Tell Our Kids the Truth! Education is NOT the Key. It’s the Frame!

As the plant manager of my school walked the campus, I would know he was coming before I saw him. How?

His keys.

I would hear them from afar and watched how he would go into rooms and spaces that I have never entered. He would have access to places that I did not. All because he had the right key and a strong reason to enter.

Life has keys. Some of us have access to certain places and experiences and some of us don’t. All throughout my youth I would hear about these keys and how they affect my future.

“Education is the key.”

This phrase now pains me, not because I don’t believe it but because it is incomplete and undefined. Any lawyer worth their salt knows that there needs to be a common understanding of the definition of the words and phrases we use.

So how do you define education?

Is education obtaining a diploma, degree or certificate? When a person claims they are well educated, it often implies they have a degree, or a slew of degrees, from an accredited university.

On the flip side, are you not educated if you do not hold a college degree? I know several people who are not college graduates but are highly skilled and successful in their field of work.

“Education is the key.”

Our students are translating this phrase as, “Let me go to college and get great grades and get a piece of paper after four years of academic work; then my life will be set.” In this new ‘future of work’, that is no longer the case.

So what does it mean to be educated? And if you are educated do you automatically have access to the opportunities you were hoping to have access to? That’s when I stopped to take a look at the keys in my own hand.

When you purchase a new key, it is beautiful and shiny but it has no grooves. A key without grooves looks appealing and efficient but it won’t get you where you have the potential to be. Yes, it can slide in and out of various locks but you won’t be able to turn it. You won’t be able to access the space in which you were trying to occupy. You see the space. You peek through the window and look at others, who were given the same key you have, but they’re enjoying beneficial opportunities and rising the proverbial ladder of success. They are laughing and excelling in spaces you were so excited to one day be apart of.

Yet here you are, on the outside.

“What’s wrong with my key?” you ponder.

The key of education is the item. It’s your educational training. It’s your high school diploma, your college degree or your certification. It is the body of content on which you now need to take the time to carve out the strategic grooves.

These essential grooves, in my metaphoric scenario, are communication, creativity, networking, soft skills and the courage to initiate and produce.

Without these grooves, you might be able to get to the front door of opportunities – you might even be able to slide your key in the lock but when you attempt to turn your key, which is your experience, training and academic expertise, you’ll get stopped because you have no grooves on your key. Your critical ‘groove’ skills will determine if you get access to rooms and spaces that will propel you to the next level.

The Key Grooves of a Complete Education:

Communication – Being able to successfully communicate your ideas to peers, authority figures and audiences is a critical element to a successful professional career. Storytelling is a strong plus. Need help with public speaking? Join Toastmasters.

Creativity – This doesn’t mean artistry. Our new definition of creativity is the process of problem solving with relevance, value and novelty. Being able to offer creative ideas to your organization or to your own entrepreneurial pursuits is paramount in this age of advanced technology. Being seen as an influential thought leader will do wonders for your career and your life’s purpose. Can you see what is not yet there and can you communicate your innovative ideas to an audience or the market?

Networking – The ability to form alliances, connections and partnerships with people in your own field and across fields will be an important component to your upward mobility. Relationships bring resources. Try to meet a new person face to face and on LinkedIn at least twice a month. Track this like you track other metrics. Build your network, build your life.

Soft ‘Professional’ Skills – Skills that us artists and teachers always knew were important is now being recognized as critical skills in the business field. These skills include, but not limited to, empathy, adaptability, negotiation, being able to self teach and being able to alter perspective. In this new ‘future of work,’ these skills are now seen as of equal importance along side academic skills.

Courage to Act – All of these skills, along with your creative ideas, will come to nothing if you are too timid to get out there and do anything with them. In my podcast ‘Create and Grow Rich’ (Ep #4) I explain the three parts of your thinking brain; your cognitive (logic), affective (emotional) and conative parts. The conative part of your brain deals with the ability to take information from your cognitive and affective parts and ACT on them. You can train yourself to improve this area just as you can improve your cognitive and affective parts of the brain. Take it slow. Don’t overwhelm yourself but do something! Try one thing at a time. We need your ideas to come alive. It’s alright to start small but start.

We Need To Expand Our View of Keys, Education and Success

So this is why I believe education is NOT the key – it’s just the frame. Sadly, these essential ‘groove’ skills aren’t intentionally taught in the K-12 system. Some students might have mentors to give them this expertise but most won’t. That’s why I started Alumni360, which teaches these critical skills through entrepreneurship training.

So here’s my updated quote:

“Effective, comprehensive, applicable education that includes soft skills, creativity and the courage to take action is the key,”

My version may be long winded but it will get you into places where you can continue to grow, adapt and discover your full potential. When that happens, we can then fully realize and manifest the words of Nelson Mandela,

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”