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Is your diploma/degree/certificate making you a failure?

No university degree = meaningless life?

I once spoke to a teacher (I'll call him Sean) who taught for a number of years at a school where most of the students weren't academically inclined.

He shared with me the sense of helplessness he felt.

"I knew that few of my students would attend university, so for most of them, their lives would never amount to much," Sean explained matter-of-factly.

I was stunned.

Did I actually hear a teacher say that a person's worth in life is primarily based on whether he or she receives a university degree?

Did Sean really believe that you need to be a university graduate in order for your life to "amount to something"?

Please don't misunderstand; I think that education is important and that tertiary education can be an enriching experience. But your success or failure in life isn't defined by what certificates, diplomas or degrees you've been awarded. Far from it!

Sean's words rang in my head again and again over the next few days.

"Good, better, best" thinking

Through my work, I've had the opportunity to interact with many teachers. I'm happy to say that the vast majority of teachers don't have as narrow a perspective as Sean.

But I do think that Sean's views are a reflection of how lots of people think about success: polytechnic diploma = successful; university degree = more successful; Master's degree or doctorate = even more successful.

This is a line of thinking that we begin to cultivate in school, where a "B" grade is okay, an "A" is better, while an "A*" is the best.

School isn’t the only place to get an education

But is attaining success in the real world that straightforward?

About 20 years ago, maybe. Before the Internet came along, information was comparatively scarce. The more certificates and degrees you accumulated, the more of that scarce information you possessed. That meant you were valuable -- and hence more likely to attain financial success.

Today, however, information is abundant. There's an astounding amount of information that you can access at the click of a mouse button or the touch of a smartphone screen, and that treasure trove of information is growing at an exponential rate.

This means that knowledge is no longer king. Instead, the application of knowledge in innovative ways is king. There's a big difference between the two.

The world has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, resulting in knowledge being made freely available to anyone with an Internet connection. As a result, school isn't the only place where students can get an education. Rather, school is just part of a student's education.

More schooling doesn’t mean more education

In today’s Information Age, more schooling doesn’t necessarily equate to more education. That’s why students’ thinking about their lives and future careers shouldn’t be confined by their formal educational qualifications.

I’ve spoken to and worked with thousands of students, so I know that, for the majority of students, their first thought after completing their formal education is to look for a job where they meet the minimum educational requirements.

There’s nothing specifically wrong with this. I’m definitely not recommending that you apply for a job that you’re obviously underqualified for.

Is life about jumping through hoops?

What I’m trying to say is that we need to stop thinking about life as a game in which the aim is to jump through one hoop after another.

First, it’s the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). Then it’s the N- or O-Levels. Then it’s the A-Levels or the International Baccalaureate or getting a diploma. Then it’s getting a degree.

What’s next?

Getting a job that you’re qualified for, obviously. And then trying to climb the corporate ladder and eventually becoming the CEO. Right?

Not at all.

The alternatives to "traditional" jobs

Sure, we need to earn a living to make ends meet, but there are other ways to approach our career. Instead of applying for a "traditional" job, maybe you could consider starting a business or joining a start-up company or doing some freelance work. You could offer to work for free (or almost free) for a successful entrepreneur so that you can pick up useful skills from him or her.

The Internet has opened up an infinite world of possibilities in which we can add value to others and get paid for it. Full-time vlogger, social media consultant, Big Data analyst -- these jobs didn’t even exist a decade ago.

Surely we ought to expand our thinking beyond "I have a diploma/degree/certificate in such-and-such field, so I should become a such-and-such".

Don’t allow your educational qualifications to stifle your thinking. More than ever before, we live in an era where we’re able to create opportunities for ourselves, regardless of how "educated" or "uneducated" we are.

Sir Richard Branson: school dropout, dyslexic, successful

Sir Richard Branson is a great example of someone who didn’t allow his lack of educational qualifications to prevent him from attaining success. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16, and he’s also dyslexic.

But he built the Virgin Group, which comprises more than 400 companies, and has amassed a net worth of US$4.6 billion.

Remarkable accomplishments!

In many societies, if you’ve been diagnosed as dyslexic, you’d almost be condemned as someone who will never be successful. Thankfully, Sir Richard Branson’s parents didn’t believe that.

Failure = succeeding on someone else’s terms

When I ask "Is your diploma/degree/certificate making you a failure?", I’m not referring to failure in the way we typically think about it: no achievements, no money, no friends. Rather, I’m referring to failure as succeeding on someone else’s terms.

First, we need to be clear about what success means to us at a personal level. What legacy do we want to leave behind? What values are most important to us? What principles do we want to live by? What character traits do we want to possess? In what ways do we want to contribute?

Our personal definition of success holds true, regardless of whether we drop out of primary school or hold five PhDs. If we don’t take the time to reflect on what this definition is, then we’re bound to find ourselves jumping through hoop after hoop -- and become just like circus animals, instead of embracing our potential as innovative, intelligent, incredible human beings.

Life is a maze

Life isn’t about jumping through hoops faster and better than everyone else. I think that life is more like a maze that requires us to explore, discover and make mistakes. Lots of mistakes.

Yes, we live in a stressful, competitive world. But that doesn’t mean we should let our educational qualifications imprison us by forcing us into a career that we "should" pursue or a life we "should" lead, just because other people tell us so.

Life is much too short to run the race that others expect you to run, instead of running your own race.

In closing…

The bottom line? Here’s what I recommend:

1. Think deeply about what success means to you at a personal level.

2. Write down this definition and refer to it daily.

3. Make bold decisions that are in line with this definition. (This may or may not involve taking up a "traditional" job or leading a "normal" life.)

4. Keep improving, keep exploring, keep daring to fail.

5. Continually reflect on where you are and where you want to go, and how you want to make a difference in the lives of others.

That’s what real success is about. Don’t let your diploma/degree/certificate turn you into a failure, when you were never meant to be one.

Daniel Wong is a learning and personal development expert, as well as a certified youth counselor. A sought-after speaker and coach, he is also the best-selling author of "The Happy Student: 5 Steps to Academic Fulfillment and Success". He offers programmes to help students attain exam excellence while also finding happiness and fulfillment, and to empower parents to motivate their unmotivated teenagers. He writes regularly at www.daniel-wong.com. Download his FREE e-books, "The Unhappiness Manifesto: Do You Make These 150 Mistakes In The Pursuit Of Happiness?" and "Singapore Scholarship Guide: The $500,000 Decision". The views expressed are his own.