Remember the slogan Education, Education, Education, it sounds great doesn’t it? But let’s step forward 30 years and imagine if you will, a world where all youngsters followed the pied piper education system which brainwashed them academia is the only way to prosperity. A world where those educated young people couldn’t bring themselves to fix a dripping tap let alone fix a leaking roof or any other problem with their hands. You only have to look around to see how much was created without words or machines to realise if the balance has been shifted too much in one direction then those fewer numbers of capable people who do work with their hands will soon become the new rock stars of that age group.
In the age of diploma’s and the University experience with student debt has the education system duped and robbed youngsters of enhanced practical skills by undervaluing how these jobs can enhance a persons life? Unfortunately academics have controlled the direction which they think is right for students, after all they made a career from it but unfortunately what they don’t see is, what they don’t have. Their influence is good for some people but certainly not all, intelligence can be measured in all sort of ways and channelled into different careers depending on the character of each person.
Whilst a resurgence in vocational college courses for youngsters may seem like a good thing, I do feel that the current set up lacks direction and competent career paths which often leaves the students in limbo at the end of their placement or when they exhaust trying to get a job in that chosen field. Rather than nurturing those skills further until they become competent enough to stand on their own two feet, they are quickly forgotten by the system. I guess if the same resources were available for this group as with uni grads the outcome would be far better for them.
I am a highly skilled person myself who has added many academic skills to my skill set over the years, I wish to enlighten those who have never seen or heard from the other side of the coin.
The difference between academics and skilled craftsmen is like comparing mastermind and Mensa, fact retainers and problem solvers. Having a trade or skills for a developing sector should never be deemed as 2nd rate to academic careers as there are so many further benefits by being skilful with your hands.
After many years of using both my hands and head whilst having a very inquisitive mind i’m at the stage in life where nothing fazes me, i’m only looking forward to the new challenges ahead. I’ve physically worked on many multi million pound building projects all over the UK taking full responsibility for what I controlled, whilst later developing the skills of a Design & project management. I wouldn’t hesitate to fit a new kitchen or build a new extension on my own home if required along with many other things like starting up a vintage tool business. Would I change that for a more sedative life behind a computer screen? well I can honestly say I’ve tried that, got the tee shirt and the evidence is this website I built and the traffic it attracts online.
I could list a whole range of skills I have acquired through hard work but what I have found is through being good with both my hands and head (whilst being disciplined to always finish what I have started) it has taken me in so many directions. It has enriched my mind to the point where I don’t have to get a job but instead to solve the problem of which one to start next. It’s brought me freedom not in the sense of sitting on a beach (which bores me after a week anyway) but to do what I want to do and have a purpose every day. Being skilful and expanding those skills through serendipity can put you on a pathway of challenges through the journey of life. We never forget those things we do in life and the more we test ourselves the more rewarding life becomes.
To think that if i’d been educated 30+ years later I could have missed out on all those challenges and that self satisfaction of achievement that came with it would have been criminal. I was always good with numbers which is mighty useful with my skills but it would seem like a nightmare to me if the system pushed those talents and me to be an accountant for example, well paid I know but damn right brain numbing and my idea of living hell, especially with hindsight. No offence to accountants but it just isn’t my thing, even though I undertake my own accounts each year, it simply is something I don’t enjoy doing.
I think that to learn a vocational skill nowadays it needs to be done with an added dimension of creativity, challenging convention and being confident and bold where you take those skills. Learn skills that will help with your grander plans in the future but stay focused on the prize. For those who feel they have missed out there has never been a better time to tap into skills shared by many of those who have that knowledge online, that’s really where the computer earns its value but also the vast amounts of training courses out there. However it’s always recommended to practice this new found knowledge with dedication and repetition of each aspect which is needed until it becomes second nature.
Will it improve your IQ? Well there is no doubt that solving ways to complete tasks gets the grey matter ticking but what seems difficult in the beginning becomes easier over time and the amount of steps to master a skill can be as many as you want to take it. Therefore the limitations are down to personal choice to wherever that road takes you but take it from me when one day if you sit on top of the perch you will know the answer!
Is it easy? The best things in life take time to achieve but just like walking you just keep putting one foot in front of the other but eventually one day you may just be able to step it up a gear and start running with it. Patience is a virtue and an important part of the learning process.
Education is very important but universities are limited to what the wider world & www. has to offer, it’s ourselves that make the difference and whether or not you strive towards those goals to become far more capable and a rounded individual.
