The Formulas for Education!

There are certain formulas for everything we do in life: cooking, yoga, solving what I myself deem categorically stubborn physics problems, even applying deodorant! There is an existing formula for everything.

These formulas guide us in our path to gain full understanding in whatever topic the formula was prescribed for. Do you remember high school math when the teachers say “you can use this formula or that, but you’ll still get the same answer” and everyone flocked to the easier formula? (I know I did).

We all learn differently and so, we tend to choose different formulas depending on which one suits our ambitions, goal or lazy lifestyle.

Now, we must discuss the rather more pressing issue.

If you agree with me that we all learn and process information differently, then why is not having a 4-year university degree heavily stigmatized with being a rebel or worse yet becoming Pablo Escobar (according to some parents………. maybe just mine).

For this, I pick a simple yet quite complex case study, Casey Neistat. Casey is one of the most sought after filmmakers of his generation. Casey never went to a film school. Casey was a teen father living on welfare in a trailer. Casey was a dishwasher.

On a lighter note, Casey happened to have a camera. Casey’s friend had a computer. Casey and friend began making films and they learnt as they went. They made mistakes and they made masterpieces. Now Casey has over 7.7 million subscribers on YouTube and has made films for HBO, Nike, Mercedes etc. He even has a partnership with CNN.

I’m sure there was a guy working at HBO who probably said “Neistat, who the hell is Neistat, Yale or Stanford?” as if that mattered in the end.

What is wrong with taking online courses, shadowing someone you wish to become like, or even learning on the go if you feel you are capable?

Don’t get me wrong, I love college (a song by Asher Roth — I Love College. Sums up how I feel about college) and I think it is a place that helps you gain perspective but sometimes, people leave college not having realized their universal guiding principle (theme or passion). What they don’t realize is that they may have entered college with perhaps, a slight idea of that passion. College may then have eroded that idea or made it seem impossible.

Also, they (you) don’t realize that, with your passion in mind, it’s much easier to just do it when you’re not in college, being bombarded with dissertations and lengthy hoolabobs (is that a word?) eg. the Facebook guy and the Microsoft guy.

To wrap this up, I have a friend, Joshua. Really down to earth guy. 18 year old with a Sons of Anarchy type beard and a hell of a yellow 1974 Triumph Spitfire (So manly). So, he got into Real Estate with his Uncle before graduating from high school. Then he realized he had a tick for it. He decided not to go to college and to pursue his dream of being a real estate agent in a year or so. For the length of the conversation we had, I remember staring up into space wishing I could have balls of steel like he did for making such a decision.

He dared to do what he felt was necessary, even though he might be a part of that stigma. But like Casey, he understood the stigma would only be for a while, that is until his name would become a staple among real estate agents and clients.

He dared to be a rebel, Casey dared to be an anarchist, you too can dare to be Pablo Escobar, I mean dare to be different.

Watch this little inspirational video by Casey Neistat
As mentioned earlier

Sources:

www.indiewire.com

University of Michigan

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Timothy T. Ogunlowo

Written by

Lifestyle Blogger | Fashion/Automobile Enthusiast | Cheers to the better things👏

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