There are obviously two educations: One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live. In order to acquire both educations, three things are necessary: We need information, knowledge and wisdom. We get information out of newspapers and magazines. We acquire knowledge through good books, encyclopedias, lectures and seminars. But these first two will not give us both educations. If information and knowledge were the complete answer, every Ph.D. in America would be rich and happy, and every high school dropout would be broke and miserable. Obviously, that is not true. (James Truslow Adams)Some successful entrepreneurs and businessmen I knew were college drop-outs. Bill Gates, for example, is one among them. However, this should not be construed as the norm, but rather the exception. College education, in particular, is necessary in business success. College education, as Adams said, teaches us how to make a living. This should always be the case. Given this perspective, and getting your degrees or professional training from reputable colleges like Brown Career College, Harrington College of Design, and Missouri Medical School, a good college education can propel you to success.
These colleges were established with goals to provide students with the technical knowledge, skills and hands-on training needed to succeed in many of today’s popular fields. They are dedicated in providing quality programs that are sound in concept, implemented by a dedicated educators, and geared towards those seeking a solid educational foundation for employment in their chosen careers. Therefore, if you are considering a degree in one of today’s in-demand professions and business careers, grab any of the programs in the fields of criminal justice, television production, visual communications, medical profession, and business management.
Is college education necessary for success? Yes. That is, if education is, as Daniel Webster puts it:
Knowledge does not comprise all which is contained in the large term of education. The feelings are to be disciplined, the passions are to be restrained, true and worthy motives are to be inspired, a profound religious feeling is to be instilled, and pure morality inculcated under all circumstances. All this is comprised in education.
2 Responses to “Is Education Necessary for a Successful Business Career?”
Subscribe toThe Adams quote at the beginning of this article is both incorrect and inappropriate, as J. T. Adams was an advocate of what we would characterize as liberal arts education.
The correct quote is "There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live. Surely these should never be confused in the mind of any man who has the slightest inkling of what culture is. For most of us it is essential that we should make a living...In the complications of modern life and with our increased accumulation of knowledge, it doubtless helps greatly to compress some years of experience into far fewer years by studying for a particular trace or profession in an institution; but that fact should not blind us to another—namely, that in so doing we are learning a trade or a profession, but are not getting a liberal education as human beings.
The quote is part of an essay by Adams entitled ‘To “Be” or to “Do”: A Note on American Education’ which appeared in the June, 1929 issue of Forum. The essay is very critical of American education, both in school and at the university level, and explores the role of American culture and class-consciousness in forming that system of education. It is a thought- provoking article, and interesting in that his arguments remain relevant. If it were to be published today, I doubt that anyone would recognize that it was written nearly 80 years ago.
It is possible to explain impact of moderate success with education. If you look at the average earnings of MBAs, it would be higher than those with just Bachelor degrees. But of course, immense success is not easily explained, hence the outliers such as Bill Gates.
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