Book smart or street smart
When parents were asked in a poll last week which they would their children rather be: book smart or street smart, 55% answered book smart and 45% street smart (Parent.Com poll, January 2012).
Which are you? I strongly believe that it’s important to do well academically, but at the same time, we cannot neglect learning from experiences. Don’t you agree that learning about a country and living in the country make a big difference?
I remember one girl from my junior high school. Her parents were focusing on her grades too much rather than the importance of study, so she ended up cheating in exams just to get good grades in order to satisfy them. Also, in my high school which was pretty competitive, I saw a clear difference between students who studied only from textbooks and those who read so many different books (other than textbooks). Many of the former got stuck at a certain point and it seemed that they couldn’t see things beyond the knowledge they got from textbooks.
A degree from top universities, a job title, or a great GPA is important, but “how you got there” is more important. If your mind gets trapped with one of those, you will not be able to judge your surroundings very well. You can call it “ego.”
There is a famous Japanese baseball player, Sachio Kinugasa, who played baseball for consecutive 22 years and never missed a game. At his retirement ceremony, he said, “Intelligence can bring people to a certain level, but what makes a difference from there are continuous efforts.” It may not sound anything special, “continuous efforts.” However, doing the same thing over and over for a long period of time is not that easy, especially if you can’t see an instant result.
Look at successful people around you. Not everyone had a ticket to success. Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Sheldon Adelson, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and many more were college dropouts. I believe that success comes from boldness, continuous efforts, strength and a keen ability to judge your surroundings in addition to intelligence.
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Thomas Edison
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16 Comments
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3
Wanda-kun
"Book smart or street smart?" Neither is of any value without the other. That being the case, I don't think you can really describe prep school grads and Ivy league drop-outs as having "street smarts." Bill Gates' father is a lawyer. Jobs and Ellison were both adopted, but came from middle-income backgrounds. Zuckerberg's parents are a dentist and a psychiatrist. Adelson is the only one who could be said to have brought himself up by his proverbial bootstraps. Ford lived in a time where few Americans graduated from high school let alone attended college. Out of the group, he alone could be seen as someone with a true "vision."
Furthermore, the examples you offer of the hyper-successful have all been rather one-dimension in their success and had or have glaring personality defects. Ford was a pro-Nazi anti-Semite. Gates, Jobs and Zuckerberg all have or had outsized egos. Ellison believes himself to be a reincarnated samurai and makes Gate, Jobs and Zuckerberg look like representatives of the local welcome wagon. Adelson? He's a Republican who contributed $500K to the re-election of Bush the younger. These men may all be successes in business, but . . .
-1
MaboDofuIsSpicy
MZ is a thief.
4
tkoind2
Two thoughts.
I believe that Academic learning and Street smartness are inseparable. One without the other leaves us handicapped. While together the two can provide us with the tools we need to survive, pursue our objectives and to tap into our inate human creativity.
I am personally very tired of idolizing people based upon their monetary success. Some of the most brilliant human beings I have known in my life are neither famous nor rich. They are something far more precious. They are "HAPPY". These are the people who have brought their talents and persistence together to achieve their goals and to make people around them and themselves happy. It is this pool of brilliance and genius that I aspire to. And would wish my child to aspire to.
We place far too much importance upon wealth and economic achievement. I do not admire the list of people offered up here as stellar examples. They are just more rich successful people in a world still filled with economic inequities and starvation.
I look back across history and the names that I most admire for their persistence and intelligence are Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and others who changed the world. I also admire the countless creators of the arts, most imperfect and troubled but none the less admirable. And last but most important to me. My Mom. Not rich, not a captain of industry. Simply a happy person who continuously worked to help and care for others around her during her entire life. Never making headlines but always making devoted friendships. Using her street smarts and academic intelligence to live a good life. Now that is success we can all aspire to.
0
gaijinfo
more money is more better, from a capitalists point of view.
1
tkoind2
gaijininfo. But questions....
My answers.
1
borscht
Some of those 'college dropouts' dropped out because they were making more money than the entire teaching staff combined.
