Australia Samoa Newspaper
Knowledge is Power
02 May 2016
11
EDUCATION – Just BELIEVE that YOU CAN DO BETTER!
T
YOU CAN ACHIEVE!
he definition of Education is not limited to classroom learning. There are
number of academics that could debate this statement, of course, however I
do not believe our statement is too far off
the mark. There are many definitions of education out there, but the following, as published on www.dictionary.com confirms the
meaning of education as…
“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…” OR “….an enlightening experience…”
Of course we can NEVER discount the
high value and regard of a primary, secondary or tertiary education, in this society that
we live in, and in general, for those “pieces of
papers” or certificates/diplomas/degrees/
masters/PHDs, can dictate how much we
can potentially earn in wages or salaries,
compared to those that do not possess some
type of academic institution affirmation of
skills/knowledge level. I too come from a
family of academics, and have firsthand experience of what that degree can do to your
purse, with goals, hard work and perseverance. BUT people learn at different paces, in
different ways, and in different times. Some
continue school before working. Others do
both at the same time. Others defer tertiary
studies to work and think about what they
want to be, then study at a much later time.
We are saying, you learn every single minute
of every single day by the things happening
or words said around us. Others learn better
when they are given a demonstration of the
task, rather than reading about it in a manual or text book. We do not learn only from
teachers in a classroom setup.
In my working experience in the Human
Resources field, I have also come across few
individuals with not only one, but two or more
university degrees under their belts. Of those, I found only some that lacked common
sense and knowledge of application. That is,
they could not demonstrate that they could
apply their learned knowledge to everyday situations. They instead liked to quote the text
books as a solution to a problem, rather than
taking the theory and using same as a guide to finding a workable or feasible solution.
Australian education systems are very well
focused on teaching students the skills to
analyse and criticize situations in order to realise the BEST options to apply. How you can
get a distinction in your grades is dependent
on how well you can demonstrate in your assignments and exams, your understanding of
the “theories” (or methodologies/strategies)
to solve problems at hand. These skills beco-
me really handy also in enhancing common
sense in one’s life.
In my working career, I have also been
blessed with being associated with a few very
successful high achievers that never went
to university. I have learned so much from
them. Usually, these non tertiary graduates,
are self motivators, or self driven individuals.
Their financial circumstances in their families prevented some from getting to university.
But it did not stop them from learning. How
did they get ahead? They worked extremely
hard in the jobs they were entrusted with,
and worked their way up. Their employers recognized their valuable contributions in their
workplaces and often recommended such
individuals to workshops or TAFE courses.
Others worked on their jobs and saved money to put themselves
through courses. While
others worked and paid
very close attention to
workers that were “seniors” or considered
“experts” in their fields.
They asked a lot of questions, and they “DREAMED”. They visualised
themselves to be better
and that they will one
day be a “manager”, or
“business owner”, or
“nurse”, or “mechanic”,
or “graphics designer”,
a “doctor”, a “caregiver”, “a devout mother”,
a “servant of God”, or a
well-regarded “Chef” to
name only a few. None
of these individuals
dwelled on their financially disadvantaged situation.
If you have a passion/hobby, make something of that passion/
hobby. DO NOT LET others pull you down, or
doubt yourself. You have a natural talent?
Find out how you can earn money using that
talent. While I was at high school, like most
kids do, I took on an AVON job and sold a lot
of Avon products to just friends at school,
our neighbours in our street, teachers, you
name it. I calculated what I wanted to earn
in commission (my target), then pushed my
sales to ensure I achieve my target. While at
University, my sister and I could not get AUStudy allowances of more than AUD30.00 a
fortnight, just enough to cover our weekly bus
passes to classes in the 90’s. Our allowances
from the parents did not account for movies
or pizza now and then with Uni friends, or the
occasional visit to the clubs as most kids would do. So instead of being depressed about
it, I ensured my school work was done of course, and then I used to play billiard/pool for
money, and type up Master Degree students’
thesis. Back then I charged $0.01c per word,
but could basically earn $100-$300.00 per
Thesis/assignment. I was very driven as I certainly did not want to miss out on the fun, but
at the same time, did not want to burden my
parents by asking them for more money. My
father used to tell us everyday, “Where there
is a Will, there is a Way!” – that means, nothing is impossible when you put your mind,
heart, and soul into anything you strive for.
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. If you didn’t go to
University, then IT DOES NOT MATTER ONE
BIT. Read books about whatever career you
want to pursue. If you want to do a trade and
be a plumber, GO AHEAD. BUT aim to be at
least one of the BEST plumbers in your industry. Plumbers or any trade, can bring in
a very steady income for you and your family.
Excellent in sports? Train hard or enrol in Little Athletics if you can. Want to be in Construction?