What School Didn’t Teach You

Explained Using 8 Visuals

You may have been taught how to read and write, but there are some things that school simply doesn’t teach you.

It’s time to start filling in the gaps and learning what we need to know to lead a successful life.

Here are 8 things that school didn’t teach you, but should have.

Learn by doing

There’s an old saying that goes, “practice makes perfect.” And while that may not be entirely true, there’s no denying that the more you do something, the better you’ll become at it.

That’s why the best way to learn is by doing.

Sure, you can read all the books and take all the classes you want, but there’s no substitute for actually getting your hands dirty and doing it yourself. That’s how you’ll learn the ins and outs, the little tips and tricks that can make all the difference.

You might make some mistakes along the way, but that’s how you learn and grow. So get out there and start doing!

Pursuing your passion will teach you more than any college class

When you’re passionate about something, you’re driven to learn more about it. You’ll seek out information and advice from people who are experts in the field. You’ll also get first-hand experience, which, as we mentioned earlier, is one of the best ways to learn.

So, if you’re thinking about pursuing your passion, don’t let college hold you back. Pursue your passion and let it take you places you never thought possible.

Failure is foundational for your success

In my opinion, school should not only be a place where you’re taught how to get good grades and pass exams, but also a place where you’re taught how to deal with failure.

Failure is inevitable, no matter how smart or talented you are. And that’s okay! What’s not okay is letting failure defeat you.

I wish I had learned that failure is not the end, but rather the beginning of something great. I would have saved myself a lot of stress and anxiety.

So if you’re struggling with failure, remember that it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Use it as a learning opportunity and a chance to grow.

Consistency is key

The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time

No, this is not something I made up, it is an actual quote by Desmond Tutu.

Too often, we give up on our goals because we don’t see results immediately. We live in a society that is all about instant gratification, but the truth is, anything worth having takes time and effort.

So, if you want to be successful, remember to be consistent. And if you ever decide to eat an elephant, remember to consume it one bite at a time 😉

Read to learn, build to understand

As a Software Engineering student, I quickly realized that I would never become an expert at coding by just reading books about software engineering.

It’s only through building things that I’ve been able to understand the concepts I’ve read about and how to apply them in a practical way.

For example, while learning about algorithms, reading the textbook in addition to following the course only gave me a general understanding. It was only after implementing the algorithms I truly started to understand why certain decisions were made. Using this deeper understanding it was also easier to implement and find use cases for certain algorithms.

So, if you want to learn something, make sure you’re not just reading about it, but also actively trying to apply it. Only then will you be able to build a strong understanding.

Treat life as a game and you’ll level up

While playing a game, let’s take Super Mario Bros. as an example — you might fail a certain level. But after your first failure, you don’t put the Nintendo away and go do something else right? You give it another try, maybe even a third or fourth try, the same silver lining can be applied to challenges in real life.

In life, you might not pass a test the first time or get the job you want right away, but that doesn’t mean you give up. You try again and again until you get it.

Don’t be afraid to take risks and to keep trying — because you never know when you might level up.

School can’t replace real-world experience

School can only do so much when it comes to learning important life skills. Sure, you’ll learn the basics of math, reading, and writing, but you won’t necessarily learn how to manage a team of people or how to handle conflict. That’s because these are “soft skills” that can only be developed through experience.

Soft skills are related to our ability to interact with other people. While some people may be naturally gifted in this area, for others it can be a real challenge.

I was lucky enough to take a course on how to develop these skills. While the course was very helpful, it was also obvious that it is impossible to learn everything you need to know about soft skills from a book or a classroom. You have to get out there and practice them in the real world.

So, while school is important, it’s not the only place you should be learning. Make sure to get some real-world experience as well.

Learning more about soft skills?

I am currently debating if I should write an article reviewing the course on soft skills, while also revealing — what I believe to be — the most important soft skills; Including tips on how to develop them. So if you would be interested in an article about soft skills make sure to let me know in the comments and drop a follow to make sure the post pops up in your feed!

Huge thanks to @victor_bigfield on Twitter for letting me use these amazing visuals.

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