Leo Babauta over at ZenHabits recently published an article on the flaws of the educational system. In it he elaborates on his beliefs and what he thinks can help remedy our current situation. This got me thinking about what role formal education plays in lifestyle design and self-employment — whether it gives us any benefit or whether it actually delays our goals.
My conclusion should be predictable to anyone who has read WSR for a while. Educational institutions are on the same branch as corporate cubicle farms. And that’s fitting because that’s all they prepare people for. They shun difference, creativity, exploration and problem solving and instead replace those qualities with conformity, memorization, and mediocrity. As Leo noted in his post, if anything remarkable comes from such a system, it’s in spite of it not because of it.
What Learning Should Be
You already know what learning should be. You practice it every day. This blog might even be part of your self-guided education.
And that’s the key.
All learning should be self-guided. Whatever your interests are that’s where your focus should be. When I was in high school, I had a Psychology class, an Advanced Placement History class, a Spanish class, a Political Science class, but I never once had a Web Design class or a bookkeeping class, a Small Business class or a Marketing class. These are where my interests lie and, if schooling was meant to prepare me for life as it purportedly does, these are subjects I would have most certainly studied and excelled at.
Schools are a means of mass producing mediocrity. Why? Because mediocrity is a necessary quality for cogs in the corporate machine. They need people who obey, not who think outside the box, not who take the long way around simply for the journey.
Learning is truly a journey that embraces the long way around. It’s about making mistakes and learning to solve things on your own, right? It’s much more fulfilling to finally solve a problem you’ve spent hours working on than to memorize state capitals (a completely useless skill) and write them in on a test.
For me, learning is synonymous with fucking shit up, something you don’t get much opportunity for in a formal learning environment. I’m a visual learner. I learn by doing. I learn by seeing the results of what I do and I never actually understand something until I have broken it and put it back together.
Learning isn’t doing a set of 50 math problems. Learning is copying the odd answers from the back of the book and then using a calculator for the other 25 so that you’ll have time to play basketball or work on a novel or to do whatever passion you should be spending that time on. Learning is naturally rebellious and underground. It’s what we do in spite of formal education.
Delaying Fulfillment
After I graduated high school, all my friends immediately went to college. That’s what you were supposed to do, that’s what they did. I just couldn’t. I had a nagging feeling that there should be more to life. I spent one year trying to figure out what that was, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t because that’s not something school teaches. In fact, that’s the antithesis of formal education.
If you spend twelve years in place where authority figures tell you what your values and goals are, how the hell can you know what you want after graduation? It’s impossible. I lacked the ability to know what I wanted in life and I couldn’t get past that. After that first year I entered college anyway. Even though I hated the educational system, even though I hated these pompous authority figures and these bland subjects, I entered college.
I’m happy to say that five weeks later, I quit. I couldn’t drink the Kool-Aid. It’s an entire system built around this idea that other people assign your values and goals to you. From high school, to college, to a corporate job, it’s all essentially the same thing and all based on this lie that one day you’ll be rewarded. But they reward hard work with more hard work and more hours and more money you can’t enjoy because you’re always working. It’s a game you cannot win.
College is, for most people… for lifestyle designers and entrepreneurs anyway, a method of delaying self-examination. If you just go to college, you don’t have to think about what you really want. Someone will tell you what you really want.
What You Should Be Doing
Whatever situation you find yourself in in life, always stop and examine why you are there and whether or not that’s where you want to be. If you’re in college and your major is “Undecided”, just stop. That’s stupid. If you were passionate about a college education, that wouldn’t be your major.
It’s likely that whatever you are wanting to do, especially if it’s related to freelancing or blogging or starting a business, you don’t need formal education for it. In fact, I know that if I had homework related to blogging or freelancing or business, it would kill those subjects for me.
Nothing replaces experience. In this lifestyle design game, you’ll learn more from doing than anything else. College most likely can’t get you where you want to go.
Worse, it could be hindering you. Think long and hard about it and by all means if you see a disconnect between where you are going and where you want to go, drop it.
I’m a college dropout and proud.
Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonythemisfit/ / CC BY 2.0
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Hey, I'm JD. I'm a writer, web designer and contrarian entrepreneur. Wage Slave Rebel is a place where I (and others) explore alternative and ethical ways to earn a living apart from the corporate hierarchy. The goal of this site is to help people escape wage slavery and start reaping the full rewards of their skills and passions. 
