Highly educated or just highly trained?

Highly Trained but Poorly Educated

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach you what you need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that you may not have learned at church, school, home or at work. Apply what you learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Many of us are the product of the industrial age and as a consequence became highly trained and poorly educated. Our education institutions trained us what to think and not how to think for ourselves. 

There is a big difference between training and education. Training helps us to become employees, to make a living and build wealth for someone else. Education helps us to become entrepreneur business owners, creating wealth for ourselves and our society.

Our microwave society has become distracted paying attention to headlines and not reading the fine print. When was the last time you read a great book cover to cover; not a novel, but a book where you learned principles that you could immediately applyto make your life better?

Let’s contrast important differences between training and education:

1.      Training is more about accomplishing tasks, education is more about applying principles – the formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts – character.

2.      Training is more about management; education is more about leadership.

3.      Training is about the how; education about the why.

4.      Training is more about goals and targets; education is more about vision and purpose.

5.      Training is more about chasing security; education is more about freedom.

6.      Training is more about short term – targeted at solving immediate problems; education is more about long term - transmission of accumulated culture, customs and values.

7.      Training is about acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies from teaching of vocational or practical skills; education is the means of transferring principles and habits from one generation to the next.

Is it time to think like Abraham Lincoln did? Abe prepared and when his chance came he took it and became the best president in the history of our country.

Self-education is the only form of true education. Self-educated people have a much easier time and opportunities in the present economy where long term careers and jobs are becoming a rarity. 

Anyone has the time and means to be self-educated. If you are not reading at least two great books per month  to learn and grow, you will fall behind. Harder times are coming for Americans. What are you doing to prepare and prosper?

Do you have the motivation to become self-educated? If not, find it! What are you waiting for? Get educated on the crucial areas of your life: Health, Finances, Leadership, Friendship, Freedom, Faith, Family, Fun, etc. Dig your well before you are thirsty. 

Be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)