This article was last updated on the 28th of July, 2015 by Patrick Carpen.
Many people are of the opinion that a university or college degree is essential for a “well rounded education.” I am totally in opposition to this view for one reason: the timeless truth: people are cut out for different things.
Related: Variety is the spice of life.
In fact, not only are there instances were a university education isn’t helpful to an individual, it could be harmful. Many parents mindlessly push their children towards a university education without taking the time to perceive the harm they are doing to the child.
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This shouldn’t be the case. Parents should be able to detect their children’s strengths and potential by little habits that form in their everyday lives; and I mentioned this in my article on raising productive children.
I’m not saying a university education isn’t good. It’s good. For some people, it’s the lifeblood of their survival and happiness. But for others…it just isn’t “there.”
Some months ago, I met an old friend, Paul Singh, in Lethem; that is, by the border with Brazil. I was staying at the Takutu Hotel in Lethem. We had a few beers and took a few pictures. During the course of conversation, Paul Singh related how he studied marketing at the university of Guyana.
I then proceeded to ask Paul Singh if he could tell me of one good thing I could buy from Brazil and resell in Georgetown. Paul Singh declared with flat assurance “nothing.” He said too that there was nothing profitable to buy from Georgetown and resell in Brazil.
Not too long after, I opened a conversation with a businessman named Ramchand Singh. He was on his way from Brazil to Georgetown. He told me that he was a trader and that he had just loaded a truck of merchandise in Brazil to resell in Georgetown. This was a part of his business. About every month, he would purchase one truckload of goods from Brazil and resell in Georgetown.
Mr. Ramchand not only did not have a university degree, he barely completed high school.
I’m not saying my boy Paul Singh is not a clever guy. He is. In fact, he is very successful in his real life. But some things are better learned by trial and error. Some things are better learnt in the school of real life. Some things are better learnt by “practicing” over and over.
When you supplement real life “on the road” education with a university education, then you have an individual who is capable of doing just about anything.
In conclusion, I’d like to say that a university education is a good thing. But we mustn’t be carried away by it. It serves its purpose no doubt. But for our world to run successfully, people need to learn all sorts of different things and take all sorts of different paths.
Update: In 2016, I started a business of reselling Brazilian colonges in Lethem, Guyana. I started this business on a shoestring budget, but by 2019, I have sold over 3 million Guyana dollars worth of Brazilian colognes to Lethem and Georgetown. In February, 2019, I opened the first Brazilian Products store in Georgetown. Learn more about my business exporting Brazilian products worldwide.
Related: Let’s talk about Jesus.