I'm on the same page with you on this.
I didn't drop out of college and do feel that I got some value out of it, but I do firmly believe that the American system of education is fundamentally flawed and geared toward sending people into cubicles as quickly as possible.
Then again, it's worth mentioning that maybe this system isn't as terrible as lifestyle designers and location independent folk seem to think. Consider 'Brave New World,' wherein the social system is based around Alphas, Betas, Gammas, etc etc etc. I'm not saying that we need to genetically modify people to create artificial hierarchies, but I am saying that everyone has a different part to play in society, and if we didn't have a sufficient number of people toiling in cubicles, many of them happily, then those of us who wish to have lifestyles outside of the corporate world would be out of luck.
I'm sure there will be some way around this eventually, but at least for the foreseeable future it will be necessary to have both.
Good stuff!
If people work happily within a corporate structure, that's fine. But I think I lot of them (if not most of them) aren't happy and to suggest that these people toiling away unhappily at jobs they hate is necessary for my lifestyle is something that has always made me uncomfortable. What makes me worthy of escape and not them?
I think the largest factor is how someone deals with risk. You can't make all the unhappy people leave their jobs if they aren't okay with the risk. In that case, I guess you could say they deserve what they get.
I think we are starting to move toward the separation of education and corporate structure. It might not be fully realized in the foreseeable future, but people like you and me, the lifestyle design community, the location independent community… we're planting the seeds of what's to come. And I think we are growing exponentially! Can't wait to see the lasting effects of the community on mainstream society.
Thanks for the insight, Colin!
Kudos to you, JD!
I finished undergrad and I share the sentiment that 90% of what I learned, I'm not even going to use. But admittedly, that's only because I went in blindly without really knowing what I wanted. So yes, it was an excuse for me. That said, like Colin, I do not necessarily regret going to college (perhaps I've been brainwashed, lol). Much of the value I got was outside the classroom. Could I have gotten that without blowing money on tuition? Perhaps. But there's no use in looking back and kicking myself over it. I'll chalk it up to a failed, albeit expensive, experiment and at least I know not to let that interfere with my self-education now.
With the educational system being the joke that it is, it's also doable to start a business on the side as I've heard of many people doing that. I do regret that I didn't do it myself. I've pissed away so much time in the process. But no matter. Onward and upward.
Thanks for the inspiration, JD.
Yeah, you shouldn't regret college. You are where you're at regardless. But even the business on the side, it works for so many people. I know of freelancers and rockstars who quit college to pursue their passions to great success. If anyone talks to me about their disenchantment with college as it relates to life, career and their futures, I immediately suggest dropping out because it's worked so well for me.
Definitely onward and upward! You're on the right path now! Thanks for stopping by Valerie! I hope to talk to you more on Twitter!
I love this J.D. I just got done with my 3rd year at a 2 year school. Yup, thats right haha. I went to school STRICTLY to play basketball. It's my passion, I wanted to play college ball. So I did it.
Just to prove how much I hated school…. I just left 1 class short of my associates degree in Business Administration. I could have easily taken that 1 course, but I didn't want to, and I don't do what I don't want to do.
You rock man, glad to read that somebody else feels the same way that I do. I might post on this subject later this week, I'll link back to this post.
Haha, that's one way around it. If your goal is to play college basketball, then college is a necessity! When I started college on a four-year degree they said from day one that the average time it took to get a 4-year degree was six years! Ridiculous!
Most colleges are just businesses in disguise. In my opinion, the sooner you get out of one the better. I think you made the right choice on skipping out on the last class. I can't imagine what a degree in Business Administration would be good for considering how you're diving into business right now. Nothing is better than experience. School can't prepare you for what really happens.
I hope you do post on this subject. I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts.
The school-to-cubicle link is actually more explicit than many people think: much of the United States's educational system is based on the Prussian system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_education_s... . The Prussian system was pretty explicitly meant to get students into the workforce or the civil service, and didn't have much room for free thinkers or budding entrepreneurs. It's not pleasant for those of us who don't fit well into boxes.
Awesome, Chris! I had no idea. I'll take a look at this later. I think I might have to do a little more research on the educational system, it's history and alternative systems. I'm really into the subject now.
Thanks!
Hey JD!
