7 things I wish I learned in high school

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

Last year I finished high school and like most graduates, I was ambitious. I had been seeing many youngsters my age living independently and what many would call a ‘dream life’.

Of course, I knew it wasn’t so easy and there would be complications but then again, I was under the impression that I performed excellently in high school, hence this should be achievable with the same level of effort as well.

That’s where I was entirely wrong.

School simply does not prepare you for the real world, and I’ve discovered that this is the case in every corner of the world. In fact, I believe that the pandemic has highlighted the broken system further. Schools were designed to meet the demand created by the industrial revolution and since then, it has not changed much.

I am not implying that education as a whole sucks, but the way it is taught at schools is not only tedious but also losing relevance. There’s a key factor that differentiates school from education — education is a lifelong journey, school isn't.

In school, we get rewarded based on our performance alone but in the real world, you cannot succeed just because you are better than the rest; there are many factors at play in the outside world, which schools and colleges don’t prepare us for.

7 things I wish I learned in school

1. There are things more important than school

As per recent reports, 41% of graduates are either underemployed or working a job that requires no formal degree. Moreover, there was $1.41 trillion outstanding student loan debt in the United States alone, with an average of $35,359 per student.

But most jobs don’t actually need years of education. For instance, programming boot camps can prepare you for a job within 6 months for a fraction of the money that colleges demand. Similarly, you can master digital design, marketing, and writing without attending school.

School provides you with knowledge, but life requires wisdom.

Of course, it is not true for every profession. If you want to become a lawyer or doctor, school is a must.

However, the point I am trying to make is that there are more important things than school, such as following your dreams and getting real-world experience rather than just knowledge about the real-world.

2. A side hustle is crucial

In my years of school, I was never taught about the importance of having a side hustle. In fact, I grew up thinking that side hustle is only good to make ends meet.

School never teaches you to even how to handle your finances, let alone earning them. Around 85% of people hate their job and for them, a side hustle is not just another way to earn cash but an escape plan.

There are only benefits to building more than one source of income. A side hustle is the new job security.” — Forbes.

It also protects you in the event that you lose your job. Moreover, there is a ceiling of your job salary but there is no such upper limit of income from a side hustle. One can even argue that side hustle is becoming imperative as wages have been effectively stagnant for years now.

3. Niching down is important

Schools and colleges teach us how to dabble in many skills, rather than gaining becoming master of one skill. Most of us grew up thinking the more skills you know, the better you are. But in reality, having a niche is much more vital.

A niche is a focused, specialized area that you serve particularly well. When we think about Steve Jobs, Apple and iPhone come to our minds. But Jobs never wrote a single line of code, and he didn’t do any original designs either. But Steve was a master salesman. He knew what people wanted, even when they themselves didn’t know!

Now imagine Steve Jobs participating in every level of production from design to manufacturing to sales. It would have been nothing short of a disaster, and probably iPhone would never have had seen the light of the day.

Effective Delegation Is Crucial for Successful Entrepreneurs

This is why niching down is such a determining factor. It allows you to stand out.

4. Networking comes first

Networking plays a pivotal role in your role and I can’t stress this enough. Yet schools and colleges never teach how to network. Colleges should emphasize networking considering how networking is compulsory for professional development.

Personally, networking has helped me get insights about the field I care about. Not only this, but it has helped me grow as a person. It helps me stay focused, on top of trends, and aware of upcoming opportunities.

Your network determines your net worth.

I just wish that I knew the importance of networking growing up. It is not just an avenue to exchange ideas but also you make reassess your qualifications. Even a simple interaction with one person can result in a breakthrough.

5. Not getting what you want is good

Perseverance is a skill that schools need to promote, especially to students who don’t meet the required benchmark set by the system. On the contrary, schools completely overlook this trait. More than often, you will see teachers scolding students rather than encouraging them to work hard.

Determination and perseverance are often underappreciated character traits. Some of the greatest human inventions are a byproduct of perseverance. Thomas Edison had 1,093 patents, but only a handful of them such as the lightbulb was groundbreaking. But this didn’t stop him. As he himself said,

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

When you don’t get what you want, don’t become dejected rather think of it as an opportunity to reassess and try better next time. Creativity is born in the anger of rejection.

6. Invest in yourself

The most priceless investment in your life is you. Investing in yourself is the best advice you will ever receive, as it is one of the best returns on investment you can have. The indispensability of investing in yourself is something that the education system should start teaching to students in their formative years.

Never underestimate the investment you make in yourself.

Investing in yourself doesn’t make you selfish. You can only take of others when you take care of yourself first. Investing in yourself simply implies that you invest in your health, enhance your skills, and make time to work towards your future goals.

When you prioritize yourself, you ensure that you are well-taken care of in the future. You are your most important source of wealth.

7. How to sell yourself

Schools never teach you how to sell yourself but once you graduate, you realize that sales skill is critical in life. Even at business schools, they teach how to sell products and services but they never focus on how you should sell yourself.

A glowing recommendation and outstanding résumé might guarantee you an interview, but it doesn't guarantee you a job.

This makes it all the more important for schools to teach this necessary skill. Selling yourself means showing how you can bring value to the other person.

Whether you are a teacher or an engineer or an artist, you have to sell yourself to get the attention you deserve. Although it may look easy on the surface, introducing yourself and creating a lasting first impression is an art.

How you sell yourself goes beyond your professional life. It is key to forming meaningful relationships.

Final thoughts

I am not saying that everybody should leave school. Schools, and the education system in general, are necessary for the growth and development of individuals. It gives us invaluable memories and teaches us how to socialize.

According to an August 2018 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate for college graduates was 2.1%, 3.9% for high school graduates, and about 5.7% for those without a high school diploma. Sure, a higher level of education reduces your chances of being unemployed. But we have to see the entire picture.

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught.” — Oscar Wilde

However, it is worth mentioning that the education system is not perfect. It is flawed and fails to teach many of the skills that we need to survive and grow.

We are still using methods of yesterday to teach skills of the future and due to this, there is a gap between knowledge provided via colleges and the wisdom needed to survive in the real world.

In real life, one needs to learn many skills such as how to introduce oneself and how to keep up with the trends, and unfortunately, these skills don’t make it into the curriculum of schools.