Does “Education” expand or limit your options?

June 27, 2011 in Business Start-Up, Finding Passion, Inventions with 30 Comments

Of course we assume that any degree expands our possibilities.  Someone with an M.D. behind their name certainly has far more options than someone without a graduate degree or even a B.A.  A person with any college degree has more opportunity than a person who has never invested the time, energy and money to get that valuable piece of paper.  Or do they?

Some of the most difficult clients I encounter have multiple advanced degrees.  But what happens in times of change is that they see their options as very limited.  The dentist sees his only option as continuing the practice of dentistry even if he hates every single day and has failed miserably in prospering financially.  The attorney assumes her only choice is to continue in law even though she knows she went to law school for all the wrong reasons.

There is a principle called “beginner’s mind” which implies – if your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.   To extend this a little – in the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.

In time of change those with a “beginner’s mind” see opportunities to realign their skills into new opportunities.  The former web designer is now a social media consultant; the dentist starts a buying co-op for his profession, the medical doctor pursues his invention for breathable baby mattresses, and the college drop-out starts an adventure travel business.

“Experts” are often immobilized.  They don’t see new possibilities.  They are trapped into narrow thinking with their fancy degrees and miss the opportunities emerging all around them.

Make sure you keep a “beginner’s mind.”  Watch a 4-yr-old for a day or two.  See how she approaches a box of blocks or a walk down the lane.  Don’t let your “education” blind you to uncomplicated possibilities.

 

 

Related posts:

  • http://www.4PointsCoaching.com Joel Boggess

    Great post Dan.

    This article immediately brought to mind a woman in her 40s I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

    She was laid off her corporate gig and one of the first things I can remember her saying is “… but I have a biology degree.”

    I can remember another woman I worked with in 2009. It was almost as if she learned to breathe again, when she realized that she didn’t have to spend the rest of her professional career in a traditional classroom.

    While there may be some initial uncomfortableness when one chooses to step outside the parameters that their degree paints around them, it can be a freeing experience.

    • Anonymous

      Joel – yep, that can be a real revelation to realize having a degree in something doesn’t trap you there for the rest of your life.  My Master degree is in Clinical Psychology.  I can’t imagine anything more boring than being a therapist.  My studies were part of a personal learning process — not just something to lock be into a career.

      • Keiti

        Dan ~ that’s *exactly* how I feel about my degree – I have a masters in Gothic Literature, for Pete’s sake.  What in the world would I do with that besides teach?  It drove me crazy for a bit right after I got back from Scotland (where I obtained my degree) because everyone would ask me what I would do with that… kind of disdainfully.  My stock reply became “Hey, I spent a year in Scotland and got to study something I love.  Who cares what I can do with it?”  They finally stopped asking.  :-)

        • Smith Erin556

          That’s how I feel about my undergraduate studies in Art History and Historic Preservation because I got to travel to France and Italy and experience/research great architecture. I got to do a lot of amazing things my friends with “practical” degrees never did and/or put off. Still I’m 23 and don’t have a job related to my BA degree…but I’m exploring what career I want to pursue before jumping into graduate school with what would make sense academically. Luckily I don’t have any school loans since my research and tuition was paid by scholarships and a grant.

          • Keiti

            I wish I had known then what you know now ~ in that I’m pretty much buried under a pile of student loans (not to mention all the other bills) at the age of 40.  PhD will have to wait until I get them paid off, but that’s okay by me.  It takes me at least 5 years to get over the “horror” of university.  :-)   Have fun figuring out what you want to do ~ seriously, I think that parts a lot of fun because the options are as open as you want them to be!

          • Keiti

            I wish I had known then what you know now ~ in that I’m pretty much buried under a pile of student loans (not to mention all the other bills) at the age of 40.  PhD will have to wait until I get them paid off, but that’s okay by me.  It takes me at least 5 years to get over the “horror” of university.  :-)   Have fun figuring out what you want to do ~ seriously, I think that parts a lot of fun because the options are as open as you want them to be!

