The story: Education

Posted by Claudia Moser on 12:27 PM in Education, GBE2

I always believed and still do that if you study you will achieve more in life. You have new directions opening ahead of you, you can easily identify what you know and what you do not know, and in the end you keep on growing since you develop the passion for learning while studying, or at least I did.

During the last ten days I was on holiday, actually on a trip to my home town, where the entire family celebrated my grandmother, she turned 85 and is amazing. Still full of life, of energy, smiling, sometimes complaining (but she is allowed right?). During my stay I had the chance of talking to some of my friends, old schoolmates, acquitances and in the end I always had one question in my head.

Does education bring you further in Romania?

So many of the people I know struggle to get a well paid job, some struggle to get a job at all. So many are not happy where they are, they do feel the need to move on but do not know where. Some do not understand what to do next, they seem lost. So few are actually happy with their life. Reasons behind this state? Many I am sure.

But one main reason is education. Many wonder if they did chose the right profession, and one example which will always remain in my memories linked with this visit is the one of a young woman I met at the airport in Timisoara. I went for an espresso (the love for my coffee never stops!) and the lady at the bar serving it was very friendly and we started chatting. Turns out that she studied at the same high school, did go to the university and graduated with honours as an environmental engineer. And was working for 2 years at the bar since this is the only job she found. Day after day, min. 12 hours and was only dreaming of getting out of the situation but saw no exit. And then you wonder - is this what you studied for? 16 years of learning!

So in the end what you choose as your profession is what the markets wants? What happens with your vocation? How should the young ones decide what they want to do in the future?

Education is key, and as Albert Einstein said “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”, but the question is which direction to choose? And I do believe that this is a key question for many societies, which have to re-discover its potential!

Motto

"A story is not like a road to follow … it's more like a house. You go inside and stay there for a while, wandering back and forth and settling where you like and discovering how the room and corridors relate to each other, how the world outside is altered by being viewed from these windows. And you, the visitor, the reader, are altered as well by being in this enclosed space, whether it is ample and easy or full of crooked turns, or sparsely or opulently furnished. You can go back again and again, and the house, the story, always contains more than you saw the last time. It also has a sturdy sense of itself of being built out of its own necessity, not just to shelter or beguile you."
by Alice Munro

Pearson Report says:

4:33 PM

Best education, for me, is learning from my mistakes.

Catch My Words says:

4:41 PM

That's a sad situation but appears to be happening more and more. On the bright side, no one can ever take your education away from you. I learned more from living on my own in college than I ever did by attending classes.

http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

Claudia Moser says:

8:35 PM

@Karen - I believe this is a global trend!
@Jenny - that is also very valuable
@Joyce - that is true, you are right that education remains no matter what!

Jo says:

9:08 PM

I mentioned this on my blog as well. The choosing of the career a full 4 years before being qualified to work in it is nothing more than a guessing game.
Education is never a waste, but sometimes it is just an education.

9:20 PM

@Jo - very wise statement, thank you for that!

Unknown says:

4:49 AM

You highlighted a problem that is sadly too common. People rush out and run up a big bill getting an education only to discover no one will hire them to work in their chosen field. Sure, knowledge is never a waste...but is the bill for education worth it if you never find the job you studied for to better your situation?

Kathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

Eccentricity says:

5:09 PM

I think that's a problem here too, because of the economy right now.

Steven says:

9:27 PM

The education will definitely give you an advantage over others - in a world economy that doesn't suck as much as this one does right now. Until things improve PhD's will continue working along side us lower schmucks stocking shelves and flippin' burgers.

Phoenixritu says:

9:59 AM

Just the fact that you have educated yourself makes all the difference. The rewards will come, just hang in there

10:36 AM

@Kathy - I believe that it is not that easy to put the decision only on the shoulders of those who study. The administration / society has to ensure that the given opportunities are market oriented.
@Eccentricity - that is for sure one of the main reason
@Steven - in my opinion a clear educational strategy has to be defined, which jobs are required by the market etc.
@Phoenixritu - this story was not about me, I am lucky to work in my field, even in a foreign country. I am just concerned about my colleagues, my generation!

Amy Morgan says:

6:16 AM

I look at the majority of the young people I know who have graduated after 4 years of college and almst none of them are working in their field. A variety of reasons, but nearly each one of them tells me it's not really the field they chose but he act of going to college taht was their true education. Granted, this from all young people,however I have faith and hope they end up in jobs that they have a passion for, degree or not.

Anonymous says:

7:52 PM

Love your quotes, Claudia!

"Knowledge is Power!"

8:01 PM

@Linda - thank you so much!