An Education Can’t Be Replaced by a Degree
We live in a culture that prizes institutional education. How many degrees do you have? Are you going back to school? Where did you go to college?
However, as college degrees have become more commonplace, seemingly no longer the exception, but the rule, ‘school’ has become more meaningless. Once individuals receive their obligatory college degree –– they think that they’re ‘good’ and they can finally take a breath and stop learning. They stop entertaining new ideas, new beliefs, new experiences, and they stick to what they know.
No wonder students seem to hate school–– because they’ve been conditioned to think that their lives can begin after they finish their institutional education. That a degree is simply a box to be checked before the real fun begins.
But, what about committing to a life of education –– not in the sense of additional degrees or a professional student status, but a life that prioritizes learning new things and putting oneself in new situations. A commitment to personal growth, innovation and the widening of one’s worldview. You can have degree after degree, while having never gone outside of the four walls you were taught in.
A close-minded view of education, as something that has no real meaning beyond the piece of paper or status that is received, breeds a culture that sees education as a chore. But a lifelong commitment to learning, growth and deep understanding takes into consideration the skills gained in the classroom, in the board room, on the streets, traveling the world, within different cultures, and the list goes on…
How many of us haven’t even read a book since it was considered required reading? Probably more than would like to admit. Learning doesn’t have to be something that you’re forced into–– and expanding your understanding doesn’t have to be painful.
Read a freaking book. Not one that you have to read. Just read a good one.
The commitment to a life of learning is much more impactful than a commitment to a handful of degrees.