“Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school. It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education” — Albert Einstein
The greatest form of disability in life is not knowing your ability. Your winning edge in life is not the degree you have acquired or the certificate you possessed, but your ability to solve problems.
Whenever I interview graduates, I am not so keen on their qualifications; I am only keen on their special skills, experiences and their unique approach to problem-solving. Most of them cannot even apply the knowledge they have acquired in school to solving life problems. The 21st Century employer doesn’t necessarily pay you a salary for the certificate you possess, but for the problems you can solve.
The reality of life is that there are more employable graduates than the available jobs, and it is only graduates that can actually think beyond their certificate that would eventually find their own place in life. Mark Twain said: “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” The proof of going to school is your certificate, but the proof of your education is in your ability to solve problems through innovation and creativity.
Graduates that cannot solve problems are liabilities. Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree; it is about widening your knowledge, thinking creatively and absorbing the truth about life. We must see our education beyond our certificates. Many people spend their precious years in school only to end up acquiring certificate, not education. Einstein said: “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Have you ever heard of the creativity term, ‘think outside the box?’
One of the major reasons why most graduates are poor is because they cannot see and think beyond their certificates. I have seen engineering graduates work as bankers. I have seen medical doctors with great skills in web and graphic designs. I have seen lawyers that are very dexterous with finances. The list is endless!
The basic truth of life is that the skills needed to be much sought after and become more successful in life are not really found within the walls of the classrooms. Your certificate is just proof that you are teachable; it does not suggest what you are totally capable of doing. You are full of possibilities when you think beyond your degrees and certificates.
If you remove your certificate from the picture, what are those things you can do effortlessly so well? You would definitely need the knowledge you have acquired in school, but they must not define your limitations. Don’t allow your certificate to put a limit on what you are capable of doing. Your education goes beyond acquiring certificate; it is your ability to solve problems. While schooling leads to confinement, education is an adventure. While schooling makes us learn through rules and facts, education makes us learn through exposure.
I have seen many graduates being successful in areas that have nothing to do with their course of study.
