I was talking to another student about my quitting school. Here’s what she said about why she’s still in school – “education is the safest insurance plan”.
I understand where she’s coming from. And I’ve heard that statement so many times, especially when people ask me about why I quit school. But I don’t agree. The question is, why play it safe? As Seth Godin has said, in today’s world, ‘safe is risky”.
The semi-finals of the World 10-Ball Championship between Niels Feijen and Darren Appleton was a great example. Feijen consistently went for safety shots. Even when he could make the offensive shot, he chose to go down the safe path. And eventually, he lost out.
If you play not to lose, you won’t win. You won’t make the right decisions, and ultimately, you won’t come up on top. As the book “Sway” by Ori and Rom Brafman points out, fear of loss is one of the main reasons behind bad decisions. Kathy Sierra has talked about “death by risk aversion” as well.
If you want to be the best, you have to take risks. And why settle for anything less than the best?
Hi Derrick, I was glad that I had the chance to attend university overseas. It broadened my horizons, and fundamentally changed the way I think.
To me, it's not an insurance policy – after all, quite a few graduates are currently unemployed. But it's certainly an investment in myself, which will pay dividends for the rest of my life.
All the best to you. 🙂
My philosophy of life is
“Stay curious and open to life. No matter what happens keep learning and growing. Find what you love to do and find a way to share it with others.”
So I believe in education, but it doesn't always happen best in a university.
Yeah, I agree. I believe in education as well, definitely. The problem is that too many people equate education with school – and they are not the same thing.
Hi, yeah. University can be a good experience, I don't doubt that.
Good point about graduates being unemployed. I think that in today's world, there isn't really any good “insurance policy”.
Personally think high school education is fucked up. There should be more free time and independent learning. Check out http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/sugata_mitra… if you haven't already.
Yeah, I completely agree with you. The question is, how do we go from just saying all this to actually doing something about it…?
I think education, especially high school education, is something no one is willing to experiment with because everyone's really sensitive about their children's future. So, I'm not sure how you can actually change it. Even joining a school with a non A-level syllabus like NUS High requires a major leap of faith for most local parents.
Well, there are (I think) definitely *some* people who will be willing to. They would be in the minority, but they are there. And in my mind, it's a question of being enabling that community and proving that the status quo isn't the only way.
I think education, especially high school education, is something no one is willing to experiment with because everyone's really sensitive about their children's future. So, I'm not sure how you can actually change it. Even joining a school with a non A-level syllabus like NUS High requires a major leap of faith for most local parents.
Well, there are (I think) definitely *some* people who will be willing to. They would be in the minority, but they are there. And in my mind, it's a question of being enabling that community and proving that the status quo isn't the only way.