What you don’t get to learn in school!

#WhattheSchoolsDontTeach

I always wondered to what extent “…B and C students end up employing straight A students” was true. It’s debatable but largely, the chances that an “average” student took advantage of the school setting to build critical soft skills outside of the classroom is high.

Instead of being taught how to negotiate, master our emotions(E.I), manage money, communicate, learn how to learn, network, etc., we were caught in the rot of “chew”, “pour”, pass and forget.

How we say that school prepares us for the workplace but eight (8) out of ten (10) graduates are ill-prepared for the work world is baffling. KNUST, where I schooled, teaches some great courses that arm candidates with great industrial-fit skills but, not equipped to even run a small scale business. If Entrepreneurship is the future for our economy, how is no one paying attention to how right or wrong the school system is?

School trains us to have a mindset that once you are able to burn the midnight candle, walk with eyes almost bulging out and make a great score of 3.4 GPA or 80%, you are an A student and set for life. But the real world is nothing like that. For starters, you don’t need to be a straight A student; the most successful and impactful persons society celebrate barely managed a “C” until one opportunity launched them into prominence.

Now what I’m communicating is, don’t be too critical of yourself to your detriment if you’re not a straight A student. I’m in no way saying saying there’s something wrong with excelling in academics. Having straight A’s is a good thing, however Straight A’s with an entrepreneurial mindset is sharper.

Again, having straight A’s will get you through the door or at least, on the shortlist. But, there’s a lot more that keeps both ‘excellent exam students’ and perceived average students through the world of work and life.

So reflecting on International day of Education, here are a few of the things I wish I knew while in school:

– Negotiation is a skill you’ll need to master. No one goes to a negotiation table with a sense of entitlement. You psych yourself to win some and lose some.

– Know how to pick your battles. Not everything is worth expending energies, time and resources on and somethings can actually be left alone.

– Relationships are everything! Nurture great ones and learn to relate well with people. Keeping enemies closer and friends close. Be the kind of friend you want.

– Learn to mind your business and value peace of mind above all else.

– Communicate! Communicate!! Communicate!!! So much for orals. We had to say what we heard, and write out what we read, very little room to interpret and present one’s personal view on any work. How else will lecturers earn from handout sale? But know that in the real world you’ll have to stand for something, and communicate what it is you stand for and let that guide your decisions at all times, never contradicting yourself because you’re clear as day on what your pursuit is about.

– Money Management. Money answers all things; and someone needs to manage the inflows else money will dictate it’s own course. I’ve seen many handle huge sums and lose all in a matter of seconds, people running businesses and in a matter of years it all comes crashing down due to debt. Someone ought to have taught how to win at money management .

– To take advantage of the internet facility to download useful self-tutoring video on almost any endeavor that makes one relevant in the competitive world. You’ll appreciate this when you start buying your own data.

– Plan fun times and periods of relaxation. Hall-weeks were probably the closest to this ideology, and yet you can bet on a mid-sem exam or impromptu quiz by lecturers during such periods. It made it seem that having fun was inconsequential to excelling out of school but those avenues actually build great life skills especially for organizers. Now I’m not saying quizzes are bad, but there is really a balance our school system kind of robs us of.

And last but not least,

– The learning whilst you learn. Life is for learners but our school system barely teaches how to learn to remember and to apply. Not to talk of learning how to learn any and everything thing. The good thing is what the school system does not teach you, you can always find in books.

~On a lighter note except you studied biology, school never taught that orgasms and the art of attaining such height was an art to be mastered~