We put a great value on education. Every student is encouraged to go from High School into College. It is believed that the more education you get the better your life will be. Students accumulate tens of thousands of dollars in debt for an education that studies show they will more than likely never use. As actor, Mike Rowe correctly said, "We are lending money we don't have to kids who can't pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist."
I believe in education - in case you are starting to wonder - however, I do not believe in education for education sake. If you attend most colleges and universities in this country, you are expected to take, and pay for I might add, a series of classes that have nothing to do with your major. Why is this? It is because some bureaucrat who has no idea who you are or what you wish to do, decides you need this education. So, the student pushed through the classes to get them out of the way. They may have received an education, but they have not learned anything.
“In Scouting, a boy is encouraged to educate himself instead of being instructed.”
– Robert Baden-Powell
Founder of the Boy Scouts
One of the great benefits of Scouting is the merit badge program. Here the Scouts must study the area for the badge (at the time of this writing, there are 137 different merit badges ranging from art to zoology), perform tasks and present their work to a merit badge counselor. This allows them to experience a bit on many subjects. They can pursue the ones they like and leave behind the ones they are not interested in. Many a Scout has gone on to follow a career which they first learned about while doing a merit badge.
Learning is an act of the will. You do not need a college education to learn. In fact, most of the real learning you will do in life will happen outside of a classroom. Albert Einstein said, "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." Why is it that Bill Gates and many others found their greatest discoveries after they left their formal education? It is because real learning, true discovery, comes from the active process of seeking knowledge not from being told what you have the learning.
Success-minded people have come to understand that there is a time when higher education can be of help to them, however, their destiny, their path to success is not in the degrees they gather but in their ability to learn and grow. They hold the key to their future, not some school system. Students must see that education is a tool to be used, not the other way around.
You matter! You matter to the world and to yourself. Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.
Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com. © 2018 John Patrick Hickey
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