Why no form of education is a waste

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss

Ever since I can remember, my parents always drilled it into me that I needed to educate myself. I was brought up to seek answers for all the questions I may have, and because of this I have developed a love for learning and improving my understanding on the world around me. My Mother is a teacher (by nature and profession) who has this hunger to acquire knowledge like no one I have ever known; and it definitely rubbed off onto me.

After I graduated and started working, I became increasingly frustrated because I wanted more. I know I want to further my studies and it is something I would love to pursue for as long as I can – even if it is outside of the field I am currently working in. I realise this may sound ridiculous to some people because in their minds if I study something else then everything I worked for over the past few years would go to waste. This thinking bothers me…

Maybe it was the way I was raised but I believe that any knowledge you gain can never be a waste. We live in a world so vast and extraordinary that our minds cannot begin to comprehend the complexity of it all! And I believe that anything you learn builds a better understanding of the world.

If I ever decide to further my studies in a different field, all the knowledge I have gained up until then would not be in vain. I have improved my perception in a certain part of the world which ultimately means that I have a better view of things than what I had before I studied. Even more so, I have gained skills that would help me in the long run.

In this world we try to put a price on everything. And since we have to pay for furthering our education, we immediately put a price tag on our qualifications. Instead of looking at it as improving ourselves, and answering questions about the world we may have; we think of the experience as a commodity. And if we don’t use our qualifications then it automatically means that we wasted our time and money on something we “wont be using”.

However, I regard by knowledge and education as a key which I use to better myself. It is my tool which I can use to give back to the world in some way or another. And above all else it makes me appreciate the world I live in and the life I am living…

As my late grandfather Sheikh Shakier Gamieldien said:

“Your knowledge should make you humble; because the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know.”

– Nihaad