THE NEED FOR EDUCATION

Today’s blog to my grandchildren is about the need for education, including the need for continuing education after you have completed your formal education. I am also sharing the advice and plans of others because you would be wise to emulate them.

My first advice comes from Dr. Ben Carson, the recently retired director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital, one of the premier hospitals in the US.  In his book “One Nation”, Dr. Carson says:

“There are many studies available to show vast lifetime economic differences between those with a high school diploma versus a college degree versus a professional degree. (Education in highly skilled trades also pays off very well economically.) The first twenty to twenty-five years are spent either preparing yourself educationally or not preparing yourself. If you prepare well, you will have sixty years to reap the benefits. If you prepare poorly, you will have sixty years to suffer the consequences. When you look at it that way, a little investment in hard work for a relatively short period of time pays huge dividends, while failure to prepare is equivalent to choosing to be a victim of society. We must get our young people to understand that they are the ones who get to make the choice about the lifestyle they will lead. As long as they remain free of legal entanglements, no one can stop them from pursuing their dreams.  My life is a testament to this.

Education also opens many doors of personal fulfillment and joy that have nothing to do with economics. I believe it would be highly instructive and beneficial to many of the young people in our nation to live abroad in a third world nation and then return to the United States. Like many immigrants who come here, I believe they would immediately realize how many opportunities they have and how many choices are theirs for the taking.”

Great advice from someone who has overcome many difficulties to become a highly respected and influential person.

In my opinion, the most important action my grandchildren can take is to develop a general career plan that fits what you want to do-see example 2 in my 11/12/2013 blog entitled Advice to Grandchildren. You should then correlate your education to your career plan.

I know that it is difficult to determine career direction when you are young.  You simply haven’t experienced enough of life to know what career you really want for the next sixty years of your life.  But, you need some general sense of the characteristics that are important to you.  As examples:

• What attributes are important in your daily activities?  In other words, what’s fun for you? For example, do you like to have exposure to a variety of people and frequent communications during your daily activities? Or, do you prefer more solitary activities?
• Do you like work that requires a lot of detail? Are you organized or more of a “free thinker”?
• Do you prefer working on tasks where you are in charge, even though you may be working with others? Or, do you like working on tasks with others where you are just a member of a bigger team? If you prefer the first approach, consider a career where you are an individual contributor—generally a professional role (attorney, carpenter, dentist, plumber, electrician, mechanic, physician, etc.).  If you prefer working as part of a team, look for a career where team play is an important part of your responsibilities.
• Do you prefer a career that requires a continual formal education process, like a professional career (e.g., accounting, attorney, consulting, physician etc.) where there are formal continuing education requirements? Or, do you prefer a career that is “one and done” where most of your continuing education comes from on-the-job learning?
• Do you like physical tasks that require working with your hands? Or, do you like tasks that require mental problem solving?
• Do you have a hobby that you would like to continue as a career? As an example, a friend of mine has an education degree but he really liked woodworking, which he turned into a full-time career as a furniture manufacturer and cabinet maker.
• Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit?  Do you have an idea for a business that you can start yourself?  Many of the world’s most wealthy people have been entrepreneurs.

These are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself as you consider your career options. Your parents and guidance counselors can also help you as you consider your long term career choices. There are also a variety of books that you can read which can help you with career choices.

Money by itself doesn’t make you happy.  When you make your selection of a career, just be sure that you will enjoy it. There is nothing worse than making a career choice and then hating every day you go to work for sixty years. You will be much happier (and ultimately more successful) selecting a career that you enjoy, even though it may pay less.  

For those of you who are not fortunate enough to be able to currently afford college or have tried college but have decided it’s not right for you, I want to share some thoughts about the difference between a “job” and a “career”. Two of the people who have an excellent perspective on this distinction and deserve to be emulated are Hazem Awad and Edgar (Robin) Aleman.  Here are their stories:

·   Hazem Awad—For my friends who may not know him, Hazem is the brother of Sarah Awad, the fiancée of my grandson, Justin Collett.

When I first met Hazem, we had a conversation on our deck about the difference between a job and a career. Hazem has an excellent perspective about the difference between the two and he has a plan for achieving his career goals.  Hazem said that he is not able to currently afford to be a full-time college student. He went on to say that his plan is to have a “job” in his 20’s and start a “career” in his 30’s. 

During his 20’s, he is going to initially take the first two years of classes for his Bachelor’s Degree at Columbus State Community College where tuition costs are much more reasonable.  Then he plans to transfer to a 4-year University (perhaps Ohio State) where he can finish the courses required for his Bachelor’s Degree. That is a great plan.  It allows him to get a lot of the basic courses out of the way at a reasonable cost. Then he can focus on the courses in his area of specialty.

·   Edgar (Robin) Aleman—I have included Robin’s full name for my friends who might read my blog and do not know Robin.  Robin is married to my granddaughter Sheridan Payne.

Robin also has a great plan to achieve his career goals.  He is currently taking classes to get his commercial driver’s license so that he can get a higher-paid “job”.  With the higher pay resulting from a truck driving job, he hopes to make enough money to be able to afford classes at a local community college.

Robin’s plan is the same as Hazem’s: focus on a “job” in his 20’s and focus on a “career” in his 30’s. Robin will be focusing on a career that makes use of his multi-lingual capabilities and is people oriented. 

Just because you can’t currently afford college or specialty courses at this time, don’t give up. Think longer-term like Hazem and Robin. 

To summarize, identify a career path that is attractive to you, develop a plan that will help you achieve that career, and execute that plan by getting the additional education that you may need, whether it is on-the-job training, a trade school, or a college degree.