Education is not about how much we know; it is truly about how well we know.

In my various corporate semi­nars with different companies across the world, I have met many employees who have been working as executives, supervisors or even managers and yet have expressed their deep frustrations of not be­ing able to rise higher towards be­coming senior managers, general managers, team leaders and even­tually becoming the ‘CEO’.

Even though they may have in­tense intentions to rise and may have earned tremendously rich experiences, most of these execu­tives, if not all, ended up feeling ‘stuck and stagnating’ in the same positions for extremely long peri­ods of time.

“Why am I not able to break the barrier or the ceiling and rise higher and eventually reach the top of the ‘corporate ladder?” they would ask me.

Well, the answer is simple and yet a bit complicated too. It is their lack of formal education.

Many participants I met in my seminars had joined that organi­sation as ‘attaches’.

This meant that these people had been selected into the organisa­tion despite not having completed their ‘Graduation’.

Once they got selected and sub­sequently inducted into the or­ganisation they began working with a fixed salary, allowing them with the money and the financial liquidity to spend this money on their various joys of life.

Negative development

However along with the job and the money that they were earning there was also a negative devel­opment that began to take shape in them. This was their steadily growing disinterest and de-moti­vation towards going back to their respective colleges or universities to complete their graduation.

And although they did very well at their respective jobs, when the time came for ‘promotions’ and higher posts they found them­selves left behind by those col­leagues who had completed their graduation and were higher in their qualifications than them.

As a result these people found themselves stuck to the same po­sitions where they were while the others steadily rose in their career.

It, for this reason that I firmly believe that despite getting a job in an organisation as an ‘attache’ or a part-time employee, it is still extremely important to either simultaneously study to acquire the graduation. Or at some point of time in the future, this person must quit the job and enrol ‘full-time’ into a university or college for higher education towards eventually acquiring a ‘proper’ degree!

Decide your education course or degree’ wisely

I remember meeting a cousin of mine who had decided to join a university to take up a course in accounting, only because one of his best friend’s sister told him to do so.

Unfortunately, within just six months of starting the accounting course he got completely bored and left the course midway.

Only later when we met and in­teracted that he said to me that he really hadn’t thought much about the course and had gone ahead only because of his best friend’s sister advice.

“Never decide on your choice of education course based upon what other people tell you” I told him.

Although it nice to receive and welcome advice from friends and relatives, what is better is to do a self-study and self-analysis about the educational course that you wish to go for.

Also important is to explore the clear and sincere reasons as to why would you want to choose that specific course and what would be its long term benefits for your ca­reer and for your professional suc­cess.

However what will be also rel­evant for you to do is to check your ‘Aptitude’ for that particular edu­cational course.

Through such analysis and in­trospection I believe you will end up making the most appropriate choice of the education course for yourself.

Masters & Jacks (Make the right choice)

As the saying goes, ‘Don’t be a jack of all, but become a MASTER of one’.

The proverb is quite apt with re­gards to education. Once you have decided to choose a particular course, such as Finance or Sales Management or Marketing or any other such topics, then you must go as deep as possible and try to be the best at it.

For example, after acquiring a degree in Finance and Accounting try to acquire a ‘Masters’ in the same field rather than jumping to another subject of education.

Remember the deeper you un­derstand a subject, the higher be­comes your self-confidence, and the higher your self-confidence, the greater are your chances of getting a job of your choice.

You must always remember that ‘depth’ of knowledge plays the most important role in enhancing your Conviction, Courage, Confi­dence and even your Communica­tion.

Learning never stops

Even if you may be working pres­ently at a managerial or leader­ship position or even at a position as an executive or supervisor the process of learning must always continue and never stop.

Despite your hectic ‘working hours’ try your best to read about something that could be either re­lated to your present or future na­ture of work or read about things related to subjects of Leadership, Team Building, Innovation, Self-excellence.

There are innumerable books as well as websites on the internet from where you could easily keep learning and therefore upgrading your knowledge as well as your relevant behavioural skills.

As you keep learning you will find yourself more knowledgeable and wise and this wisdom in fact will help you in your professional as well as your personal growth.

Failing is part of learning

There are many students who are unable to handle failure positively and therefore end up getting de­pressed and dejected.

I have myself met a few who told me that the only reason why they left their college-education half­way is because they failed in their final exams and that they felt it better to leave their education and work somewhere in some organi­zation.

I have also met some people who told me that they became extreme­ly depressed when they failed especially because of the fear of what their parents would say to them.

To all these people, I wish to say that there is not one person on this earth who has not failed.

Everyone has, at some point of time in his or her life failed. Fail­ing is part of ‘Living’.

There could be some who may have passed all their exams in col­lege, but have failed in their per­sonal life and there are those who lead the most successful personal as well as professional life and yet they have more than once failed either in their school or in their college.

Hence, what we all must under­stand is that through our pursuits and determination to acquire an educational degree or a Master’s, despite our best efforts we may fail, but that must never deter us from trying once again with more and better efforts. As they say, ‘Try and try till you succeed’

Finally all I can say is that Edu­cation has the power to catapult each one of us towards the highest peaks of success and prosperity!

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj