Why Education Isn’t Enough for Success
By Cynthia Kocialski
When I was growing up, my parents believed that the school
system would teach their children everything they needed to know to be
successful. Now, as a parent, I have a different perspective.
Horace Mann (1796-1859) is famous for his words that
“Education … beyond all other human devices is a great equalizer of the
conditions of men”. The 1840 US Census
was the first to track education. In New
England, 1 out of 5 attended primary school and in the south, it was 1 out of
24. Far fewer attended grammar schools,
the forerunners of high schools and only 1 out of 900 attended college. In
Horace’s day, being educated was really something special and so his words were
wise.
Today, the landscape is quite different. Everyone is
afforded a K-12 education and a high school diploma may only classify one as
unskilled labor. Common education, as it was referred to in Horace’s time, is
not enough to guarantee success. It takes more, and so parents are looking for
ways to give their children the edge.
No matter what pursuit, education alone isn’t enough, no
matter how many degrees one obtains. I know people who have done post-doctorate
work just to qualify as a serious candidate for a job – and this does not make
them unique because there are many with similar backgrounds. The answer to success isn’t to pursue one’s
studies to an extreme. It’s to develop those other skills not taught in the
traditional school system; those that truly set one apart from all the others.
Every veterinarian receives the same training, yet some have
thriving practices while others don’t. It’s not the education that makes the
difference. It’s the skills and talents that surround it.
The truth is these other skills will never be taught in
school. The reason is the school system’s purpose is to pass
the wealth of human knowledge onto the next generation. Success demands that the individual be
outstanding, but that implies standing out from the crowd and it can’t be done
by building the same skills as everyone else.
About the Author
Cynthia
Kocialski is the founder
of three tech start-ups companies. In the past 15 years, she has been involved
in dozens of start-ups. Cynthia writes the Start-up Entrepreneurs’ Blog www.cynthiakocialski.com.
Cynthia has written the book, “Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success: How to
Prosper Without Being at the Top of the Class.” The book serves up tips,
insight, and wisdom to enable young adults and parents of kids to know what it
will take to forge a successful career, no matter what their academic
achievement.
![Great book that talks about life skills to succeed. Definitely add on material when purchasing academic books.](/account/images/quote.img?version=1"e.text=Great+book+that+talks+about+life+skills+to+succeed.+Definitely+add+on+material+when+purchasing+academic+books.&author.text=Yvonne&begin.fill.color=D3D387"e.fill.color=3E2E24&stage.width.max=339&pid=1329874720108)
