What Actually Is “Education”?

Across the globe, people define "education" in different, specific ways: Going to school. Getting good grades. Attaining a degree. Have you ever taken time to truly define and understand what "education" actually means?

The online dictionary, Dictionary.com, defines education as "the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life" (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/education?s=t). Take an opportunity to honestly ask yourself: How well do you believe the education you've received in your life has helped you to "develop your powers of reasoning and judgment" and to "prepare yourself for mature life"?

After completing school, did you learn about taxes, how they work, and how they affect your life? How credit and debt work? What "inflation" is and how it decreases the value of your hard-earned savings every day? What value your degree truly holds in the market? How human psychology and trauma affect people not just personally but in the workplace? How to judge situations and make swift decisions with no prior time to study? How racism still affects our world today more than ever before? How to prepare for and respond properly during a global pandemic and economic crisis? This is using and developing your powers of reasoning and judgment!

Throughout many parts of the world, developed and developing locations alike, education often focuses on test-taking, getting good grades, and not failing. Let me be clear: Getting good grades is definitely important, especially in areas where testing for highly-specific, demanding skills, such as health-related fields, law, or engineering; also, being lazy is never a good habit to have, including being lazy in school. However, many education systems teach students that failure is unacceptable, the goal of learning is simply to get good grades, and we should avoid taking risks. As a result, many brilliant, creative, intelligent minds are never encouraged to take "risky chances" (the same "risky chance" you take when learning to walk, ride a bike, or learning a new language), to think outside the box, or learn essential life skills and "mature concepts" such as the ones in the paragraph above.

If your education does not help you to grow, learn useful skills, or get ahead in your own life, it is not helping you! Information that used to only be available in a traditional school setting can now be searched and found within seconds via the internet (make sure you fact-check your sources!). Books offer timeless, practical wisdom and knowledge. Legitimate online courses teaching marketable skills, especially during this pandemic, are more accessible now than ever before! If you have access to the internet, you have everything you need to educate yourself with useful knowledge and skills that will help you in life.

In this article, let's take a look at three specific points you can apply you are maximizing your opportunity for self-growth through education.

Three Crucial Points

• Think Critically: As mentioned previously, our education systems often simply teach us what and how we should think. We live in a world where we are bombarded with true and false information mixed together. This is why phrases such as "there are two sides to every story" and "ignorance is bliss" exist. Now more than ever, it is crucial to think critically: Do your own research. Fact-check the information you are fed. Verify the sources. Be open-minded and accept that you do not know everything. Practice using your judgment and make educated decisions.
• Develop a Growth Mindset: Always aim to develop and grow. If you want to remain competent and marketable in whatever it is you do, keep learning! Stay humble and know that nobody is ever "too smart" to learn new things. The human mind was made to absorb knowledge and learn: devour true knowledge and information! Any success or failure is a lesson in which you can learn so many valuable skills that can help you become an even better form of yourself! Just like learning to ride a bike, take each failure and success to help you grow and improve each time you try! Never stop learning!
• Education Comes in Countless Forms: School definitely provides many benefits in one's educational journey, there is no argument there. However, don't ever limit yourself to believing that you can only learn things by going to school. Rather, let it be just one tool in your "education toolkit". There are so many ways to learn valuable things, especially nowadays with the internet! Whether it be books, videos, online courses, mentors, or life, expand the ways that you intake knowledge, wisdom, and practical skills. Most of these forms are also extremely cheaper than college tuition and you can learn marketable skills that you can use right away in your own career.

Conclusion

I would like to emphasize once more: going to school is not a bad thing if you have a clear, solid plan. It can teach us valuable skills and lessons. However, if not properly planned or well-thought-out, a college degree could leave you in debt for decades to come with the same job you would have attained without a degree. Additionally, remember, school-education is only one "tool" in our "education toolkit". No matter who you are, what work you do, or what educational background you have, never forget the three keys discussed: think critically, develop a growth mindset, and utilize the "education toolkit"! These do not require skill to do, they simply require effort, and it's effort well worth the investment.

Similar to the dictionary definition provided earlier, I want to ask you once more: How well do you believe the education you've received in your life has helped you to "develop your powers of reasoning and judgment" and to "prepare yourself for mature life"?

If professional writing or public speaking is something you’re looking to improve, please consider connecting with me! I offer coaching in these skills as part of my Business English course along with other essential business English skills.

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To your success,

Carlos R.