Think Education Is Not That Important for Success? Think Again!

If I were to tell you oxygen is not important for anyone’s existence, will you believe me? Never! Just as you cannot deny the significance of oxygen for any living being’s life, you cannot suspect the importance of education for your prosperity and well-being. That said, however, there are many people who believe that success comes partly with luck and partly with hard work. Granted that there’s no short cut to hard work and that it does have a key role in an individual’s success, but those who underestimate education are not right either. Education is as important as hard work and we also witness the manifestation of this fact in our everyday life: highly qualified people have more job opportunities and are the first priority of employers and large organizations. What’s more, their vision and approach—unlike their experienced counterparts—is much broader and they are in a better position to deal with the challenges of today’s complex business environment.  They also move up the career ladder faster than experienced people whose upward mobility is fiendishly slow.

History suggests that the nations that have made education their top priority and have given educated and learned individuals numerous opportunities to showcase their talent in their respective fields are today the envy of the world. Their progress and prosperity would never have been possible had they put education on the back burner—just like other developing and backward counties that are dependent on them for everything from a needle to computers to automobiles. To call education the cornerstone of any civilized society would not be off the mark. Take, for example, the United States which has come to be dubbed a superpower only because of its excellence in the field of research and development in virtually every area of professional endeavor. That country has had the privilege of having some of the world’s best research and development centers and is known for providing the educated people from across the globe endless opportunities of growth and development in their fields. No wonder, the United States is still one of the most attractive countries for professionals who rush to it for using their talents in a meaningful way. Other countries like Japan, Germany, France, and, more recently, China have also followed suit, proving their competence and prowess in science and technology. So, I can say this with absolute conviction that life without education is like a body without a soul.

That education today is at the heart of human development and is the surest route to one’s progress is a fact no one can deny. The advent of the Internet has provided many people including professionals and veterans a great opportunity to further their education and realize their goals. Now online institutes have made the acquisition of education somewhat easier for those who have serious time or financial constraints. Little wonder, many working adults have enrolled at these distance learning institutes and are pursuing degree and diploma programs in their specific fields. 

Employers also seek to hire educated workers and have even liaised with top educational institutes to provide them education which would help them broaden their horizons and enhance their career prospects. Long gone are the days when experience enjoyed an edge over education; in today’s rapidly changing economy experienced people are considered to be deadwood and educated workers are afforded precedence and importance. So the name of the game in today’s volatile and challenging work environment is education and you can only ignore this key component of progress and prosperity at your own peril.    

Forecasts for Growth in the Education Industry

Silber, Jeffrey. (2012). Equity Research: Education and Training. BMO Capital Markets Report.

This report anticipates long-term positive trends in all areas of the education industry. Though growth in the for-profit education sector is slow, it is expected to grow in revenue by 4.1 percent yearly for the next five years, and continue to outgrow not-for-profit peers. Technology and results-oriented services are considered to be engines of growth throughout the industry. Key growth drivers and risks in each industry section (child care, K-12, postsecondary, corporate training) are presented and analyzed. The authors find that the slump depressed demand for private childcare, K-12 and corporate training services, while post-secondary organizations benefited. Key education legislation is scheduled for reauthorization in the coming years, but the estimate is dependent on both Congressional and Presidential election results. The report comprises a side-by-side comparison of each Presidential candidate’s stance on issues impacting for-profit education providers.