The power of education

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything they learned in school." This is what Einstein said. Well said, I think. We tend to think what we learn in schools are structured and organized, so we learn things in sequence. However, real education consists not only of classroom instructions, but also of bits and pieces of things you understand in your own way; not structured or organized as the way things were taught.

Things I learned at the business school were quite helpful in my immediate post carrier at a large company. I had lots of convenient tools and ideas to interrupt the market, then languages and concepts to communicate with my managers. Those were quite helpful, and I took advantage of them. However, after I started a venture business, four years later, I realized that things I had learned at the school really didn't matter. What really counted was the strong will of making the business successful without giving up.

Concepts I learned at the business school triggered my will to become an entrepreneur. The MBA process made me think how great and challenging it is to create and grow businesses. So, strongly from my heart, I came to think "One day, I will create one of them." Looking back to the days when e-Jan was suffering to become profitable, the strong will was the only reason I survived. Only a few tools and concepts I learned at the school were used.

Interestingly, I realized the things I learned at the school gradually became useful only after as the business got better. So, I conclude that the power of education lies in creating your strong will, not in the tools and concepts you learned in schools. After the experience of using your will to overcome difficulties, you can apply your learned tools and concepts in the real world. At the time when the tools and concepts come so naturally to you, you wouldn't even think you had leaned those in schools. That's why I think, "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything they learned in school," is well said.