School or Skills?

[barisbilgili]

The education system tends to be slow to respond to rapidly changing industry dynamics, especially in the technology and digital sectors. This may be due to a fixation on a curriculum that isn't flexible enough to address the realities of a job market that demands practical and applicable skills. If I were asked to play the role of a company, I wouldn't choose one over the other, because what I value is relevance. Does education provide a strong foundation for thinking, and are the skills contextual and able to make a real contribution immediately? Someone who graduates from a prestigious school may be inadaptive and lack creativity. Meanwhile, some are self-taught but have proven to produce concrete solutions in the workplace. Schools are often simply places to fulfill the obligation to learn. Perhaps I would also like to add a question: when will schools truly integrate with the world of skills?

I agree with your opinion that the education system tends to be monotonous, making it less responsive to new changes in the workplace, especially amidst the rapid pace of industrial change, particularly in the technology and digital fields.

However, this is the foundation for us to acquire skills. This doesn't mean that self-study is better than school. I don't think so. In fact, there's a difference that must be reconciled between theory in school and practice in the workplace. Therefore, we are required to be able to adapt quickly.

Your statement about graduates from prestigious schools not necessarily being adaptable is also very interesting. This shows that a degree or institutional status is not an absolute guarantee of job readiness. However, it must also be acknowledged that legality is sufficient to prove someone has studied in a particular field, and in some large global companies, this is still considered very important. I say this in general, but not all.

[Gamanka@@]

First, I would like to ask, could this be a reflection of a failing educational system?

It is a reflection of a closed educational system. When schools fail to change their curriculum to suit current trends it will become useless. Some country's teaching content still includes subjects or courses that are obsolete. These days, the biggest and most effective school is not physical but on the internet.

My second question is that if you happen to be the employer here, which will you consider more, school or skills?

Skills, of course. Certificates or school degrees cannot do the job. A good degree without skills to do the job is a waste of resources. This is why I encourage young graduates to add relevant skill sets to their certificates.

Well, if I may say school and skills deals hand in hand with each other now addays like seriously why because if you are a little bit eligible with knowledge definitely there are some skills you cannot be able to do without being educated, also many graduates are jobless why because they didn't have skills acquisition and in this erra we are now we need both to support our selves being educated is important seriously and also skills is not a bad thing too at least as graduates that has yet to grab opportunity of white collar job if such person have a skills he can be able to feed from there and also covers some of his or her needs.

Reason why many chooses skills is that seems acquiring knowledge is of no use why because many has gone to school and graduate and no work at end of the day so they seems to go and waste effort in school is better to engage in skills moreover there some skills that do pays more than white collar job so you see that is another discouragement some us find not to go to school but perhaps both has is own dignitaries an educated person with a skills is uncomperable to one only have skills without being educated.

[HelliumZ]

Probationary period at work will show who is worth hiring and who is only wasting time. Probationary period will give all answers. If school or education was really most important, then librarians, who have access to all kind of books, information will be the most demanded employees. When I was going to school, I dont remember that I had a chance to test or use all knowledge I got there. «Knowledge without practice is nothing».

You are absolutely right. If knowledge from books were fully useful in human life, then librarians would truly be among the most successful people in the world. If textbook education were truly the measure of human competence, then teachers would receive the most deserving honors and salaries in the world. Therefore, in life, it is not just about acquiring knowledge from textbooks, but also developing some skills that can be used to achieve success by utilizing knowledge and experience.

[slapper]

~

Education and skills are often seen as opposites but in truth they complement each other perfectly education gives structure, broad understanding, and exposure to different ways of thinking while skills turn that knowledge into something practical and useful in the real world the problem today is that many people finish school without learning how to apply what they studied they graduate with theories but not the hands on ability that employers or markets demand.

