“How rude of you for saying that, you little brat!”
WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Don’t get me wrong — looking down on someone who didn’t attend high school or college is definitely not my intention. Fairly speaking, the above title just serves the purpose of “steering” your attention here.
Background
The story started when I was on a Grab (a ride service in Malaysia similar to Uber and Lyft), having a conversation with the driver.
Initially, everything went well. We both talked joyfully without any heavy topic until the driver asked “What’s your plan after graduation? With the COVID-19 situation, it’s kinda challenging now, isn’t it?”
“Well, now is definitely a hard time for the fresh graduates but I’m already doing my internship at the moment. After that, I have a plan of pursuing my Master’s degree overseas.” I answered the driver’s question enthusiastically despite the fact that I was exhausted.
Suddenly, the whole conversation was drifted and the atmosphere in the car became awkward. My instinct was telling me that a “lecture” is about to be thrown on my face!
“Oh my god, I just don’t understand why young people now like to study that much! You know having a second degree won’t make you rich, right? The driver said it ruthlessly.
What the driver said got on my nerves instantly, I lost my temper and raised my voice by saying “DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU’RE SO WRONG, SIR!?”
“Young man, you’re so naive. Look at other Master’s graduates out there, they are poor, unemployed, and unsuccessful. Now, look at others who don’t even have a Degree, they have their wealth! So, don’t waste your money on a useless Master’s degree!” The driver was trying to justify himself defensively.
As an International Relations student, I don’t like to lose in a debate or argument. Therefore, I asked the driver “DO YOU HAVE A DEGREE, SIR?”
He simply replied “No” to me.
“ARE YOU RICH NOW, SIR?” I asked the driver sarcastically with a smirk.
That’s it, the silence came in and it lasted for 10 minutes.
When I reached my place, I still treated him with courtesy by saying “Thank you, nice having a conversation with you.” Sarcasm? Absolutely!
Again, I’m not trying to judge someone who doesn't have a proper education because not everyone has an equal opportunity to enroll in an educational institution. Nonetheless, no one deserves to be treated like that!
Throughout my life, such conversation has taken place more than I can recall, whether it is from my relatives (who lack education)or total strangers. The context is mostly the same, such as:
- University teaches you how to be an employee, not an employer
- You don’t need to have a high qualification to earn money
- Dropouts have a higher chance than those graduates to succeed because they are bold
- Having a second degree won’t give you advantages, instead, it restrains you
The list goes on and on…
What is success? Please enlighten me!
According to Cambridge Dictionary, success is defined as ‘the achieving of desired results, or someone or something that achieves positive results.’
Pay attention to the word desired/positive results. Now, the problem comes in — everyone’s desired/positive results are distinct from each other.
One’s definition of success could be to become a billionaire, other’s definition of success could be feeding their own children sufficiently.
Today, with the penetration of social media, the definition of success has become extremely narrow. The word ‘success’ now is associated with four keywords rigidly— money, status, free time, and exposure.
What people don’t realize is that success is in fact a vague and abstract concept!
Generally, humans are mentally deficient when dealing with vagueness. Along with the social pressure of becoming a “successful” individual, one’s thinking can easily develop into a cognitive bias. As the result, this cognitive bias will lead to a social norm based on a binary system in which a gray area is not tolerated — success and failure.
Back to the definition of success, the word “result” may be interpreted as “need.” The theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that humans are motivated to fulfill their needs in a hierarchical order. In my own word — always go back to the basics if you are stuck at some point.
Imagine this, when you satisfy the first four levels of needs in your life — physiological, safety, love and belonging, and esteem, what will you feel? Perhaps you become happier.
Happiness is the key to success — at least Shawn Achor believes it and has proved it through his book “The Happiness Advantage.” Nevertheless, I’m not going to dive into this book.
What I try to deliver is that you stand a chance to accomplish a successful life as you define (self-actualization) once you have your first four levels of needs built, firmly! It’s kinda corny to write this but your daily life is the best hint to predict your future success, failure, or nothing.
How good is a dropout life? Impress me!
I don't remember when does this all begins— many assume that a Degree is not relevant anymore. Nowadays, going to universities and getting a Degree have been seen as a form of stupidity.
Perhaps the speech from Gary Vee is too inflammatory? (No offense, I like him a lot!) Or perhaps the phenomenon of survivorship bias among audiences led by the success stories like Mark Zuckerburg and Bill Gates has glamorized dropouts?
There are many answers to the above question but this is not my job to tell you which one is correct. The point here is that many derogatory remarks are constantly made on university graduates. Why? Why their endeavors are being overseen? Don’t they work hard too?
You tell me that a dropout can achieve many things too. However, which kind of dropout you are? You tell me the story about Bill or Mark being a dropout.
BUT which university did they drop out of?
HARVARD!!!
Now, do you think that you have that kind of intelligence enrolling in Harvard and dropping out to become an entrepreneur? You don’t.
Second question, do you know what is their family background?
UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS!!! That means they already have a backup if they fail!
Do you have a “rich dad”? Most likely not.
That being said, earning a Degree is not stupid. In fact, a Degree will always be an asset rather than a constraint.
As an example, it will be hard for someone who doesn't have a so-called “rich dad” to help build a suitable network. That’s where the university comes into the picture.
Throughout your three or four years in the college, a proper “networking ground” is actually provided to you. All you need to do is to gradually expand that connection from one friend to another hundred people. And because you are in college, getting to know people is so easy.
Through the process of making connections, you will start thinking a lot more about human behavior. Outcome? It forces you to read people every day and that, my friends, is a high-return investment!
Question: Would Facebook become as successful as today if Mark didn’t meet Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, and Chris Hughes in Harvard?
Dropouts may be bold, but boldness without strategies is void.
Why does being an employee seem like a sin? Indoctrinate me!
“You are working for others' dreams as an employee, not yours!”
This propaganda is probably the most famous one that used to lure people into some webinars like “How to make a 6-figure income in one month and fire your boss!”
The chance is you’re unlikely to become that person who can earn a 6-figure income in a month or fire your boss. It just doesn’t work like that! Why someone simply organizes a webinar to teach you about it as if they welcome you to become their competitors who may cut their shares?
Think about it. If there’s really something that enables you to earn a 6-figure income, other people must have done that already. You are simply too late!
Being an employee is not always bad. My relative, for example, is an entrepreneur without a high-school diploma. Sounds cool, right? However, the money he earned a year didn’t even reach half of the salary of a manager working in a medium-sized company.
My relative is reluctant to learn new things. Every time when he is facing some issues, all he does is say “I don’t know.” On the contrary, university graduates try to find an answer or a solution because they were trained to, otherwise their marks would be deducted.
Look, not everyone is capable of being an entrepreneur but that doesn’t mean they don’t have decent incomes. I always do not appreciate the “sinner” sentiment diffused by those unprofessional speakers.
Since being an employee is so “sinful.” How do you explain the cases of Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, they both are CEO, but still employees, right?
How dare you expect to be an entrepreneur when you can’t even perform persuasively as an employee?
Key takeaways
- Success takes many forms. If you are stuck, always go back to the basics to find out what you were missing and what you truly want.
- Don’t overrate or underrate a (second) Degree, it’s just an advantage but you still need to use it wisely!
- Want to be a dropout? Make sure you are smart enough or rich enough to do that!
- Being an employee doesn’t mean you will work a 9–5 job for your whole life. No one stops you to become an employer/entrepreneur, but do you have a strong commitment to reaching there?
- Be more critical, not judgmental!
- A lesson from my relative — keep learning and work hard and smart!
THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE!
Always stay neutral when a topic is new to you. NEVER being biased before you have a full picture!
