Education is defined as “the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits” Wikipedia. Education has been a hot topic of debate in recent decades where many parents have pressurized their children to pursue higher education in pursuit of career success, wealth generation and financial stability. While basic school education is classified as a fundamental requirement in most countries today, many people have misunderstood the definition of education. Today education to the vast majority of people refers to academic qualifications yet education covers a wider perspective than only academics. This misconception linked to education has resulted on over pressurizing certain individuals to pursue an academic qualification that emphasis on theoretical knowledge and overlooked aspects such as skill development, value creation, practical knowledge and routine management. These are also important areas of education that need to be master for an individual to enhance their career success and performance. This article will explore some of these traditional forms of education which continue to lose their value in modern education pursuit leading many academics in limbo. The article also explores how many organisations are today balancing between academic qualifications and practical knowledge and skills to select a more productive person for their organisations.
Skill development
Skills are a basic requirement each person must develop to manage their day to day chores and work. Skill development should not be confused with academic qualifications and skill development mainly requires practical intervention and practice to perfect. Driving, painting, stitching, carpentry, masonry, animal husbandry and farming among many others are very important skills which do not require academic education to achieve success. This set of practical living skills also tend to be among the most valuable skills today due to many people having degraded such personal development resulting in a huge deficit of skilled professionals to handle the tasks. So how do skills influence success? Well, when managed correctly, skilled professionals are capable of generating a stable income. Many skilled professionals that have perfected their skills are also capable of generating high income without having a formal education. Practical skills continue to be part of our day to day life and as more people opt for office jobs, the need for skilled professionals to handle their day to day operations is on the rise. Take a simple skill such as cooking; today many single professionals living in urban locations lack the time and knowledge to prepare their meals. This has resulted in high demand for meal suppliers who prepare healthy meals which are supplied to the professionals at their residence or office. The same applies to other skills such as housekeeping, plumbing and maintenance.
Value creation
Competition among professionals is intensifying due to the increasing number of young professionals graduating from college. This has made it important for individuals to increase their knowledge and skills which increases their value for a company. Being able to be a due purpose or versatile contributor towards a company operation makes you more valuable for the company. In addition to this skill and knowledge development also enhances an individual’s market value and increases the opportunities an individual is exposed to. An example of this is discussed below. John and Harry completed their chartered accounting course in 2015. They both got hired as fresher’s within six months of leaving college but Harry opted to pursue a machine learning course while underemployment. He later also joined a content writing course where he learned to write digital marketing content, but John did not pursue any further skill development courses. Harry has effectively enhanced his skills opening up more job opportunities and higher pay-outs as opposed to John who is now limited to searching for accounting jobs. Skills development helps build a professionals value for both the employers as well as themselves which makes personal development critical towards enhancing stability and stable financial income.
Practical knowledge
Practical knowledge also has a major effect on people over the long term perspective as it allows the individual to be self-reliant. Simple knowledge such as replacing switches, sockets, performing minor repairs or painting will reduce the over-reliance of skilled professionals and help you save considerable amounts of money. Today many people lack even basic practical knowledge related to daily appliance management such as seasonal water heater, cooler or fan maintenance. Most of these household items require minor maintenance every year where parts such as the electrical sockets, capacitors or switches may require replacing. Calling in a handyman to do these repairs will result in unnecessary experiences which can easily be saved by developing the practical knowledge yourself. In addition to saving money, you get to learn the ins and outs of appliances thus can better manage them and ensures they are doing the job correctly. Practical knowledge plays a huge role in maintaining your assets, properties and equipment at low cost and ensures the equipment is receiving the required maintenance, repair and attention at the right time
From the three above examples, it’s clear that education should not be limited to academic assignment assistance or merits as there are various aspects linked to education. Education refers to expanding one’s knowledge and ability to perform different tasks and must never be limited to academic achievement. Many tasks require practical knowledge and implementation making it important to understand both theoretical as well as practical perspectives linked to day to day operations. Perspectives linked to education are reviewed by all stakeholders as over-emphasis on academic achievement has been placed on scholars and young professionals in recent years. This has resulted in deviation from the main concept linked to education which is enhancing knowledge and practical knowledge that can be used in day to day life. This is among the main reasons linked to rising unemployment rates; many professionals limit their opportunities on academic achievement as opposed to using their acquired skills. Business communication skills are an asset which you will always retain as the knowledge and approaches are embedded in your mind and an essential point to keep in mind and one which will enhance your opportunities.
Author Bio
My name is Thomas Smith. I have worked as a content writer for various publishing houses through my career. I have 12 years of overall writing experience out of which the past 3 years have been as a writer for Assignment Writing Help. I have also published various articles and blogs on education and career building.
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