The Many Paths to Success

Investigating Common Misconceptions about Education, Intelligence, and Skill Level

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash

Introduction

One of the more heated discussions I see on social media today is about whether or not having a college degree better qualifies an individual for a job that otherwise may not physically require one. For example, in much of the civilized world, one cannot legally practice medicine or law without certain credentials or professional certifications, however these constraints do not apply to someone pursuing a career in art, music, writing, business, or a trade.

The arguments are typically the same, with the usual tales of people drowning in student debt, the economy of 1979 vs 2019, and how different things are today from the way they’ve ever been in the past, with new and profound changes to long-held traditions — such as the shift away from the brick-and-mortar business model to the more abstract concept of an online presence.

Rather than take one side or another, let us shed some light on the overall situation and see how education is not always directly proportional to intelligence.

Comparison of Exceptional vs Average

A quick study of some of the most brilliant minds of the last hundred or so years will promptly reveal that both academics and non-academics have reached incredible heights of success. The founder of Apple did not have a degree, and yet was able to build what ended up becoming the first company valued at one trillion dollars, creating groundbreaking new developments in the consumer electronics and online media industries to name a few. The irony of this company being studied within an academic environment should be obvious, and the monumental success of Apple is clear proof that one does not necessarily need a degree to be highly intelligent or financially successful.

On the other end of the scale, there is an inherent danger in blindly accepting an academic credential as proof that someone has a high level of intelligence, and at least a passing inspection of the person’s integrity and demeanor should be conducted, as well as their level of passion and drive. Someone who cared enough about a subject 12 years ago to get a degree may no longer care about the field in which they work, and may not have the kind of passion and drive required for solving problems in creative and out-of-the-box ways.

Of course, these are the exception and not the general rule in the majority of cases, however it illustrates that exceptional people are just that — exceptions.

Common Myths

Some of the more common misconceptions around education and intelligence revolve around two basic (and heavily biased) generalizations:

1. For a person to learn a subject or gain a professional skill, he or she must attend an academic institution and study under the guidance of professors.
2. Any person who has received a degree from an academic institution must automatically be intelligent and/or qualified to be an authority on a topic.

Obviously, these statements are not going to be true in 100% of all cases, and due to the very subjective nature of qualifying and quantifying intelligence itself, these theories quickly fall apart when put to the test, and they should, because they impose artificial upper and lower bounds on the capability of a person based on a single metric alone (whether or not they hold a degree).

Further Inspection

Let’s take a look at the above myths and discover what makes them inaccurate generalizations which are not always true, by testing them with exceptions:

1. An individual with the capacity to learn at a faster rate than what is typically available to them during their formative years will begin looking for new and more exciting ways to learn and achieve new skills. This has no theoretical limit, so for example someone can begin learning algebra or computer science while still in grade school, gaining a 10-year head start on someone who began studying these subjects in an academic setting.
2. An individual with the capacity of learning only at the absolute bare minimum rate — and often not even meeting that criteria due to a lack of interest in subject material or any other possible cause — may still obtain a degree, which at that point would only represent the person’s ability to learn just enough of the material to obtain a degree. This of course does not place this person in a competitive position whatsoever in comparison to the one described above, who is likely years if not decades ahead.

The examples above are not only a real-world possibility, but are actually so commonplace that many software and technology companies, including big names like Apple and Tesla, put a much greater emphasis on actual skill and ability than on academic qualifications, often to the dismay of the very people who they are trying to weed out: naysayers who hate on those who have less formal education or credentials than themselves, and who subsequently feel that anyone in an advanced technical position with no degree is cheating.

Proof in the Results

At the end of the day, people are only as good at something as the quality and quantity of effort they put into learning it. The world is made up of all kinds of people and the variety of skills that are beneficial to it as a whole are infinite, meaning that anyone willing to exercise a little creativity and persistence can find a purpose in life and excel at it to boundless heights. The key here is to find something that resonates with you as an individual, and learn to dive in with enthusiasm and confidence, absorbing as much information as you can and gaining a more abstract and thorough understanding of your field(s) of interest as a whole. Some careers require a degree outright, where some allow a great deal of flexibility and offer various paths ranging from self-study and trade programs to advanced degree and research programs. The point here is that none of these options are superior to any other option, and that the entire issue is subjective in nature, due to the wide variety of possible combinations.

Conclusion

Depending on your current situation, for example whether you are trying to choose your next career path or seeking to fill a position within your company or organization, try to consider the various tradeoffs between each of the different paths one can take towards mastering one’s field of interest and achieving success in their career. Often the most creative approach to solving a problem can lead to the most profound discoveries and revelations, which may seem obvious yet is often overlooked time and time again by those who seek to solve new problems with old ways of thinking and doing things.

Diversity within an organization or institution has positive effects on the group as a whole, and this is no different when applied to the question of whether a degree should be required for a specific position or whether you should pursue a degree within the course of your career of choice. Often, the most innovative companies in cutting-edge industries have a healthy mixture of formally educated and self-educated people with varying levels of skill and knowledge that balance out to achieve a greater result as a whole. People who create breakthroughs, or directly enable others to do so, are willing to look at problems from as many angles as necessary in order to understand them.

With this in mind, it’s important to be cognizant of the fact that highly gifted and intelligent people come in all variations, which include variations in the type of educational upbringing they received and their subsequent approach towards their career, which itself can include many interweaving paths. This dynamic nature is what gives the world’s top companies their creative edge.

Kenneth Reilly (8_bit_hacker) is CTO of LevelUP