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Education Vs Experience: Which One Is Better?
As an entrepreneur, I’ve worked with people who have varying degrees of formal education and experience.
Some of them have very little experience and a lot of formal education…
Some of them have very little formal education and a lot of experience…
Some of them have a little bit of both.
Anytime I have to pick one over the other, I always pick the person with more experience.
However, there are plenty of other factors that I would consider to be far more important than both formal education and experience.
But if it comes down to which one is more valuable … it’s experience without a question.
Whether that’s what you want to hear or not … I highly recommend you consider what I have to say.
The information I provide you could very well change the trajectory of your entire life.
Before we go any further, let me give you a quick breakdown of what I mean by “education” and “experience.”
What Is Education and Why Is It Important?
When I'm talking about education, I'm talking mainly about a formal education from a college or university.
The kind of education you pay for, spend a few years committed to, and graduate from with a degree.
Now, I would argue that some education is essential. If you don’t know how to read, write, or speak … you’ll be at a major disadvantage to those who can. I don’t think anybody can argue that.
However, when it comes to “higher education” … in many cases I don't see the value in it.
Unless you’re studying to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or something that requires specialized knowledge…
It’s a complete waste of time and money when it comes to the skills and mindset you need to win in the real world.
What is Experience and Why Is It Important?
Experience is what you gain from the journey of going out and developing real skills through real world experiences.
It can’t be taught or given to you in a classroom.
It’s trying a bunch of different things…
Failing…
Learning the lesson…
…and applying the lesson moving forward.
With no real experience, you have very little value.
Education Vs Experience: Which One Is Better?
I went to high-school, and dropped out of college. That’s it.
Real world lessons and experiences are the only thing that matters.
Nobody cares about your degree.
I have never hired anyone in my companies based on what their education is.
Do you work hard?
Can you learn?
Can you not repeat the same mistakes?
Do you have the mental toughness to not quit?
That’s what I care about.
Academics think they’re smart ... but they haven’t done a thing in the real world.
Their ego is the exact reason why they never end up doing anything either.
They hang their hat on their degree instead of the actions they’re taking today to build real skills, get better, and actually create impact.
Higher education is not higher education ... it’s higher indoctrination.
Everybody knows it.
If your $200,000 education makes you think you're better than everybody else…
You’re actually dumber than everybody else because you think you know everything already.
Which means you can’t learn anything new because you “already know it all.”
If you’re young, formal education in most cases is worthless right now. The real world rewards real work with real results.
That’s the way it works.
So which one is better? Experience by far.
There’s no contest.
Don’t Get Me Wrong…
Just because I don’t believe in formal education, doesn’t mean that I believe in no education.
In fact, you should be educating yourself every single day through your commitment to personal development.
It’s critical.
But to think that you’re going to learn every skill you need to succeed in life in a classroom is foolish.
Formal education is designed to teach you what to think … not how to think.
If that hasn’t become clear to you by now, pick up a personal development-focused book and read it.
If you are intentional with your continued education, you’ll learn more in 1 year than you ever learned in school. That’s a fact.
There are an endless number of great topics to learn about from people who are much further down the road than you or me.
Finance…
Leadership…
Time management…
Discipline…
Health and fitness…
Productivity…
Business…
Sales…
You name it.
Pick up a book and start reading. It will be one of the single best things you’ll ever do for yourself.
You Need Education and Experience
You don’t need a degree.
You need a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn real skills in the real world.
There’s a lot of different ways to do this … and truthfully, I recommend them all.
Put yourself in the game…
Read books…
Listen to podcasts…
Consume good content…
Challenge yourself…
These things will make you far more valuable and successful in the long-term than formal education.
If you’re looking for more lessons on how to become great and win in life, you should check out my podcast, REAL AF.
I deliver you the raw, unfiltered facts about current events, life, business, success, and much more … all for free.
The world needs more winners.
Will you be one of them?
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