Love the blog, my first visit here and I've subscribed already:)
I agree fully that the educational systems suck big time! I found school such a waste of time, I wish I could create the educational system. People should be free to learn what they are interested in, whether it be a craft, music, languages, martial arts, dancing or a combination of everything.
WHen we come out of school or even Uni, we are ill prepared for the real world, isnt school supposed to prepare us???
Keep the good posts coming!
Diggy
School is meant to prepare us to work as employees. That's the unfortunate truth, I guess, and I wish it wasn't so. I really wish I could create the educational system, too. I think mine would be quite a bit anarchic. People would float from interest to interest and really explore their passions. By the time they graduated they wouldn't even need college. They'd already be masters of something or at least really talented generalists.
Thanks for stopping by Diggy!
The best part I've found about homeschooling my kids? Watching my eldest break free from the methods he was "told" were important at public school. This year, he gets up early, goes through all of his assigned stuff, figures out what he doesn't know, and reads the library books he picked out on topics HE'S interested in (right now, military planes, Chernobyl, and World War 1). He gets up EARLY so that he can do the things he wants to do earlier. THAT is what i wanted from homeschooling! Kids who are eager to learn but also who do it without being forced. (still working with my middle one on that…)
There is no one perfect way to educate children. But the p.s. system only "works" well for a small percentage. I've yet to meet a homeschooled kid who wasn't in a situation where their "teachers" were unable to change for each child's needs.
Great blog. Glad to have found you.
I've heard that the public school system only works for those who want to be teachers. That makes sense to me. That's the only way that you'd ever find any useful information in that mess.
I talk about these ideas theoretically based on my experiences as a miserable student, so it's awesome to see someone bringing these abstract ideas to life and making them work! When I have kids I'm sure I'll homeschool them. I don't want them brainwashed into mediocrity by the system we have.
Thanks for stopping by, Tracey! Congratulations on your homeschooling success and I hope to see you here more often!
Hey JD–
It can be somewhat a catch 22. I agree that our education system is almost worthless. If I ever have kids, I definitely want to home school them. But on the other hand, there are parents who could care less about their kids and their kids would fall even farther behind. I am not sure what the best solution is, but the system currently, is horrible. Guess we can agree on that
Dave LifeExcursion
Hey JD
I am a college drop out as well. I was taking chemistry and maths in college because, in order to get a visa to come to USA, I had to choose Chemical Engineering as my major, but the college that accepted me didn't offer it. (go figure)
I dropped out after 3 semester when I got a job at the local Pizza Hut as a dishwasher/delivery driver and was promoted to a Manager Trainee within 6 weeks. I figured I'd make more money as restaurant manager in shorter period of time than as a chemical engineer after college. I guess I was already thinking as an entrepreneur and not know it.
After 25 years of serving the public and enjoying it, I called it a quit. It wasn't fun anymore because rules were more important than customer satisfaction. I still work in and around restaurants, but as an independent business owner who loves to see the smiles on the faces of kids.
If I could only get my son to understand it. I suppose he will have to make his own mistakes to learn his own lessons to live his own life on purpose, whatever he chooses that to be, but he knows that I don't put any credence in the current education system. He is a smart kid, he will figure it out.
Rasheed
Thank you. I needed to read this.
Hmm… I think this post is a bit of a blanket statement that doesn't really take into account the intricacies of both the college system and people's individual needs.
I spent 4 years working on a degree in English lit, and while it did leave me with some debt it also taught me a hell of a lot about how to think critically and examine the world. I am someone who loves learning and I adored school because of it. You say that if you love learning than you don't need school, but I think that is dismissive of those who really do use higher education as a tool to further themselves.
At the same time, I'm somewhat befuddled by all of my friends heading back to grad school right now because they really can't think of anything else to do with themselves. This is clearly a waste of money and a way of avoiding the real world.
In the end it's not an either/or between living the life you want to live and getting an education. The two can, and often do go hand in hand. Obviously it's a personal decision, but to just say formal education is useless isn't really any better than saying it's an absolute necessity.
I'm fully against formal education for anyone who hasn't examined themselves to the fullest extent and know that formal education is exactly what they want to do.
In many cases, people put off life (learning about business) because it's easier than living it (starting a business). If that's what's going on, most people would be better off skipping out of formal education altogether, as it's just a form of procrastination or a refusal to examine oneself.