This is a big question - one which I’ve heard people ask at all stages of life.  Whether its a young man considering a collegiate or masters degree, a woman with children looking to re-enter the workforce, or someone looking to make a major life change, this is a question people of all backgrounds consider at many different points in life. 

This reminds me of a story that I love about a woman that was in her upper 80’s that was the oldest to graduate from a popular medical school.  A news reporter had heard of her plans and she was interviewed for the local media.  The much younger reporter asked her if she realized that she’d be in her 90’s in 5 years when she graduated.  She responded: I’ll be in my 90’s in 5 years anyway’s! 

In my mind, this woman really understood the purpose of education.  Now, I never had the chance to speak with her (and I don’t like to project my assumptions on others motives when I truly do not know them), but I imagine she may not have ever wanted to practice medicine, or at least probably did not realistically envision that she would have a long and financially motivating career as a doctor after graduation.  As I see it, she embraces a vision of education that is motivating and exciting.  To learn for the love of learning and to continually grow (talk about a commitment to personal growth!).

Fundamentally this is the purpose of education that when embraced will lead to both spiritual and financial success.

Our schooling system

The introduction to this blog describes the fundamentals behind what education ’should’ be, this varies greatly from the fundamentals of what our schooling system is.  A ’school’ serves many functions.  These vary greatly depending on the institution or individual providing the education.  Our formal schooling system serves a function to students and quite often to parents of students.  To some parents of young students, school is nothing more than a glorified daycare center, while other institutions train students to pursue specific careers in topics ranging from accounting, to music, to dentistry. 

For many our schooling system is a social network to get involved with.  It is a stepping stone to learn general life skills that can ultimately be valuable eventually in the work force. 

Some schooling systems are a venue by which people pursue athletic careers.  The list of functions our schooling system offers goes on and on.  Schooling, however, is only one form of education. 

Other forms of education

I like dictionary.com’s definition of education.  It is as follows:

"the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life"

Nowhere is ’school’ mentioned. This suggests that there are many forms of education available to us.  These forms vary from school, to internships, to training programs, to online learning, reading, certifications, and the list goes on and on.  Every day provides educational opportunities should we wish to pursue them and embrace them such that they are regarded as an opportunity to learn.  The opposite of education is stagnation. 

So should I get an education & should I go to school?

Should I get an education - absolutely yes!  If I am not educating myself, I am stagnating, decreasing my value to both myself and to the rest of the world.  This does not mean that I need to go to school to educate myself.

Personally, I am a big proponent of formal education.  From experience, I also know that the formal schooling system is definitely not for everyone.

I have been through a number of educational institutions and training programs.  These include: grammar school, high school, a bachelor of science degree, numerous miscellaneous city college courses, numerous software training courses, a masters in business administration, certification in life coaching, and I am currently completing certification as a nutrition and wellness consultant.  I’ve got several other certification courses on the agenda for the future. 

In reviewing my educational background, I’ve done many things right and many things that I feel I could have improved on.  This has made me recognize some of the traits of the most valuable education. 

The most valuable education - Directing towards a purpose

The most valuable education is one which serves the purpose for which you are trying to fulfill.  The hard part is knowing the purpose of the education.  If the purpose is to become an engineer, then find a program that allows you to do that.  If the purpose is to gain life experiences while gleaning a broad education, find an institution that offers a lot of life experiences.  I know that way my purpose for undergraduate coursework and my education at the University of California at Santa Barbara did a great job of providing direction and life experience. 

I’ve heard far too many adults talk about going ‘back to school’ for an education because they are re-entering the workforce and are not sure they are qualified.  Often this is a question of confidence rather than of skills.  Educationally they may be brushing up on a skill set, however what they are really doing is boosting their own confidence that they can re-enter a workforce.  That increased confidence is the true education which is taking place.  If you find yourself in that situation where you are considering a long and expensive educational experience, ask yourself if there would be a quicker and easier way just to gain the confidence you need to present yourself appropriately.

In my recent years, my educational focus has shifted dramatically from one which provided a degree, to one which provides targeted value.  I now educate myself on what I want to be educated on, with the terms that fit my lifestyle.  I find that there are single books, or day long courses in which I learn more practical and useful information than what I may have done in an entire semester at business school.  Furthermore, this translates into personal growth and real monetary value!  Now that starts to get interesting.  What is the value of the education you are considering?

The value of education is "application"

The most valuable education is one which has application in the real world.  One which serves the purpose of expressing itself through you in the actions you take in the physical world.  Education without applied action is of no value to you or the educator.  That goes the same for insight - insight is only valuable if actions are taken based on the insight.  So ask yourself, how will the education that I am getting translate into real world actions.  (As a side note, if you love to read, and you find this educational, that fits quite nicely into this model.  The physical action taking place is reading for the purpose of the love of reading - fulfilling a very important desire)

I know in my life that my greatest education has taken place when I was thrown directly into a paying job.  Amazing how spending eight hours/day doing a specific type of work tends to educate you quickly.  If you can couple your educational opportunities with action, you will more quickly attain your purpose.  Likewise,if you can couple your actions into learnings, this will prevent stagnation.

Questions to ask yourself

If you are considering going through a formal education you may find value in asking the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the education? 
• Is there a way I can take action while educating myself?
• When I look at the purpose, do I really need the education I am considering, or is it serving another purpose (ie: self confidence)
• If it is serving a different purpose, what other ways might I be able to attain this purpose that may be more direct (in terms of time, money, etc)?
• Am I excited about the prospect of going through the education process?
• Am I excited about the prospect of what will be possible after the education?
• What can I realistically expect as a result of this form of education?
• How will I best be able to express my passions as a result of the education?

Education founded in our love and passions directed towards a true purpose should be our guiding principles when considering if we would like to pursue an education.  If the result of the education is that we are able to best express who we are after its completion and that it fulfills our specific goals doing so in the most direct way possible, then your question of whether or not you should consider an education should be clearly answered.

Please provide examples of how your approach towards education has worked or not worked for you in the comments below.

Be Well

Related Articles:  Coming Soon

Written by Doug Nau, The Wellness Coach, i-grow.net