Myth 1. The university should not give a profession - the university should teach the student how to learn
Higher education is higher professional education , and its goal is to give a person practical skills and theoretical knowledge to solve problems related to his future professional activity. It’s not for nothing that when they are recruiting applicants, all universities shout: “our graduates head banks, factories and work in the most prestigious positions,” “we will teach you this and that, and in general, everything you might need.” And in the fifth year, another graduate comes up to the lecturer and says: “Professor, I’m going for a diploma, but I can’t find a job.” — The task of a university is to teach a person to learn. — But five years ago, at the open day, you talked about how much your university would give us. — I don’t remember something... I wonder if this phrase had been shouted during the recruitment of applicants, would the number of people willing to study remain the same?
Myth 2. University teaches you how to learn
If the task of a university is really to “teach people to learn” and the university has been doing this for five (!) years, why is it doing its main task so poorly? Let's figure it out... Who learned at least two self-study methodologies at university? Nobody? What about time management? This is such a very useful thing for work, study, and your whole life. Speed reading? Mind map? Techniques for remembering information? No, have not heard. The Internet, the latest achievement of humanity, can increase your efficiency by 2-5 times. Name any 10 ways of self-learning. No, VKontakte and Facebook do not count. What about knowing how to use search engines? By the way, a very important skill for self-education. You know how to use them, right? Name 5 general search engines and 5 highly specialized ones for your profession. There are more than 2000 of them, if that. Writing a resume? It will definitely be useful to every person. And they didn’t teach this at university? Oh, yes, the university does not train professionals. It seems that the list of items is selected according to the principle “if it can help professional activity, exclude it”!
Myth 3. The task of the university is to train scientists. If you want to learn a profession, go to vocational school
“All professions are needed, all professions are important.” The world needs professionals. But the degrees of knowledge and responsibility vary from profession to profession. There are professions that require 3-4 years of study, and there are those that require 5 or even 8 years of study. For example, a surgeon who performs heart surgery vs a therapist vs a nurse. Practicing lawyer vs paralegal vs receptionist. For a nurse, three years of secondary vocational education is enough, but a surgeon, like a lawyer, will have to study at a university for five years. The task of the university is to make a high-quality professional out of the applicant.
Myth 4. The university should teach everything. Its very name speaks about this.
A university (from Latin universitas - totality, community) is a multidisciplinary educational institution that trains specialists in many fields. Those. The university does not train a specialist in 10 fields, but has 10 different faculties, each of which trains a specialist in one narrow field.
Myth 5. Most successful people graduated from prestigious universities
Many smart and successful people were actually able to enter and graduate from various universities. Although they achieved success not thanks to the university, but in spite of it. It’s worth digging deeper and it turns out that the next “successful graduate” started working in his second year. And at the university he was constantly brainwashed and threatened with expulsion for absences.
Myth 6. People go to university to gain knowledge.
Why do people even go to university? I really like the short answer from my overseas friend: “For the sake of a good job: to pay the mortgage and buy food.” On this side of the ocean, many also agree with this statement.
Myth 7. All knowledge is useful: if you study at a university, it won’t get any worse.
This is if you are choosing between “studied for five years at a university” and “spent five years in a coma.” Five years is a very high price. If someone offers you an iPad for your kidney, you wouldn't accept it, would you? So why do you agree to “all sorts of knowledge about different things” for five years of your life?! Five years is a monstrous price. You are young, active, ambitious. Ready to explore the world and show it what you are capable of. In five years, you can turn from a school student who is interested in programming into a highly qualified professional. Work abroad, see the world, open your own business. I know people who started making websites at 17, and at 24 they already have their own company, house and car. Don’t lie to yourself: a university is a quiet place where you can drag yourself and convince yourself that you are working on yourself without leaving your comfort zone.
Myth 8. I wouldn't trade my time as a student for anything.
What about an internship at Apple? Some lectures are much more boring than any work. And in order to communicate with peers and solve interesting problems, you don’t have to go to a “special place” for five years. Work in a real company, people from whom you can learn, and next to you, just like you, yesterday’s schoolchildren with sparkling eyes. Who wouldn't want to do a five-year internship at a large international company instead of studying at a university?
Myth 9. The average level of intelligence among those who did not study at a university is lower than among graduates
There is undoubtedly a correlation between intelligence and higher education. But what is the cause and what is the effect is another question. It seems to me that it is not the university that is the reason for a great mind, but on the contrary: the smarter a person is, the greater the chance that he will enter a university “because he can, and everyone does it” (c).
Myth 10. The advantage of university is that it develops the brain.
Good interesting work develops the brain just as well. Any intellectual effort does this. A smart person will always find something to learn from life. Here, rather, the desire to learn plays a role, rather than the place of study. Have you been working for five years and know everything? There is Wikipedia, professional forums, smart books and readers. Self-education is interesting and not difficult.
Myth 11. Those who know how, go to work; those who don’t know how, teach
Many smart and successful people were actually able to enter and graduate from various universities. Although they achieved success not thanks to the university, but in spite of it. It’s worth digging deeper and it turns out that the next “successful graduate” started working in his second year. And at the university he was constantly brainwashed and threatened with expulsion for absences.
There is undoubtedly a correlation between intelligence and higher education. But what is the cause and what is the effect is another question. It seems to me that it is not the university that is the reason for a great mind, but on the contrary: the smarter a person is, the greater the chance that he will enter a university “because he can, and everyone does it” (c).
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