We Don’t Need No Education…
I've written nearly 20,000 Tweets. I've probably read a million.
And there are a few that have really stood out.
The first that comes to mind was written by my friend Tara (@TaraLeaC). It involved a cat. And a pterodactyl. Never mind. Inside joke. You had to be there.
The second one (whose author shall remain anonymous) consisted of three little words. THESE three little words:
"Education is overrated."
And that Tweet has been bouncing around in my brain for probably six months.
It haunts me constantly. I think of it while driving. While working. While working out. While writing. It's like this math problem I cannot solve. But my brain NEEDS to solve it.
It's like saying Ferraris suck...
Or Kobe can't play basketball...
Or Megan Fox is hideous...
We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the class room
Teachers leave those kids alone
Hey, teachers! Leave those kids alone!
~ Pink Floyd | "Another Brick in the Wall"
A Life's Arc Altered...
When I was in high school, I had zero ambition. My goals at that time? Sports, girls and other things I cannot mention here - this is a PG-13 blog.
In my senior year, I applied to one college - Michigan State - and they summarily rejected me.
My reaction? Meh. My parents were not amused.
They insisted I produce a "Plan B." I shrugged my shoulders and went about my business. At that point in my life, I was a mega short-term, live-for-the-moment kind of guy. I wasn't thinking "the rest of my life." I was thinking "next weekend."
Through a miracle that still defies explanation (a guidance counselor from my high school that I did not know contacted Michigan State and, for reasons only God can explain, went to bat for me), I ended up at Michigan State after all.
And here's what happened while I was there:
- I learned about responsibility and perseverance
- I developed a work ethic
- I went from a lousy student to a tenacious competitor
- I thrived in the "sink or swim" context of a big school environment
- I matured far more than the number of calendar years I was there
- I "got prepared" for real life...and I grew up
- I ended up entering the work force at a much higher level than I would have without the degree (as a CPA in the best accounting firm in the world vs ... wow, I have no idea what I would have done)
I think about that guidance counselor - who I never did meet - a lot.
Without a doubt in my mind, the forward arc of my life was forever altered...
Lifelong Learning...
"Your role in your professional development is a lot like Website. If you choose to sit back and wait for knowledge and innovation to come to you...well, you end up unchanged and behind the learning curve. Essentially, you become a static Website sporting the same song and dance (or rotating gif). Don't outdate yourself! When you commit to lifelong learning....you accept the responsibility of seeking opportunities to develop your existing knowledge base. By doing so, you'll find you become a full featured ROCKIN' blog....a professional who really understands the needs of the current consumer and can provide the most relevant resources, strategies, and expertise. Inevitably, you raise the bar for yourself and other real estate professionals by giving your clients the home buying or selling experience they deserve."
~ Nicole Nicolay (@Nik_Nik) | Agent Evolution
Pip pip, cheerio, what what?
The college system in England is a bit different from what we experience in America. In England, *most* college students take general, intentionally broad curricula.
As opposed to what typical Americans do, which is to pick a major and learn as much about that one narrow topic as possible.
The English student learns almost all of the "industry specific" things he or she needs to know AFTER college...
Ergo, the goal of the typical English college experience is a broad development of the individual, purely for the intrinsic value inherent in that broad development of the individual.
In other words, education purely for the benefit of education, in the obvious belief that it helps to prepare the person for their ultimate career path, no matter what it is...
What He Said...
Marc Davison of 1000Watt Consulting wrote this:
Like Zappos, my brokerage would have an internal culture born from my beliefs, standards and morals and grown by people who share in those beliefs. And if an account executive at Yelp needs to have a college degree and at least a year in sales to sell web ads to restaurants, well, then I can require at least as much of people who will be selling shelter to families. I know, hard ass!
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