Beech Tree News Network

One of the lessons that may be gleaned from the life of the late Apple icon Steve Jobs isn't being talked about in many places.  Sure, we all know about the founding of Apple, his firing, Pixar,  his rehiring, MacIntosh computers,  iPods, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, etc., — but that isn't all of his story.  One of the big lessons that I think society needs to learn — and quickly — is that college isn't for everyone.  In fact, for many it can be one of the worst things for a young person to ever attempt to do.  

Steve Jobs knew that the college experience was something he didn't need.  So, he dropped out of Reed College in Oregon after one semester.  He was oft-quoted as saying the he had no idea want he wanted to do with his life and college wasn't going to help him figure it out.  He also seemed to be concerned with wasting his parents' money.  What was Jobs' next professional step?  Get a job, work like a dog, and change the world.

Granted, Jobs was a gifted man in his area of expertise but his entrepreneurial drive and hard work can't be underestimated — traits no doubt instilled in him by his adoptive parents.  Those two characteristics, in many respects, can take the place raw talent and in some instances will take you farther. 

Sadly, our educational establishment (public K-12 and higher education) seems intent on force-feeding a college education on everyone regardless of their academic ability or aptitude for it.  It's the only way you can be successful, they will tell you.  Society backs up that mantra by essentially degrading other vocational pursuits and making those without a college degree feel like second class citizens.  In doing so, certain jobs are often held on a pedestal, while others are marginalized.  With this approach, society devalues work itself.

Whatever happened to apprenticeships as the primary way of acquiring a skill — and I'm not just talking about a vocational trade?  Many younger folks don't even understand the concept of this type of hands-on experience.  A tremendous amount can be learned in the trenches of the real world by working with those who are actually doing the job successfully.  Without a doubt, I've learned more from doing in the real world than I ever did from most classrooms in which I was forced to attend.

Why does our society obsess over the prospect of having a piece of paper that says you are qualified to do something?  Why do we put up some many legal barriers to achievement — diplomas, licenses, permits, certifications, etc., when the main question should be "can you do the job well?"   The short answer is job protection for chosen professions disguised as concern for the public.  I know it may be hard for some to believe but it's entirely possible for someone to be a great teacher without six years of higher education; a person can be a good plumber, electrician or carpenter without formal schooling in a so-called, state-sanctioned accredited program.    

What's the solution?  End compulsory public education or at least lower the dropout age for students.  More vocational education opportunities at an earlier age.  Make education a privilege, not a right.  Encourage more learning by apprenticeships.  Put the focus on actual ability as demonstrated by actually doing the job, not on what a piece of paper says you can do.  That's obviously what Steve Jobs believed ... and he changed the world.  You can do the same.  

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John Embry is the author of Out on a Limb.  He is the co-founder and vice-president of Beech Tree Media (www.beechtreenews.com and Beech Tree Radio 1570 AM WLBQ).  John teaches American History (8th Grade) at Butler County Middle School and is the head softball coach at BCHS and BCMS.  He is married to Beth and they have one daughter, four-year-old Isabella Faye.  They live in Aberdeen - site of the original "beech tree."