Hill states that "the missing link in all systems of education may be found in the failure of educational institutions to teach their students how to organize and use knowledge after they acquire it."
I have had this problem for a long time with education. This is actually a soapbox I could get on for a while. This may be somewhat of an over-generalization, but to me it seems like all knowledge acquired at colleges is like this. Even if a person gets a biology or engineering degree they still are learning a lot of useless info. that they never use. A person usually only uses a small percentage of what they learn in college - or I would even venture to say what they learn in high school as well. And then they are not even taught how to use the small percentage that could be useful. It just makes so much more sense to me to get some kind of specialized degree in something where you are actually shown how to apply what you learn. I think that's pretty much what Hill is saying here. I'm not saying that you should quit college if you are getting a degree. Just make sure you learn how to apply what you learn if you want to be successful or make money. I think for the most part anyway that a person can apply the Think and Grow Rich principles to any degree and be successful.
People mistakenly think that if they get a degree that they will all the sudden be smart and rich. It just doesn't work that way.
This is so interesting Jennifer - because just maybe a week or so ago, I had a conversation with a buddy I went to college with. We were reminiscing about college days, people we knew back then, etc, etc. And out of the blue - we ended up on this exact subject. The fact that what we learned in college - how much of it were we actually using? Differential equations? Advanced physics? Not ever used. I'm not saying that these classes don't have use - they do. The question was more - what was the purpose of taking these classes? Short of showing that we had the 'gumption' to complete them - most have never been used. Yet, they're required.
I agree that a college education has much value. Part of that value is just in the piece of paper you receive at the end. Proof that you completed it. That one piece of paper can open many doors. It does not make you any more qualified than someone off the street who has a great desire for the same position.
In fact, I happen to think that some of the most valuable classes from college were ones not related to my major at all. Many of the English classes, public speaking classes, creative thinking classes. These really are classes that can apply to life in general. And those ARE valuable.
The other thing I think - is that we don't always know what we want to do when we're 18 years old. Sure, some people do. Many, though, are undecided.
Okay, I've gotten off on a couple of tangents here. The value in a college degree is that it expands our boundaries. However, the knowledge we gain - is not necessarily knowledge we'll ever use. College degrees open doors - but that doesn't mean it's the table we want to sit at. Or it doesn't mean the meals are all prepared at that table.
Good thoughts here Jennifer.
