Is Third Level Education a Necessity?

At the age of 23, I was living by the beach in California, Operations Manager of a global technology consortium, with my first-class honors grade in my degree behind me. Yet I could not make simple life decisions for myself. Skype calls with my parents served that purpose.

Us Millenials are notorious for taking the extended travel trips to "find ourselves", but is it really any wonder? We don't know how to think for ourselves anymore because thinking for ones' self is not only difficult to teach but could potentially put your career at risk, especially if your real thoughts and opinions contradict the status quo.

So how are ever expected to work for ourselves, or employ others? A whole-life practice which requires regular introspection of one's confidence, decision-making ability, and principles. A position which no longer allows one to hide behind their professional brand, but where the line between personal and professional completely diminishes.

Having been Students' Union President of Cork Institute of Technology, I witnessed the amazing work which is being done to identify skills gaps in the local economy, and to bring industry on-board to help influence which courses are developed. This has led to some amazing courses in cloud computing, cybersecurity, mechanical engineering and others which provide industry-ready graduates to serve the local giants in cyber, pharma and manufacturing. In terms of a work-ready graduate, who is equipped to climb the ranks, this is just one example of how the education system is leading to a wealthier and healthier population across the board. A very successful case study which we are even working to document between CIT and the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC).

But is this system for everybody? Yes and no. There are elements of my career and my education which have stood to me immensely and I could not be more grateful to the staff in CIT for the work they do. But I often question if I ever had the temperament for the traditional education system. Don't get me wrong, I regularly achieved extremely high grades, but that all came from the independent work I did from my bedroom. I never picked things up in the classroom, I simply did not have the attention span. I still don't.

The internet and passive methods of learning like video and voice present enormous opportunities to learn for free and more importantly to learn quickly. Will I ever do a masters' degree? Probably not. Firstly there is the upfront cost, but then there is the cost of delayed income and the opportunity cost of what else I could be doing with my time. Recently I took a free online course, the Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certification, which I cannot speak highly enough of. It took me all of two weeks, and I have been applying this very hands-on knowledge within my own business ever since. I have been self-educating in digital marketing for the past year now with my own business, being the live project with which to apply it.

Now would I have even started my own business without the doors that my education opened? Or if I didn't go to college, would I have started a business when I was 18 and have 10 years of entrepreneurship behind me at this point? Who knows. Both could be the correct path. The real answer is that there are endless success stories out there and blueprints with which to follow. There are many ways of skinning the cat that brings you to a point where you learn what you want to learn and achieve what you want to achieve. The most important thing is that you simply start!

I will be discussing these very topics and featuring entrepreneurs from multiple backgrounds at Be Your Own Boss on September 28th in Republic of Work. A half-day education and mentorship seminar focused on the many ways that you can become self-employed, work in your passion or act on the business idea you have had for some time. Tickets are available on Eventbrite