Why Education (not just a diploma) is the Key to Success

First off, I feel I have to clarify my personal vision of education. So, just to be fair, we need to start with the definition of the word. Dictionary.com defines education as “the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.”  Did you notice anything strange?  They don’t mention a degree or an approved learning curriculum!  My point is, that a certificate of achievement, while it does help to verify our learning, is not necessary for success. Everyday we are learning through the experiences that we have. For example, we may become educated on a certain topic through apprenticeship, volunteering, working, traveling, reading, socializing…the list goes on. We’re always learning and many times the things we learn outside of a university are just as important as the things we learn while inside the building. I’ve often felt that there should be a “life experience” section on applications and resumes just for these types of skills. Some employers are considerate of life skills, but unfortunately the interest is still limited. There is something to be said for university learning though, since it helps us to understand a great variety of information in a very short time and with the structure and pace that many of us have trouble achieving on our own. But, if you can gain skills and knowledge through other means, I say go for it! More power to you! Use life as your laboratory and develop the skills that will help you to reach your goals.

 

While university learning may not be necessary for success, I do believe that education (in some form) is essential for becoming a success in life. I don’t mean just for making money and reaching your financial goals. I believe that education is essential for success in all things. Whether you’re interested in having a better marriage, wanting to start your own business, or being a better mom…we have to do our research, gain the experience and discover the means that will help us to reach our goals. Now that I’ve spoke my piece, we can discuss the qualities that bring success in life and how education can help us to develop those qualities. I firmly believe that the solution to every problem lies in education. A family who wants to grow crops must learn how to nurture plants, an individual with low confidence must discover ways to remove the psychological barriers that prevent them from believing in themself and a person who wants to build a business has to understand how to find a niche and develop a marketing scheme. We go about all these things through education. Whether you pursue a university education or self education, the same qualities of success apply. What I mean is, that no matter who you are or what you study, you can become successful by demonstrating these basic qualities:

 

• Set goals & make a plan. It helps to know exactly where we want to be and how we plan to get there. In order to succeed, we must do our research and learn about the area that we intend to practice in. Whether it be building houses or becoming a fluent speaker of a new language, we have to make a plan of how we will become educated and gain the experiences necessary for the task. A plan helps to keep us motivated because it provides a visual reminder that there are only so many steps until our goals are realized, making them seem more within our reach.

• Take action. If we are achieve our goals, we must realize that each action is an opportunity to build skills and form habits that will lead us down the path of success. We cannot let fear or other barriers stand in our way. Instead, we must take control of our lives by completing the steps in our plan. In this way, we let our choices be driven by ambition instead of fear.

• Prepare for the worst & be persistent. Throughout life, we can be sure that many obstacles will be thrown at us and it is up to us to remain positive in spite of the difficulty. A favorite author of mine, Victor Villaseñor, suffered through 265 rejections before he published his first book. He kept on despite a learning disability (dyslexia), racial discrimination and his extremely low self esteem. It was a trip to Mexico that finally helped him to realize his worth and see that his people could be and do anything. In the same way that he ignored his 265 rejections and pressed on, we should continue in our efforts if we want to be successful, no matter the obstacles. Failure is life’s best teacher, so be positive and choose to see it as an opportunity for learning.

• Believe in yourself. When we know our worth, it becomes impossible for anyone to tear us down and deter us with their negative criticism. It helps if we can recall all our best skills and attributes and remember them in times of self doubt. Making a list and putting it in a location where we know that we will see it everyday can help. I have personally found it helpful to read the memoirs of others who are like me or have similar goals. Seeing someone like ourselves succeed makes our goals seem much more attainable.

•  Feed your curiosity. When we find that we have interest in a certain area, taking time to research, read and study it helps us to gain insight that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. We become experts in a sense and gain understanding that helps to form our values and ideas about life. Learning the details also helps us to gain knowledge in our subject so that we can express ourselves confidently when in our field of study.

• Go beyond your comfort zone. Being educated means expanding our knowledge in not just what we enjoy learning, but also in the areas that challenge us most. Being open to learning from individuals or experiences that we wouldn’t typically consider provides us with diverse ideas and knowledge that broadens our perspective. In part, every person that we come in contact with is a teacher and every experience in life is a lesson that we can learn from.