“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
-Albert Einstein
College is an important time in life. It’s the culmination of a lifetime of classroom education, and a pivotal time to discover one’s passions. Unfortunately, this is precisely the time at which those potential passions are crushed. As a child, you are told you can be anything. The world is your oyster, they say. And herein lies the hypocrisy of our society: every year students are ushered off into the job world knowing their majors, but not the possibilities. For many, the world will certainly not be their oyster. At 18 you are told to pick a major. You are given no time to explore what life has to offer, and no experiential basis with which to make this decision. Instead you are instructed to learn about a subject for 4 years, and go into a career based on that decision. How much potential is being lost in this process? How many dreams are we preventing from forming?The Truth About Career Path(s)
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”
-Steve Jobs
The idea that you must choose a career path for your life is misleading. You can do many things in your life, as long as you allow yourself the freedom to see it this way. At a large University, there are at most a few hundred degrees offered. Yet in the actual job market there are millions of options. And this doesn’t include jobs that have not yet been created or ones that you can create yourself. There are more options than you can currently fathom, and one of them might be your life’s purpose. Don’t just limit yourself to what school offers you. I was once lost in this system, with no passions or interest in my academic career. I had always been dragged along, maintaining just enough participation to get through. I felt like a zombie. It wasn’t until I stopped listening to others, and started listening to myself, that I was able to get out of this funk. I eventually found Entrepreneurship, and it jolted my energy systems alive. It was as if I had been blind. Until that moment, I thought entrepreneurship was a mythical profession that only the most elite could enjoy. But I read, researched, and explored until I began to realize just how possible it was. It is entrepreneurship that gave me purpose. The freedom to innovate, explore and change lives cannot be overlooked. Why is the college system intent on preaching sameness? It is innovation upon which we must rely. Innovation is key for the success of both individuals and our society. Edison, Franklin, Carnegie, Ford, Gates, Jobs, these men were all leaders of industry and captains of innovation. They effectively changed our world, and society now rests on the pillars of what they accomplished. These great men made an impact by paving their own way. They were somehow able to see the world differently than everyone else. That is the problem with school: it doesn’t allow you to see things outside of its own paradigm. This you must find out for yourself. You must change your mindset and see your life for the possibilities that it holds. Don’t let school tell you what you can and can’t be. Only you have the final say on how your life is going to be. William is a student, athlete and aspiring entrepreneur with a desire to help young men like him succeed. He grew up and currently lives in Pasadena, CA. Check out his website at youngtenacity.comThe post The Most Important Thing School Can Teach You appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.