Education Rant II

According to Earl Taylor with Onslow County (NC) schools, "...a high school diploma [is] the minimum that is required to be successful in life."

I couldn't disagree with him more.

That statement is what the Establishment wants you to believe. Formal Education is severly over-rated. Time and time again, I hear that you have to have a four-year college degree to get anywhere. That too is an exaggeration.

In high school, and even collge...depending on your "track"...what do you really learn? Mostly useless, trivial tripe that you will probably never use except to recall on a test...or if you happen to be a contestant on a game show.

Unfortunatly, I do realize that part of Taylor's statement does have an element of truth. To get most jobs that pay enough to live off of, you do have to have at least a high school diploma.
But, it isn't the determination of success. To be successful in life, you need ambition. I'm not saying education isn't important...just not formal, state-run education where beauracrats sitting at a desk decide what is important for you to learn.

To paraphrase the great Mark Twain, I never let schooling interfere with my education.

To be successful in life also depends on your defininition of the word success.

You could be successful by getting a high-paying job and climb up the corporate ladder. Or you could, by your own cleverness and/or blood, sweat and tears make your own success.

One thing that formal education fails to teach...is life. When a student gets out in to the "real world," that's when the real education begins.

My imersion into the "real world" came full force in November 2006 when I decided to move in with and support my girlfriend and her five-year-old daughter...now my wife and seven-year-old stepdaughter.

Money and time management skills are probably two of the most needed, non-labor intensive skills.

Maintainence skills are also good to have...especially when you live paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to pay someone to take care of problems for you. Luckily my dad has been there for us in times of need. However, I regret not trying to learn how to do a lot of things he does when I was younger. I'm trying to now because I realize he's not going to be around and able forever.
Keep learning, just don't buy into the Establishment's hype about the importance of formal education to success in life.