  • Guest

    Love the post.  One more side is the debt people go into to receive higher education.  When the student loans become due, it is almost a disgrace if you are not working in the field that you took out thousands of dollars to get into. 

    • Anonymous

      Yes – you’re right.  It can be embarrassing to owe $80,000 for a degree in ???? and then discover you hate that field.  Chalk it up to learning and find something you love.

  • Cawiley1

    I think learning is continuous and that it doesn’t have to take place from a traditional university. 

    • Anonymous

      Absolutely – we’ve being sold a myth that “education” only takes place by sitting on our behind in a classroom.  How sad -

  • Anonymous

    Dan, you make the second person to say this to me with in the last couple weeks. The first was another brilliant individual I know, my wife.

    I am utterly miserable in my current career. The problem is I’m really good at it, have a lot of education for it, and pretty much only have working experience in this field… accounting. My wife keeps telling me to take the general knowledge I have of how businesses work and do SOMETHING different, ANYTHING different. But I just keep thinking and saying, “But what can I do. I’m only an accountant.”

    I most definitely have the “expert’s mind”. No clue how to get rid of it either. But I REALLY want to.

    Thanks for being the second voice for this. Knowing myself (what little I do), it usually takes me two or three times to hear something. I’m one closer! Thanks.

    • Anonymous

      I’m delighted to be in the company of your brilliant wife.  Having the “ability” is not enough reason to work in a particular area.  Unless it also blends your “Personality Traits” and your “Values, Dreams & Passions” it can be a boring, draining exercise.  

  • http://www.MamaSaysNamaste.com AshleyRose

    Great post!  Sometimes we end up with tunnel vision on not just what we’re learning, but how we learn.  We believe it has to be within the confines of a classroom or only by someone “certified” or only when the end result is a test to prove you pass.  We have the opportunity to learn something every day!  I hope I keep a “beginner’s mind” – I love how you talk about that as a positive – being a beginner doesn’t mean you are naive – it may just mean you are open!

    • Anonymous

      Ashley – you can look at your two little girls for examples of having “beginner’s minds.”  I trust they never allow education to cause them tolose that perspective.

  • http://twitter.com/FPApprentice Robinson Mertilus

    Great post. Reminds me of a comment I heard on a podcast, “knowledge is not power, it is the application of knowledge that is power.” This blog resonates with me as did that quote because I am reminded that what I learn has to be made useful or else it is just knowledge. I love education, but I hate wasting my time. I am a college graduate, but if I could do it over, I think I would have done it differently. i would have spent more time with useful courses. 

  • Pingback: Does education expand or limit your options?

  • Kathleen Jaffe

    George Bernard Shaw said, “The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” I think we could replace “communication” with “education” and it would be just as powerful a statement.

    As a parent, one of my biggest struggles is in helping my 13-year-old to understand that, when he’s absolutely sure he completely understands a given situation, then he’s closing himself off to the possibility of learning more about it. As I recall, this is a common theme among teenagers, so I’m not too worried yet. :-)

    Being open to seeing things differently – and seeing different things! – is perhaps the most important skill we can foster in ourselves and each other, and benefits us all. There’s definitely a place for higher education, but like all good ideas, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to life’s challenges.

  • Gena Allen

    Reading this puts into words the frustration I always felt with my ex-husband (and may explain why he is my ex….).  He had a PhD, but it was purely to give him the ability to require that he be addressed as “Doctor”.  He was never gamely employed and he used the excuse that he was over-qualified for not finding meaningful work.   We are only limited by our own restrictions and excuses.  Thanks for always making us look past our excuses to the endless possibilities available to us in this great nation.

    • Anonymous

      Gena – oh, that’s one of my pet peeves when someone insists on being called “doctor.”  I completed my doctoral studies but never did a dissertation because I didn’t care about the piece of  paper or the title.  I just used the learning to go out and start writing books.  Your phrase “over-qualified for not finding meaningful work” haunts me.  The excuses people use for indecision and inactivity never cease to amaze.  Sorry you had to experience that first-hand.