And, naturally, book-learning without street smarts results in things like Aum Shinrikyo while street smarts without book-learning results in either long-term un~ or underemployment or a career in sales. Both are required. As for 'continuous efforts' Gates & Paul Allen bought MS DOS from Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products and turned around to license it to IBM. And then?
1
Johannes Weber
I somehow don't get the connection between "book smarts" and grades. To me - who certainly has a fair share of "book smarts" and normally quite good "grades" - there is no visible connection between these two. Japanese education focuses on memorizing instead of "smarts". "smarts" always implies application. "grades" imply a high TOEIC score and no fluency at all (or similar things in other areas).
"Book smarts" would imply reading a lot, absorbing all kinds of interconnected knowledge - but show me the large number of Japanese students who enjoy reading English text books or novels or care much about the outside world (which holds not only for Japanese students, in fact). No "book smarts" here (as goes for most people).
"Street smarts" on the other hand is the art of making much while using only little. Not necessary money. Making much might mean communicating much with only little knowledge of the language or the facts. Communicating with hands and feet and most importantly - with the face and the heart. Pulling out the necessary knowledge about the conversation's topics from someone else while seeming to be well-educated all the time. This - winning the hearts and minds of people - is "street smarts".
1
anglootaku
Having a degree or masters does not = great, having a masters myself, I learnt a lot outside of uni, as a lot of things get updated and outdated so quickly also. Some people I had to let go from my company as they looked smart and seemed to act smart, but were dumb as bricks and their degrees meant toilet paper really if they can't put the theory to practice.. Also I noticed some people do not suit their profession, for example some lawyer friends I know I would not consider hiring, as they have not got the fire in them to be a fighter in court in a patents battle.. Some people can be appear low key so something like law would require a certain characteristic, same goes with business and engineering also.
2
Christina O'Neill
University of life and experience along with conventional education,and diversity of friendships, has not benefitted myself and my family to be financialy wealthy, but has certainly achieved a happy and satisfied quality of life
0
Wanda-kun
borschtJan. 10, 2012 - 12:44PM JST Some of those 'college dropouts' dropped out because they were making more money than the entire teaching staff combined.
Where did you get that nonsense? All them were just scraping along for years. Microsoft didn't make any money for at least the first five years it was in business.
0
anglootaku
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs didnt complete their degrees but had vision and are naturally smart and both are multi billionaires. A lot of other well known figures also.
0
j4p4nFTW
tknoid,
I'd mostly agree with you:
Does it make you truly happier? Does it make others around you truly happy? Does it do good for the world around you? Does it help others? Does it make you admirable? And if so, why? Is having money enough to make others respect you?
0
cubic
For all the Bill Gates ,Steve Jobs, Henry Fords, Mark Zuckerbergs of this world, there are millions and millions more who had a good idea, but failed for reasons beyond/under their control. They aren't the rule, but they should serve as an inspiration for us all - I think everyone has the potential to achieve greatness in something, but life is all about finding out what that is before it's too late to realise your potential. These guys show us that you have to take a calculated risk at some point, and go for it.
2
oginome
Except that's not respect. Fear will never be respect, no matter how hard certain people try to make it so.
0
Johannes Weber
j4p4nFTW:
As always, the simplicity of Your statements never ceases to amaze me. But I disagree. Money cannot buy respect. Respect is a consequence of virtue in word and deed. Money can buy You fear. But guess what - the one with a lot of money fears more than the others because she fears the hole of meaningless, bleak existence she'll fall into if she loses it.
Please, come forward and show me even one single person in the world respected for his money. I've never, ever heard of anyone. Using money in a way that it earns You respect requires street smarts - and in that case the respect is for Your street smarts instead of Your money.
0
Faderkinta
Depends on where you live. Book smart isn't going to necessarily help you out of a beating. Street smart allow you to see the graffiti on the wall and know you're in the wrong neighborhood. While Book smart properly used can get you ahead. Shark or Dolphin?
Where I grew up Street smarts always trumped Book Smart. Still I guess you can measure which one is important to you by your comfort zone; if you aren't worried about stray bullets hitting you, then yes, Book Smarts seems like a nice ticket. If you are Street Smart then you already know that you need the Book Smarts so you can leave that area behind.
If this is an academic question for you more than a survival one then you probably know where your answer is.
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