Education is the Key to Success.

EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS 

For many children all over the world, 70 million to be more exact, education is one of the many things that is deprived of them. It is because of this, 99.9 percent of these 70 million children will never get a chance to lift themselves out of poverty, resulting in them to be forced to work very hard and time-consuming jobs that pay below minimum wage, and eventually restart the cycle that their parents most probably went through as well. On the other hand, the kids that do have access to education, and make the most of it, their future will be very bright. As you probably already decided, you made the decision that you would definitely want to be in the scenario where you have access to education and can potentially produce a bright future. That is why I believe education is the key to success. Education is a fundamental human right which can help pave the way for more opportunities, and a more happy, successful, and worthwhile life. It should be provided in the most rural parts of a country and have appropriate fees so anyone can participate in developing a better future for themselves and others. Although in some parts of the world, especially rural parts, the number of schools built can be very low, and those school can have very bad infrastructure lowering the standard of education given, however, any education is a good one nevertheless.

Education is a fundamental human right which must be provided by the national government under the decree of the UN. It should be provided in the most rural parts of a country and have appropriate fees so anyone can participate in developing a better future for themselves and others. It is impossible to not think Education is the key to success, and just like Peter Dalglish, a very prominent figure in humanitarian acts said, education is the most important and best thing a child can possess. It has been proven to pave way too long lasting success, a wide array of opportunities and most of all the logic needed to thrive in life. However, all of this does not come easy. If the effort required to acquire these skills is not met, the scenario which I mentioned before is always a possibility. Regardless of this, on the contrary for almost anyone, as long as they are willing to put in the effort a bright future is also a possibility nonetheless.

In life, opportunities are not normally gifted, they are made and in most cases, education contributes to the increase of these opportunities. The reason for this is, education paves the way for people to go to university so they can continue their education but to a harder extent, eventually getting people ready to specialise in a certain skill and become of a high-quality standard. When looking for a job, companies always look for people who have a good education and have gone to university to become a master in the skill they chose to specialise in. Education essentially acts as an enhancement for your future. In addition to that, generally, people who have an education make smarter decisions, especially in times when good decisions are vital.

Have you ever heard of Brain Drain? Well...Brain Drain refers to the emigration of highly trained or qualified people for better living conditions, pay, quality of life and a few other factors, consequently, the country of origin loses these highly skilled people. When these people leave, the country of origin may suffer, particularly in the area of their own development. That is why if there are more people with education, the chances of them leaving will decrease because all the good jobs will have been taken by the increased amounts of skilled workers, forcing them to reside in their country of origin and contribute to their countries development. Essentially, although there is a chance of educated people leaving their own country for a better life, the ones that do stay will indubitably contribute to their countries development as well as theirs, primarily because they will have more opportunities to do so.


Education is not always at someone's doorstep, in fact, in some countries kids have to walk miles just to get to a school whose infrastructure is so bad, they can't gain the full education they deserve. Regardless of this, any education is a good one nonetheless. An example of this is William Kamkwamba. The boy who harnessed the wind was born in Malawi to some not so wealthy farmer parents and resided in a small shack which he had to share with several others. “Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world” - William Kamkwamba said in his book. Magic was a big part of his life until he started his education. However, like many he had to drop out to help his dad in the fields. But that did not pull him down. He went to his local library read a few books and then managed to build a windmill that provided electricity and clean water for his village. There are much more examples like William, ones that have used education to pave the way to a better life, and promote it for the better good of mankind.


Education is the pinnacle of what someone can possess. It probably surpasses money and the many other tempting objects which one could desire. Education acts as a person's key to success, as it can pave the way to a better life. For example, William Kamkwamba, Malala Yousafzai, and the so much more people have used education to escape their past and be able to receive jobs that have allowed them to remain above the poverty line, and live life to its fullest. In fact, education is a fundamental human right which must be provided by the national government. Although it is true in some parts of countries, primarily less developed ones, the amount of schools and the standard of the education decreases, any education is a good one, and just like William Kamkwamba said “Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world” science, one of the many subjects provided in an education can present opportunities to help for the better good of mankind as well as yourself.

Bibliography

• "Education for the 21st Century." UNESCO. N.p., 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 June 2016.
• "Education." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 June 2016.

Does Hardwork Trump Education?

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela. Throughout our lives, our parents have told us, time and time again, on the importance of education, the importance of college and that of studying. But does the amount of schooling you do really matter? Most job opportunities look for degrees rather that personality and determination and leave it up to your SAT score to see whether you will get the job or not. But what for the people who haven’t taken their SATs, or have never been to college because of their family’s low income. Do they not stand a chance to survive out in the real scary world. Is the world owned by the upper class who can afford such education? But most of all, do we take our lovely education for granted. Although some say education should be the identity of a person in the real world, I feel that people with less education and job experiences should be given the same opportunities as their more well-educated counterparts because they think our of the box, are more appreciative of their opportunities and are more likely have a growth mindset.


