Why it's better to be street smart

Tok is rather fond of telling others on how she has raised her kids to be successful and that most of them went overseas to study. What she missed telling others was that her eldest son who worked hard to send his siblings to study abroad had never been to a university himself.

Yes, Ayah, the eldest in the family, worked hard right after he left school to help the family. He’s always been a big believer in operating own business rather than makan gaji. So, never in his life had he ever worked for someone else, rather, he’s always been answerable only to himself. He saved a lot and worked hard to find scholarships for his siblings, so that they could study abroad (back in the 80’s, Ayah trusted the education system in UK and US more than any of those provided at the local U). But as for his own qualification – he only studied up to Higher School Certificate level (akin to A-Level or STPM) and never found time after that to pursue a degree.

My younger brother, Abang, had gone to a lot more learning institutions than I did. He could declare himself to be former student of UUM, UiTM, KDU and the latest, MMU. But he’d never graduated. I guess when it comes to making money, Abang is too much of Ayah’s son, so he simply could not wait to begin his own enterprise and earn his own money. I’m glad to share that despite never finishing his studies anywhere, Abang is now rather successful as a producer of a few TV series. Yes, it goes without saying that he earns a lot more than his sister who managed to graduate in law does. He owns quite an impressive animation studio and has a team of creative staff working under his supervision, and I guess that’s quite an achievement for someone below the age of 30.

A friend of hubby’s is a successful financial planner and has a remarkable client base. He stopped studying after form five. Instead, he has gone for a lot of short courses, armed himself with learning and improving his English, kept polishing his skills to influence others and win a lot of new friends along the way. He works hard, perseveres, keep on persevering until he reached the level of Manager and now has travelled to a lot more places around the world than most people. He still works hard and now earns a lot than hubby who not only owns a Bachelor’s degree, but also a Masters degree.

Yes, education is important. But education does not necessarily comes from book or proven by that particular piece of paper ones get after three or four years of slaving over books, thesis and exams. A person can educate himself by having the ability to learn things from life and from experiences. In fact, sometimes, it’s vital to be more a street smart person than simply a book smart person. Being street smart often means that one has good judgment on life situations, on other people, and on himself, thus one is more sensitive to the environment and quick to adapt to it.

And I guess those abilities often make a better man, a better survivor than those who are proud of owning a degree yet do not possess similar qualities. Not to mention - earning more too ;-)