If you want success, ditch education!

Does education guarantee success?

If you want success, ditch education!

We were ALL told when we were kids that education is important. 'If you don't pass your exams, you won't amount to anything.' 'How are you going to get a job if you don't get any qualifications?'

Now I agree that 'the Three Rs' (reading, writing, arithmetic) are important. But I've got news for you, folks: if you pass your exams, you'll never amount to anything. If you go to university and get a degree, you'll be selling yourself short! Sure, you'll be able to go and be a drone in somebody else's organization, but you'll never spread your wings and soar!

The real business geniuses never wasted time at university: Richard Branson, Alan Sugar, John Harvey-Jones (apart from a 6 month stint at Cambridge to learn Russian!). But what about the ones who did go: Donald Trump and Bill Gates.

And of course, if you happen to be in the UK, you'll end up in massive debt to get an education, in many cases with no guarantees of getting a decent job afterwards.

SO...what do you think? Best to get straight into the 'real' world of work - or go to university and get an education?

YOUR TURN!

If you want success, ditch education!

Fetching blurbs now... please stand by

Yes, better to get out into the world and be an entrepreneur!

Homejames says:

You learn as you Grow..... I did and now have a Successful Business... "One Year Plan""

Posted August 03, 2008

SJHubber says:

I flunked out of college; my brain was simply not structured for that crap. However, when I married a double-Masters Degree holder from Oxford (going for her PhD) I saw the world with a new set of eyes...

One that sees MUCH LESS value in a college education than ever before!

Right now we are very successful entrepreneurs and wouldn't have it any other way. I feel sorry for anyone who values their education, because THEY DIDN'T CONTROL WHAT GOT PUT INTO THEIR HEADS.

Someone else taught them to be what they needed them to be.

University Grad = Trained worker

At least if you don't accept their brainwashing then you can learn in the lab of life exactly how to be successful on your own terms, not how to make others successful.

Posted July 28, 2008

mulberry says:

I think the university education is invaluable.It SHOULD teach more than a trade and if you fail at your business you have more to fall back on. That's not to say that you can't be successful just diving in however.

Posted July 26, 2008

SerenityLive says:

I think there are definitely wonderful opportunities for people in this country without university education. Plus, student loans can really hurt! Especially if you don't have a great plan (or get really lucky) after school. I think everyone needs to make their own choice, but I'm not sure I believe in university just for education-sake. Thanks for writing on my forum post! I thought I'd drop by and give you some traffic!

Posted June 19, 2008

No way, university teaches students much more than just the lecture material.

Noadi says:

I have to disagree even though I'm doing decently well as an artist without having gone to art school. There are careers which don't require a college education just sufficient creativity (art and business being two of these) but there are many which a college education is an absolute must! Would you want a surgeon who didn't go to medical school for example?

I also have to add that I think people should be constantly educating themselves, whether that involves reading books, taking classes at a college (even if it isn't towards a degree), taking adult education courses, etc. You never know where new knowledge will take you.

Posted July 16, 2008

LauraMarie says:

In my case university enabled me to get a professional degree and allows me to practice as a health professional. For these type of jobs a degree is a must. However I do realise university is not for everyone, and some people come out in debt and cant get a good job. I am lucky I have my student loan paid!

Posted June 22, 2008

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ArtSiren's comment (July 25):

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the discussion. Some very interesting thoughts have been aired. I completely agree (Noadi) about continuously educating ourselves - I've spent about 10% of my income per year on courses, books etc to learn about new things.

The question of getting a degree to enter a profession is valid upto a point in my opinion, but the old days of 'get a degree, get a well-paid job for life' are long gone now. For example, my profession was chemistry, I went to four universities, and have a PhD. Unfortunately, these days a PhD is pretty much the minimum qualification for chemistry, and an increasing number of people educated to that level are having to resort to 6 month contract jobs, and then get booted out. Quite shocking, considering the student debts many accrue these days, without ever getting the job that will allow them to pay it all back!

My hope is that real, practical business gets taught more at highschool level, especially things like money management, basic accounting skills, writing business plans, the tax system, how to raise capital etc. And it would also be useful to teach kids about the value of savings, investments, pensions so they at least have some sort of basic knowledge to take with them into the world of work.

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Zenabowli-ArtisticLife Zenabowli-ArtisticLife Mar 29, 2009 @ 2:29 pm

What we need to do is make the distinctions between education and learning. Vicarious learning happens by being exposed to valuable traits and skills, regardless of the attentiveness of the learner. Auto didactic learning is motivated by passion, interest and enthusiasm. This will often outstrip the educations of students motivated by the shallower desires for status and money. Generally speaking, individuals graduating from the world of academia are good servants of the industrial mechanism, but are not usually the powerhouse of imagination, ingenuity and innovation. These traits come from facing challenges, solving problems and overcoming adversity. With all of this in mind I would not declare supremacy of one approach over the other. Just different with unique purposes.

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Jul 28, 2008 @ 8:53 pm

Education has little to do with going to college. I know plenty of fools with degrees, and plenty of very well "educated" people who have probably never set foot on a university campus. You can skip half your classes and still manage get a degree without actually learning anything. And you can educate yourself without ever stepping into a classroom.

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mulberry mulberry Jul 26, 2008 @ 9:24 pm

See my post verifies what I was saying. A degree doesn't make you literate either. I meant OUR schools not ARE schools. !!!

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mulberry mulberry Jul 26, 2008 @ 8:39 am

I agree with you in part, the basic financial skills and so forth should be taught early on; it's critical. On the other hand we need educated kids and I don't want to think that are schools exist to teach "basic" survival skills. We have talented intelligent individuals but are behind in the world as it often goes to "waste". I also agree that a university education doesn't guarantee success or even intelligence!

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Kanga Kanga Jul 24, 2008 @ 12:09 am

I think it really depends on what career you're aiming for. I know people who have degrees that they don't use, and I know people who really want to go to university to change careers because they never had the opportunity.
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