This is a statement that should be firmly in the minds of anyone who comes out of our educational system. It should be the motto of every elementary and high school, as well colleges, trade schools and universities. There is a big difference in being educated and learning. I submit to you that you know some highly educated people who have not learned anything along the way.
Education is the process of imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes to an individual, or group. However, learning is taking that education, knowledge, skills and attitudes and actually adopting it into that individual’s life and/or career.
To make a clear distinction between the two may aid you in your approach to not only your life but also to your career.
Some of the differences are as follows:
- An educator takes the lead role of providing the education. Whereas, life is what takes over for us to learn and therefore, becomes the educator.
- Education is prompted by extrinsic, outside motivation. Learning is by intrinsic, inside motivation.
- Education is based on a systematic and formal process. Learning is the exact opposite. There is no systematic nor formal process.
- Education is only during certain and finite periods of time. Whereas learning is ongoing and never stops.
- Education is the push model; you are told what you need to know. Learning is the pull model; you make a decision if you need to learn this particular lesson.
In other words, if you are educated, you have all the book smarts you may need. However, if you apply that knowledge and actually live it, breath it and practice it you take that giant leap to street smart.
Whenever I feel curious about something, I get some education on it so that I can then take it and learn from it. In my career, I am always getting educated so that I may learn from it. If you want to put it in another way, I learn from the education that I have gained. Doing that means that I do walk my talk, and the street smarts and learning I have is augmented by the book smarts and education I have received.
Knowledge is only power if you use it yourself.