If knowledge is really power, with the abundance of graduates and PHD students, we should be well on our way to solving the world’s greatest problems. But we’re not. Knowledge only becomes power when combined with passion and applied to a worthy cause. Thousands of graduates leave education brimming with ambition, only to be quickly inoculated with a heavy dose of “real life” when they realise that their passion doesn’t come with a business model that fits in with the current economy.
Many more leave education wondering how they managed to spend three to five years and thousands of pounds worth of debt on a course that has nothing to do with who they are and where they eventually want to be – they were just doing as they were told.
“Compliance is simple to measure, simple to test for and simple to teach. Punish non-compliance, reward obedience and repeat. Schools like teaching compliance. They’re pretty good at it.” – Seth Godin
This space between education and earning is usually the first time that the reigns are taken off and we can consider the idea of forging our own path but it’s uncomfortable and not something we understand, so we put our dreams on hold and return to the mediocre lifestyle that has been prescribed to us.
“Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Most people’s education begins to stagnate the minute they leave education and enter employment because work, to them, equals survival and fitting in, not an opportunity to continue exploring an area in which they are truly passionate about. Scarcity and the creative application of specialised knowledge is how value is created in the digital economy and so it’s up to you to develop a ‘get better’ mindset in an area you love.
Specialised Knowledge + Passion = Huge Value + Huge Action
The digital economy requires masters, self-educators; those who continue to acquire specialised knowledge in their chosen fields out of curiosity rather than monetary reward. Real learning offers no guarantees, just passion driving curiosity and the confidence to explore and take action upon a worthy cause.
