“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education”
– Mark Twain
It’s school time for many of you Mindpetalers out there, so it’s time for a reminder of how not to let school take full control of your mind. Meaning: don’t let your professors’ every word affect how you are going to live your life.
It’s so easy to sit back and just listen to your professor go off about “make sure to get a good job” … “are you ready to join the workforce?” … “is your resume prepared?” … “don’t even think about starting a business until you have some experience” … “work hard for your boss and you’ll be rewarded with a nice raise.” And the list goes on.
It’s like, everything that your teacher is saying is a “must” and is “right.” But, just as the preacher stands on the alter and gives you his “interpretation” of the holy book and demands that you live your life based upon his “interpretations” of said book, the professor is sharing his “interpretations” from what he has learned and is now passing on to you.
So beware. Beware of not falling into the trap of wholeheartedly listing to all of your professor’s proselytizing and educational sermons. Be careful not to take every word for “truth” and “right” when your teacher is giving you an opinion masked as an absolute truth.
I believe that your true education comes from “your” experiences — from what you learn as you journey through life. That’s the most important education that one can ever receive, the education of yourself.
Self-mastery, self-discovery, deep introspection of who you are as a person and the unlocking of your infinite abilities. This education, my friends, is priceless. It’s free. You don’t pay $50K a year for it. It’s not obtained by reading stacks of books and listening to lectures.
Your number one professor should be YOU. He’s called “professor YOU”. Get to know him/her well. Consult with him daily. And trust him to guide you as you journey along life, especially, for you college seniors who will soon be in that shaky transition period between graduating and getting a job.
Go with your gut. If getting a job feels right for you, then do that. If your heart is telling you to start a project and give something else a chance, then go down that route. If you’d like to travel, then hop on a plane. If you want to relax and read books for a year, then get at it. Because there is no wrong and right decision here. Just as long as YOU are making those decisions.
Not Mommy and Daddy. Not Professor Milken. Not your guidance counselor. Not your friends. Not your girlfriend. Not Grandma.
Only Professor YOU.
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Great post David. I’ve never had the problem of taking a professor’s word as the only way to go – but I do see many of my peers who think following the herd is the only way to go.
To each their own however, as society needs every type of person: from entrepreneurs to cubicle workers.
It’s about time that professors realize this. Where I go to school, the administration prides themselves on churning out 9-5 workers at big businesses, and looks the other way when entrepreneurship is talked about.
Thanks for posting this, David.
Hey Brett: Thanks. Yes, many of my peers, as well, are complacent when it comes to pushing forward on their own. Instead, they easily follow the words of “authority.” But, yes, there is a place for everyone and to each their own. As long as that “own” makes you happy, that’s all that matters.
Hey Michael: Thanks for the comments. Yup, school, to a large degree, is designed to prepare you for a job, not to start a company that may provide jobs ones day. It’s sad, really.
David,
I have to agree with what you have written. I have gone through a phase in my life, around 3 years back when I chose a major, a lifestyle and way of thinking based upon family and friends. I was never contented and always fought with myself within yet still kept looking up to family, friends AND sometimes professors whenever I needed to make a major decision in my life. I finally stop and finally started being myself. Even though it has been a tough to standing up to what I truly believe in, I am emotionally content. I am graduating this year and am supposed to be working, but have decided to go to graduate school studying the subjects that I find the most interesting. Hey, we live only once then why not make it the best for ourselves. I don’t mean to sound selfish here, but it’s really not worth ignoring your personal passions and quests because others who know more have told you so. At the same token, it’s always good to listen to people who have more experience. It is all about believing in yourself and I wish there was a course given at ever College where they would teach students to believe in their capabilities.