As any one of a number of school speakers such as ourselves can attest, a good education isn’t just important – it’s absolutely essential coming into today’s highly competitive, fast-paced and increasingly globalized world. But the reason why may not be as obvious as you think (i.e. the fact that millions of others will be graduating with similar degrees, qualifications and skill sets, serving to raise the minimum bar at every turn). Rather, it’s because constant learning, growth and development are crucial. With experience the coin of the realm in the Information Age, what you know translates directly into opportunity, and those who fail to obtain the requisite knowledge needed to remain vibrant, relevant and adaptable to ongoing change impose unnecessary limitations on themselves, and unknowingly grant others competitive advantage.
But it’s also worth noting: The training you get with every course from elementary and middle school on up through high school, college and beyond is just the beginning, helping encourage a lifelong love of learning. To wit, our education can no longer simply begin and end at the classroom door: Continued education – i.e. what we do even after getting a bachelor’s, masters or job, and in the off-hours – is every bit as important as what we pick up sitting at a desk or in an auditorium. That’s why today’s most successful individuals never stop with a diploma – they’re committed to educating themselves through hands-on experience, and building upon the foundations provided by teachers and professors in years earlier.
It’s a genuine shame that so many are calling education into question: In our minds, it’s the only lasting foundation from which success can be built. In school is where we first start to learn powerful lessons in training, discipline and teamwork – skills which serve us well throughout our lives. In fact, it’s only when we actively choose to stop learning – e.g. doing the same thing at our jobs day in and out, never expanding our skills or horizons – that trouble arises. But we digress: As part of the school speaker series we put together for the crew at Northeastern State University and Tulsa Community College, you can enjoy a more succinct summary of our thoughts in the video below.
