Introduction
Is education the key to success? If it is yes, to what extent? Education changes the way someone behaves, and it analyzes situations. The word ‘education’ can be defined in many ways, but in this case, we want to take it as developing the mind through acquiring skills and knowledge. So, according to the definition, is it the key to success? Historically in Africa, parents as peasant farmers used to sell their cattle and grains to send their children to school to look after them when he/she managed to get a high-paying job according to the acquired academic level.
Why do so Many Individuals think that Education is the Key to Success?
This is because education broadens one’s horizons, provides opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds, and creates communication skills by learning to read, write, speak, and listen. With education, your chances of getting a good job and living a better life are usually maintained. In most cases, which is now practical and obvious nowadays, it seems that if you can have the keys (which is education) but nowhere to unlock the doors, even though you have the academic credentials and competence for both hard and soft skills, you might not be able to apply them due to lack of opportunities. This might be influenced by factors such as corruption and nepotism, which can be used in some of the industries. To be educated does not mean to acquire wealth or to be rich; to be educated means that an individual can be wealthy mentally because you can read the present and future situations.
The Ultimate Goal of Education
The purpose of education is to assist a person in navigating life and making contributions to society as they age. Although there are many other kinds of education, conventional schooling usually determines how one’s academic achievement is assessed. Higher educated individuals are seen to be more employable and are therefore likely to make more money. Unlike getting wealthy, there are other important factors or benefits such as gaining knowledge of social norms, developing judgment and thinking, learning how to tell right from wrong, and to acquires skills necessary for daily existence. These factors are not guaranteed to everyone who reaches university because you can acquire hard skills without enough soft skills.
Negative Perception
An uneducated person can also have money, and sometimes, employment opportunities can be acquired through corruption, nepotism, and even black magic. In the case of Africa, even though the black magician theory is not scientifically approved, other people can talk negatively about education because sometimes, when someone without academic qualifications lives a wealthy life than an uneducated person, they end up developing a perception of not considering education as the key to success. However, you can have money but without wisdom and education; it will end in vain because of the lack of educational factors/benefits.
Conclusion
Education can be the key to success because to be educated is not only to acquire wealth but to be mentally fit to face challenges.