How your Education screws around with your Career & here's how to fix that

Dunking on the education system is trendy. The consensus over the Indian education system being broken is as prevalent as sunlight on a Delhi flyover in summers.

So, the first clarification that I must make is that I don't think the Indian education system is as awful as everyone makes it out to be. Sincere regrets to yet another EdTech founder with yet another app.

One common complaint (for example) that people have is that we waste time teaching people the names of countries and trigonometry instead of practical things like personal finance and filing tax returns.

Well, I had a personal finance workshop in 8th grade, a dedicated session during my MBA, and an entire course during my graduation when I majored in Finance. Yet, most of my batchmates behave as if none of this ever happened - so yeah - it's not always the system at fault, even when the system or enlightened teachers do try to bring in changes.

So, if dunking on the education system isn't what this post is about - what is this for?

This post is about what how we are 'schooled' into certain behaviors that affect our career and workplace dynamics.

Here's the list:

1) School rewards you for perfect results on easy tests, while Work rewards you for satisfactory results on hard tests

I am paraphrasing from Paul Graham in saying this but education deludes into chasing perfection. You often see this with students who only want to work for the 'best company' or 'at a high salary' or in a 'prestigious sector.' Then, when you start working early on, you feel frustrated if things don't work out perfectly.

In the workplace, mistakes are rampant, miscommunication is rife and there is little structure (especially in the knowledge economy or white-collar jobs).

What you should do:

Embrace the idea that every performance evaluation won't be perfect, there will be days when no one has structure or clarity, and that it's okay to fail, but not to stop.

2) School doesn't teach you resourcefulness, work is all about finding the right fit for the right problem

At school, there are reading lists. There are teachers. Notes from batchmates. Set patterns of Questions/Answers. Even worse - there are tuitions when all of this fails.

However, work is not like that. At school, when you sat for a history exam. You knew the potential number of questions that could be asked, last year's question papers, how much effort to put to pass, fail, ace the paper and even a request to be re-evaluated!

At work, sometimes you go in thinking this is a History exam in 10th grade, and you could get a Physics Question paper instead!

Learning at the workplace is a different ballgame altogether (which is why students who are lifelong learners do well at the workplace whereas students who chase success get frustrated when solutions aren't served on a silver platter in the office).

What you should do:

Embrace independent learning. Learn out of school. Learn out of work. Keep yourself sharp. Maintain records so that something useless today can become useful tomorrow.

3) School takes too much of your life

One of my personal joys has been that I started working very early by Indian standards. I had some gig or the other right after giving my 12th board exams.

Most Indian students in urban cities are ~18 years old when they get to college, then spend 3-4 years graduating and another 2 years doing a post-graduation (because traditional job markets reward that behavior).

The best way to learn is to work. Traditional education is all well and good but students limit themselves to one internship that college mandates and half-ass through that too!

What should you do:

Start working as early as possible. Try different things to see what works for you. Learn basic but universal skills like writing the right email, selling an idea/product/service, data analysis in Excel, etc. The number of people in their 20s who can't do a VLOOKUP or raise their own invoice is huge and being just good at basics separates you from the herd.

4) School creates uniformity, workplaces are individualistic

It's so weird that most degrees or classes have the same amount of slotted time as less complex degrees or classes. While universality (just like school uniforms) makes administrative life simple, it's terrible when you step into the workplace.

You now have someone who spent 3 years studying Physics in the same format as someone who did Accounting. The length, format, and manner of degree become an entry barrier for students. An accounting student is better off doing 6 hours of work and 2 hours of textbook reading versus a Political Science major who is better off reading by themselves and forming projects/PoVs on current scenarios than sitting in a classroom for 6 hours taking notes.

At work, everyone has a different cycle - some take 6 years for the same promotion that another person takes 2 years for. There are people who can work 14 hours and be bright as a daisy the next day and another person who needs 6 cups of coffee to face his boss.

Early career professionals think that their life needs to follow a format because schooling is so structured and formatted (hint: it's to make it easy for teachers, not students).

What should you do:

Remember you are not better or worse at the workplace. There are no deadlines for how long you should do something, when you should leave and when you should be promoted. Everyone runs their own course, subject to so many variables.

5) School makes you anxious for the next step

At school, you start a new year/semester. You sit for SAT/Board exams. Everything is defined and regulated with simple entry barriers like exams that are crackable through hard work, studying, and choosing the right co-curricular activities.

School, therefore, makes us very attuned to the next logical step.

It's linear and directionally defined. At work, you could be doing the same thing for months (like a project) that you were to get out of, but then the client flushes money in and you are stuck. At work, you put in the hours but someone else gets hired from outside for the promotion you wanted.

Work is confusing as hell. Therefore, makes many of us question our judgment (Am I at the right place? Why is there no direct output for the input I am providing? Why does my boss make me do last-minute changes?)

What should you do:

Learn to let go. Admit that your boss is not a parent who can always give you an answer. Realize that you may have put in your best but the organization needs varied. Forgive yourself for not knowing what's the next best thing for you. Be open to trying!

_ _ _ _ _ _

Liked this post? Have questions? Comment below.

Please spread the love and ask people to Subscribe to the Headstart newsletter!

If you have a speaking opportunity or a project for me, ping me on LinkedIn.