The goal of all people in the world, even when they are not aware of that, is to reach their full potential and live the life they have always dreamed of. The road to getting there is something we don’t always agree upon. As of recently, especially in the light of the bottomless pool of data we have available on the web, traditional education has taken a back seat as a seemingly outdated model for achieving personal growth.
We will use this opportunity to argue that these people couldn’t be more wrong. Education can not only help you to reach your full potential – it is absolutely necessary for achieving any kind of meaningful growth.
Don’t believe us? Let us take a look at a couple of compelling arguments that speak in our favor.
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Education gives context to the information
As we mentioned in the introduction, one of the greatest advantages of the digital era is that every bit of information you will ever need in your life is easily accessible with nothing more than a couple of clicks. That should effectively erase any difference between an average internet user and college professors, right? Well, education connects all those dots you can find around, gives them context, and most importantly equips you with the tools to put them together independently. In short, education teaches you the art of critical thinking, which, in this age of data overload, is one of the best skills you can get.
Education pushes you out of your comfort zone
When they engage in independent learning, people often suffer from the problem of tunnel vision, or, in other words, picking up only the information they find useful or interesting. Sure, this approach can, in some cases, streamline the curriculum. But, on the other hand, we can’t argue that going out of your comfort zone also makes you a better and smarter person. Algebra develops your analytical brain. Reading broadens your horizons and improves your general knowledge. Physics helps you find patterns and laws in the world around you. You would probably miss all these if focusing solely on specific topics.
Education points you out to reliable sources
If anything, this should drastically streamline your data hunt and make learning more enjoyable. But, that’s the least of the benefits. More importantly, the learning materials you get are reliable and based on scientific sources. And if you don’t want to bother going through the academic literature, you can also find things like UNSW notes for students and similar materials that are based on scientific data but made for fun learning and fast consumption. These are only two mentions. The list of high-quality sources you get through education is as extensive as it is devoid of dubious claims and pseudo-science.
Education helps you to organize your time effectively
Although many students would beg to differ, the learning tempo you are exposed to when enrolling for college or some other formal education institution is very fairly paced out. Furthermore, the materials are broken down into a lot of smaller chunks and interspersed with various assignments designed to put that newfound knowledge to practical use. It’s almost like the entire system was designed to use your time in the most effective manner and allow you to learn at the optimal pace. Well, that is entirely the case. The education system is constantly evolving and working to make knowledge more accessible.
Education teaches you how to learn effectively
Essentially, the brain has two different modes of thinking – focused and diffused. The first mode helps you concentrate on the subject at hand and acquire new information. Diffused mode helps your brain to relax, soak in the knowledge, and form new neural patterns. Switching between these two patterns makes the absolute essence of effective learning. With that in mind, you will be glad to know that the education programs we have mentioned above were specifically designed to keep your brain in high gear and learn how to learn with little effort. This knowledge can later be applied to any situation in your life.
Education makes you a better citizen
Last but not least we would like to remind you that general education puts a very heavy focus on social and humanistic sciences. That may look like a waste of time but only at a first glance. The subjects like history, sociology, literature, political science, constitutional right, and similar all give a great look at the foundations our society is built upon and allow us to see the patterns that keep it evolving with each new day. This fresh outlook of the world helps us become far more responsible, and fulfilled citizens capable of making educated decisions. This quality can’t be bought with all the money in the world.
We hope these few examples give you a general idea about the role of formal education in our society and how enrolling in some study program can effectively make you a better and more capable person. Granted, the endless streams of uncensored information are becoming more accessible to us on an hourly basis. It is exactly that data clutter that makes formal education more important than ever. Keep this in mind when planning out your future growth goals.