Those who have known me for a while know that I have a background in psychology; I attended the University of Texas and even worked in a research lab.
More and more in today’s society, I hear people arguing that education is a waste of time… oooh…. I could not disagree more. I have heard the argument so many times about the statistics referencing that many of college graduates do not even utilize the degree that they graduate with… I hear about the massive debt that students accrue… So many people with so many complaints about education.
I will not say that every must or needs to go to college… I will, however, say that I wish more people would. Just for a personal preference; there are far too many people out there that lack education. It just makes life less enjoyable when you encounter these people daily and they have no desire to learn anything but feel they already know everything… you know these people; we all do. You can’t get away from them. People try to blame it on a generational thing or whatever…but there have been stupid people in every generation; it is a sad yet very true fact. I simply say stupid because that is what it is when people assume they know everything and refuse to learn anything…STUPID.
Now, to put away my soapbox… I encourage education for so many reasons… I do have my personal reasons; yet there are many professional reasons as well. Truth is that you need to be educated. You need to know more than what you are selling. There are plenty of people who get by on just their one little skill or product or idea, but do you want to get by or do you want to be wealthy and successful? Let’s get there already, then.
You need to be educated. You need to know some things. You need to have some mathematical background so you can know how to manage your funds and your budget. You need to be able to budget, manage your overhead (whatever it may be), track expenses, balance your books, etc. These are all fundamentals that ultimately are many people’s downfall. You need to be able to write, at least a little. You need to be able to write a memo, a proper email, draw up paperwork, etc. It can be critical to be able to formulate proper documents and conduct yourself professionally as well as protecting yourself. There have been many business deals that have fallen through in which documents were not legit and one party is left being held responsible. You need to be articulate; be able to carry yourself in a professional manner and speak well to others. You need to speak well and have people want to listen to you when it is your business you are trying to grow.
Overall, there are so many things that you will learn by going to school… so many things I did not even touch on here as I was merely speaking about the fundamentals when trying to grow your business.
I have learned many things over my years in the education system; I learned about statistical design processes as well as in depth psychological perspective, business writing, creative writing, debate, science, history, politics…. Reality is, I could go on and on because I loved my education. I am grateful I did it and have never regretted it. It was a truly amazing experience and I learned so much that I utilize every day. So frequently, I can reference something from my days in school… I also had experiences and fun that don’t compare to anything else (I am not talking about drunken frat parties either).
It is important and beneficial to be educated; there are so many benefits that can propel you into the future. Don’t buy into the idea that it is a waste of time because of all the hype or because it is cool to not go to school. Get out there, have some experiences, make some memories, and learn something.
Your future is what you make it to be. IT is never to late to learn more either. Just sayin’
beingcoreybayless 