  • Dmglew2001

    Also, do not let yourself as an employer also be blinded by people that only have certain degrees! Experience is definitely the best teacher! I would much rather have someone on my team who was excited and wanting to learn than someone who thought they already knew it all!

    • Dmr67

      I second this one. As a Landscape Architect (a profession with 48% unemployment) I have had a hard time getting potential employers outside of my field to consider me for positions. What do you do when it is OTHER people who are defining you narrowly?  At times it seems the universe is forcing me toward self employment. 

      • Anonymous

        Dmr67 – don’t let other people define what you should be doing. Your note makes me wonder if you are leading with your resume.  You can restructure that or throw it away and let people know what it is that you do that has value.  Years ago I had an auto accessories business – I installed trim additions, sunroofs, cruise control, etc.  After a couple years of relationship business some of my dealer customers found out I had a Masters in Clinical Psychology – and were stunned.  They would not have taken me seriously as a car guy had they known that in advance.

  • Shaheenthomas

    I am Iraqi doctor ( cardiologist ) came to this country escaping a Brutal leader in 2002 with a great ambition to start my career as a doctor ,I did all my Qualifying exams  (ECFMG) and when I applied to residency programs there excuse  was 1-Old graduate 2-Not a us graduate 3- you don’t have High scores in the exam 4-lack of US experience  I got 20 years experience in internal medicine ,cardiology and trauma  from my experience in the war and as a POW( Prisoner of war).
    I was hired by a Lab institute (Quest)  as a scientist dealing with molecular biology  , I am doing fine in my job and was praised many times by my fellow scientists ,but still I feel that I don’t belong to that profession .

    It is not easy to change your profession unless you have to put food on the table to your family  .  

    • Anonymous

      In this country we are obsessed with pieces of paper that supposedly prove what we can do.  It would be wonderful if we looked at competency.  In most things, outside of the medical professions, the doors are opening for those who prove to be competent.  

  • Billweb1

    Dan, one of the things that people forget about education is that it’s all important – not just the stuff you want to know.  As a teacher (and someone getting a Masters in Education), students that do not see benefit in things in which they have little or no interest limit themselves in terms of possibilities because they never recognize possibilities.  We can’t think of education as a stepping stone to a specific career – we have to think of education as a complete foundation on which to build knowledge, skill sets and abilities.  I graduated a history major in college, but I am self taught in multimedia production (audio, video, web, print).  I’ve worked as a high school and college sports broadcaster for 13 years.  With my masters in education, I can take my skills and work for anything from a university to a museum to a marketing firm to a sports franchise to a radio/tv station to a high school and just about any small business in the country or any combination of the above.  I can do that because I never pidgeonholed myself and I used my education to my advantage – I never stopped learning about things that were not central to my degree.

    • Anonymous

      Bill – you are so right.  ”Education” should teach to think and see possibilities, not just fill our minds with knowledge.

  • nw831

    What a breath of fresh air! I am 26, and have always put such high demands on myself. However I have always been hard on myself for not having the “piece of paper”.  I feel that I am looked down upon by most of Americans that feel that you cannot get anywhere without the “piece of paper”. Dan, I appreciate you opening my eyes as to the endless possibilities out there.  I have tried several business ideas, while working my full time job, which did not really take off. It has been my own “self education”, your podcasts, and your books that keep me going and pursuing a life of meaningful work. In the last month, I have tasted some success in online business. In June, I have doubled the income of my current full time job. It is only a few more months of consistently and I will be leaving my current job, to pursue meaningful work! Dan you show us how “self-education” is what separates you from everybody else, not necessarily the piece of paper. It is about reversing the conditioning that society has told us for so long, having a belief in yourself, and persistence. 

  • Pingback: Add imagination to your “education” | Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

  • JJ

    Very well stated.  I am a physician and would echo your comments.  Being very frustrated in the current medical environment, when I look to change, I catch myself feeling “trapped” in this profession.

    • Anonymous

      JJ – just know you have lots of options.  It’s never a matter of negating all those years of training.  But perhaps you can find unique applications that “fit” you better at this season of life.  

Switch to our mobile site

Close
Remind Me Later
Remove Ad Permanently