Know More, Do Less by Samuel

Know More, Do Less by Samuel - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my life I have been constantly been bombarded with educational advice due to the results of my mistakes or misperceptions. If I had to choose one piece of advice that has helped me the greatest in succeeding in my endeavors, it would be to “know more, do less.” This advice was constantly given by my calculus teacher throughout my senior year of high school. Sometimes he would say this to me or the class when he was showing a shortcut to solve a problem. It is amazing how four words can say a lot! The more information you know and gain, the less you have to do to solve the problem(s).

Not only can this philosophy be applied to mathematics, but to other areas of life as well. As I go through life, I have the opportunity to encounter more experiences that can enhance my life’s perspectives. The more experiences that I choose to partake in, the more likely it is for me to make an informed decision that could impact my entire life for the better. Knowing more about what I may or may not be interested in can help me narrow down my choices in declaring a major so I won’t have to struggle as much to find my place in the world.

Not only has my calculus teacher’s advice helped me solve his homework and test questions in high school, but it has also prepared me for college. One of my professors has told us about finding out our “escargot,” which she used as analogy for a career that either is unheard of or doesn’t seem all that enticing but once people try it they find it to be quite satisfying. Knowing more about potential careers can make one’s life less cumbersome since you have come closer to planning out your road ahead.

One example of how I have applied this four-word piece of advice was essentially how I came to a happy medium of my career interests. I thoroughly enjoyed my geology and chemistry classes my freshman year of college and found out that I seem to like geosciences, or sciences that are somehow related to Earth processes. I went to my university’s Career Development Center and one of the counselors I had made an appointment with showed me a website about different careers. I used this website to write down a comparison between civil engineering and geosciences and decide which field struck more of a chord with me. I found out that there was a branch of civil engineering called geotechnical in which I could use the knowledge I gained in geology and chemistry and apply them to engineering. Also while doing my career research I came to learn more about myself and discovered that me being a highly analytical individual would help me succeed in geotechnical engineering because I would have to analyze the soil, rocks, and the lay of the land to determine the building capabilities or limitations of a particular location. I even talked to a landscape architect at my university with whom I did a career informational interview for one of my classes and he strongly supported my decision to go into geotechnical engineering.

“Know more, do less” can also be applied in knowing more about oneself. If I did not understand my capabilities and interests as well as how I can use them to my advantage, I would probably be very lost or at least confused on how to execute my life’s journey. I try to learn all I can about myself to help me plan in life, and failing to plan is planning to fail. This is a valuable piece of advice that I learned from my father and I try to implement it as I can. With an effective plan as well as support for it, I am less likely to fail in life and I can feel more satisfied and confident in myself, all because I decided to know more in order to have less to do.