The Education Equation by Karyn

The Education Equation by Karyn - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Knowledge is often attributed to power. The people who know the most own the most—the world seems to belong to the few people belonging to the intellectual elite. Education, it would appear, would contribute greatly to a person assuming power—the more education, the more power. However, in a more realistic standpoint, education can only ever be part of the equation on success. Success is better determined and defined by experience than by knowledge, and the purpose of an education is to open doors to new experiences to further expand on knowledge.

Knowing about something in contrast to knowing how to do something is a drastic difference. Any person could know about a cold, but only a doctor knows how to diagnosis and treat one. However, the person who knows how to do something once only started out knowing about it. Education is essential to attaining the knowledge that will create experience, and experience will create more knowledge from personal experiences, triumphs and failures, and expand a person’s skill set. Education is the key to the door of experience, but the door can only be opened through trial and error. Knowledge may be attributed to power, but experience is attributed to wisdom and power can be meaningless if it is not in the hands of the wise. The successful, then, have both experience and knowledge. The equation can fit most professions. The best teachers not only did well on their training, but they have had experience with the position for several years. The best lawyers not only did well at law school, but also have experience in the courtroom in their area of specialty. Experience relies on knowledge from education, making the point of education as more of a building block for real life trial and errors, preparation inside the classroom for experiences outside the classroom. Education is the perfect preparation for experience.

While knowledge is attributed to power, and experience to wisdom, success is a combination of the two. The perfect formula for success, regardless of what area of life, is knowledge gained from education plus the knowledge gained from experience is equivalent to a successful person. Failures and mistakes happen. However, the more knowledge and experience the more equipped a person can be to deal with failures and mistakes to turn them back into successes. Education opens doors to success.