Think outside the box. That’s what your parents tell you when playing a board game or solving a tricky riddle. But how many of us would really apply this to the real world? Unlike a riddle, where we have nothing to lose, a gamble in our life could cost us everything, our home, our family and maybe our lives. I think that people with nothing to lose are more likely to take risks, even though it may result in financial hardship at first. But, what if you have nothing to lose, what if you are the underdog, would you be more likely to take that leap of faith and put your life in someone else’s hand. Well, statistics say yes. An experiment carried out in Harvard reflected just this, two people were placed against each other in a rigged game of monopoly. One person was given more money than the other, there were clear signs of aggression and arrogance from the richer person, but what went unnoticed for a while was the tactics of their poor counterpart. They had a higher tendency of taking financial risks, including unfair trading and border lining bankruptcy. Yes, they lost most of the time, but when the stuck gold, they struck a mine. This shows that if you have nothing to lose, you are more likely to dive into risks head first with the prospect of coming out a winner. A real life example of this is Chris Gardner, who was a door to door salesman, with a dream to get a Ferrari, a dream to become a millionaire. He took his goal of becoming a stockbroker head first without any qualifications or college education, a risk most of us wouldn’t even dream of. He recalls that “My baby and I were homeless. On occasion, we found ourself in the public bathroom of an Oakland BART station… But as long as I kept my mental focus on destinations that were ahead, destinations that I had the audacity to dream high, hold a red Ferrari of my own.” Fighting homelessness, Gardner powered on and, yes, did clinch his dream of getting a Ferrari. This shows us that risks won’t let you prosper in the short term but in the longer, if you put in hours, you will find yourself successful. A study conducted in 2008 by Sang Hyun Kim, and asst. professor at the School of Business and Administration in South Korea, showed that a person with (3 or 4 jobs worth) more job experience was 63% more likely to get a high paying job than someone with little or no job experience. This shows that thinking outside the box won’t always get you what you want, you need to get experience to get good job security. Owners feel that people with more experience are more calculated and are less likely to take risks that seem callous. But, are these the risks that help you strike gold?


“Trade your expectation for appreciation and the world changes instantly.” - Tony Robbins. The value of something is only as much as you appreciate it, education is one of those things. I think that we, more privileged people, have the tendency to take our education for granted, almost as an obligation. However, I feel like less fortunate people value their education as a luxury, and that they feel more fortunate about whatever card they are dealt, even if it may seem insignificant. ‘The Boy who Harnessed the Wind’ is an autobiography written by William Kamkwamba, now an inventor. It follows the story of his struggles to find his dream, his dream of education. Falling at the feet of the Malawian famine, he was robbed of schooling but was still persistent to learn. And to keep up with his goals he, “began a rigorous course in independent study, visiting the library in the mornings and spending the afternoons reading in the shade.” Many disagree with this point and say that the more educated you are, the more you learn about the value of education and a good job, and how it corresponds to a better life. A survey that was conducted in 2013 showed that 66% adults with no college education deemed it important, however, on the other hand, 77% of people with a college degree thought of college as a kick-starter in life. This showed that the more privileged people surprisingly showed more appreciation to the college education than the others. But, I think that you can never fully appreciate something until you experienced the struggle without it.


To be successful in life you need to physically and mentally prepare. You need to be able to adapt and grow as a person, learn from your mistakes and persevere. This is called having a growth mindset. I think people who come from financially and educationally poor backgrounds are more susceptible to have a growth mindset, rather than a fixed one. Carol Dweck, a Psychology teacher at Stanford University described having a growth mindset as, “people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point.” This is a trait seen in both William Kamkwamba, and Chris Gardner, they persevere and develop their skills, although they were different they shared one thing a love of education. Dweck mentioned this love of education in her book Mindset, stating that it is an attribute of people with a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset can help you cope and come to terms with defeat and failure in life. Many, however, feel that a fixed mindset can prove more helpful in life, many of these people are business owners. They feel that working on your strengths and ignoring your weaknesses is the way to go, having a fixed mindset makes you more worried about outcomes rather than processes. But, it cannot help turn liabilities into assets.


Many of the time people with high education protest, they say, “Why should someone with less education than me have the same job I have.” And in a way they have a point when it comes to on paper, quantitative data, they have a clear cut advantage. I mean, a Harvard degree looks good on your company’s VP or CFO. But, there are things that you can’t measure. Things that are qualitative. Things like hard work should never be ignored, personality should never be overlooked. I think that the looking for employees companies should take their eyes off the numbers, make it a more levelled playing field, give a chance. If we don’t give poverty stricken people jobs, how can we ever get rid of poverty, how can we ever take the first step towards equality.


Bibliography

Calderon, Valerie J., and Susan Sorenson. "Americans Say College Degree Leads to a Better Life." Gallup.com. N.p., 7 Apr. 2014. Web. 09 June 2016.

Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House, 2006. Print.

Gardner, Chris, Quincy Troupe, and Mim Eichler. Rivas. The Pursuit of Happyness. New York: Amistad, 2006. Print.

Kamkwamba, William, Bryan Mealer, and Elizabeth Zunon. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. N.p.: Harper Perennial, 2010. Print.

Kim, Sang Hyun. "Moderating Effects of Job Relevance and Experience." The School of Business Administration, n.d. Web.

Sivers, Derek. "Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset | Derek Sivers." Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2016.