This is one of the greatest things I struggled with in school. It was either the schools way or the highway.
Granted institutions can’t just let people work through school however it suits them and so it is discouraged. You are given a road map from the earliest days of school and are required to follow it to the letter.
The road map was ideal for the confines of school, it isn’t in real life. As an adult efficiency is key for success, your efficiency, what works for your ability and learning ability should take priority over status quo.
As an adult you need to be constantly redefining your way on the pathways that exist.If you are reading this that means you are part of this fast changing world, where you expect weekly computer and app updates yet expect your 2018 version to be able to cut it.
In Stephen Covey’s Book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People the principles of growth and pro-activeness in ones life, is the kind of efficiency I refer to. I don’t mean going around breaking rules/laws just for the sake of them.
No, I am referring to actually looking at processes in all the aspects of your life that you see that are lacking and or creating drag for you and addressing them.
Using an example from school, I found by 2nd year that my love for Physics and Math was outgrown by my new found interest in what I now know as Digital Content Creation. So while still in school I started doing online courses with European affiliations from universities like Yale.
Did the people around me encourage this? NO THEY DIDN’T. DID I LISTEN? NO I DIDN’T.
Today I work as a Digital Content Creator and love my job!
In school, you are given subjects to study, a course outline to follow and a school calendar where you can map what is going to happen. Adult life isn’t like that. You have to figure it all out yourself, choose what to concentrate efforts on, set your own course, and set your own deadlines to goals.
This means you have all the power to fail or succeed.
So DON’T FOLLOW what people say,regardless of who they are to you. Listen to what the important people have to say but course correct, revise and adapt it to YOU. Adapt it to your strengths, to your timetables, to your plans.
Then EXECUTE!
What if you get it wrong?
Course correct again then EXECUTE!
Want to read more? Check out these other articles about this literary series 10 Things to Unlearn from School.
- Failure is the opposite to Success.
- Following the given process is better than seeking out efficiency.
- Being told what to do before doing it.
- Doing ONLY what you are told to do.
- Everybody is restricted by the same rules as you.
- Using free time to escape from the reality of school
- Living for the weekend.
- Doing things you don’t enjoy just because everybody else is doing so.
- Letting your haters affect you.
- Working for money.
