“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.
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.
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