, you can! Location independence is real, becoming an entrepreneur by age 25 is a legitimate possibility. Why? Not because of school, not because of a degree, but because people are willing to take flying leaps out of their comfort zones, ask a “shit-ton” of questions, and stay up until 2am reading marketing literature, all while saving money, surviving on Ramen noodles, and wearing that sweater their mom gave them in 9th grade.
Self education is the best form of education because at the end of the day, you are the master of your own destiny, you hold the reigns, you write the papers and give the tests – and ultimately – you are responsible for yourself – the possibilities are endless.
As Nicole so aptly puts – going back to school won’t save you from the recession, it won’t help you “figure it all out”, and it should NEVER be an excuse to delay entering into the “real world”.
Maybe higher education IS for you – if that’s your passion, then who am I or anyone else to tell you that you shouldn’t go do it? But before you do – think about everything you can and should be doing RIGHT NOW to set yourself up for success…
All things considered, when the chips fall – maybe more school IS the right thing for you, but then again, maybe it isn’t.
Everything I’ve learned this past year has been because I’ve put myself out there, made mistakes, and learned something from every single one of them. I still have a long way to go – but I’m excited about the life-long learning process, and I know that I don’t need a piece of paper in a fancy plaque to point me in the right direction.
Higher-education versus self-education. What value do you place on either/both?
Matt,
Someone once said, "Being self-educated is no crime, but being self-certified may be."
I'm very much a proponent of self-education, and feel it is the best when incorporated with mentoring and coaching by other people. The concept of teaching yourself is known as "autodidacticism." That idea is the whole concept and basis for my own blog. See this article: http://bit.ly/4w6wYu
A lot of people who knock college are people who aren't disciplined enough to get it done. A lot of people who knock entrepreneurism and self-education are too afraid to think outside the box. I think people's decisions need to be made on a case-by-case basis.
For example, want to be a highly paid engineer? Go to a good school, even get a Masters. Want to been an Internet entrepreneur or a blogger? Your best off learning that stuff on your own (at least you won't find it in school.) I just wrote a profile on Pat Flynn, who has made a killing on his blog but he attributes a large part of it to what he learned getting his architectural degree.
I myself for a BA and MA, but what I'm paid to do came from what I taught myself along the way. I am paid about $10K more than another person who does the same type/quality of work than me only because I have an MA.
Some food for thought, and some good issues you've brought up here. I guess this was meant for comments, not entirely new posts! Thanks!
Matt,
I'm right there with you, however the Gatekeepers of the world want you to go through the "proper" channels and get your degrees and certifications in order to be successful within their businesses. I always tend to lead into business and money making when discussing education, because ultimately we need to make money to survive. The question though is, How Much do we need to make?
Higher education opens doors that may otherwise be closed to the "less (officially) educated". There have been studies that people who graduate college earn about $600,000 more over their lifetime than those that do not.
This does not mean that you cannot earn a significant amount of money. However you'll need to work hard and employ a lot of self discipline if you are to be successful. This will be necessary because if you chose not to conform to the Gatekeepers of the world, then you'll need to be self employed and you'll need to have an edge.
Buckle down, get your ducks in a row, think in terms of serving your clients with excellence and you'll be positioned for greatness. A lot gets lost in "big business" these days and I see it all the time. Problems with Quality, Performance, Customer Service, and Production are all major factors when working for "the man". If you strive for excellence in all aspects of your own business, then you can avoid these problems. No amount of education can account for true, in the field experience, and when it's your own business you have a lot more control over the factors mentioned above.
Ultimately, education or not, you need to make enough money to satisfy your own level of happiness. Whether you make a million dollars a year or $30K it doesn't really matter unless you're happy. Do what you love and live within your means and find the balance between work and life and always recognize the difference between the two. They are NOT the same.
Can you say RANT?
Cheers!
::Wipes a Tear From his eyes:: It's SO beautiful Matt. So Beautiful!
No seriously. I agree. Nothing more... nothing less. Well said.
Samuel Diener
I would argue that even if you need a degree for your chosen field, learning more on your own (through reading, networking, etc.) is always a good idea and is what separates the good (or not so good) from the excellent.
I definitely agree that life experience has been proven to be more helpful than formal education in the real world, though it is true that you need both in order to survive and benefit financially (get the job that you want). School can teach you a lot of the basics, which I think are important (i.e basic arithmetic, reading, writing, etc.) However, it is your own personal responsibility to then take the initiative to, once you have started thinking about what you want to do for a living, really focus on the knowledge and skills that your chosen career would require. Of course, most jobs require schooling to a certain degree, and will definitely (most often times) choose someone with a better education over you, even if your life experience is better (higher quality, or just more experienced in general).
Don’t judge based on popularity or blind reciprocity, instead make sure they “get it” and just as importantly, that their followers “get it”. More...
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