In many places having a degree still opens doors but it doesn’t guarantee success companies now look for people who can do things, not just talk about them skills like communication, problem solving, design, digital literacy, or entrepreneurship are what actually create value someone with strong skills can work independently, build something from scratch, or adapt to changes faster than those who depend only on credentials.
Still, its also true that skills alone without direction or discipline can become limited education can shape how those skills grow and how they connect to larger opportunities both paths have stories of success some people use their education to invent new technologies or lead teams while others with no formal schooling build empires through creativity and hard work the point is not which one is better but how each person uses what they have.

The reason that people graduate without applicable skills is not that education has failed. It is because we have been cheating on the purpose of education. Schools were not designed to produce workers. That's a post-industrial confusion that we inherited when standardized labor was required in factories. Prior to that, education was concerned with citizenship, philosophy, the way power functions. Useful? Not directly. Necessary? Depends on whether you believe a functioning society requires people who are able to think beyond their immediate economic function

The obsession with skills is understandable when you're trying to survive, but it is also the root cause of a population that can do a good job but can't understand why doing a good job is in the service of others' interests. Digital literacy devoid of history only makes you a more efficient consumer. Problem-solving without ethics means you'll solve the wrong problems really well

The real value is not in making a choice between them. It is understanding that education will teach you to ask better questions, whereas skills will allow you to answer them. One without the other leaves you either paralyzed by theory or chained in the system of somebody else

[Youngrebel]

In my country the Federal Government has stopped examination test to be admitted into universities and the latest admitting guideline is, you need to pass or have credit in five secondary school subjects. And coming to the question you asked. As for me the two are important. You might have a Skill but no knowledge to do it well. So you would be doing rubbish. But if you have the educational background and do that the same work, you would do it perfectly well. Both edu education and skillus needed in every employment.

[rachael9385]

In my country the Federal Government has stopped examination test to be admitted into universities and the latest admitting guideline is, you need to pass or have credit in five secondary school subjects. And coming to the question you asked. As for me the two are important. You might have a Skill but no knowledge to do it well. So you would be doing rubbish. But if you have the educational background and do that the same work, you would do it perfectly well. Both edu education and skillus needed in every employment.

What do you think about the government stopping screening exams for students to get into the university, I don't think this is going to be helpful, even though it seems to be of more advantage a lot of students would not take their studies seriously. That test gives them a little heads-up of what they are going to deal with in college, this makes them sit up more. Learning a skill is important but going to school is the foundation of life 

[Gaza13]

To achieve a better life, skills may be more helpful than school. Currently, I think many young people who have graduated from school, even those who have graduated from universities, are unemployed because they only have a degree without good skills, although some companies recruit people who have degrees because there is a possibility that a high degree will make it easier for us to get a job, but not everyone is lucky enough to get it, it is better to have good skills because with good skills we don't need to work, just relying on it alone can have the opportunity to make a profit.

Indeed, to achieve success you don't have to have a very high degree. This goes back to each of us. How can we change everything to what we want?.  Yes, we don't have to get knowledge only in school, and we can learn independently or autodidactically from various sources of information. In essence, change starts from within ourselves, whether it is motivation, discipline, consistency in action in building a plan. And we must know that in this life we ​​do not need theory but need hard work and real work from the skills we have.

[Antotena]

You are absolutely right. If knowledge from books were fully useful in human life, then librarians would truly be among the most successful people in the world. If textbook education were truly the measure of human competence, then teachers would receive the most deserving honors and salaries in the world. Therefore, in life, it is not just about acquiring knowledge from textbooks, but also developing some skills that can be used to achieve success by utilizing knowledge and experience.

Why do I feel this is wrong buddy. You mean to tell me that information from books are not useful? Of course they are very useful for everyone. Our problem about book is interpretation, some books are written by high IQ researchers and publishers. You have to be two steps ahead of them to understand some of the things the things they wrote and what's research all about if you don't have to find how something was done. I don't agree with what you said.

Librarians in the library job is to arrange book on order of their need and not to come and read the things written inside it. You don't expect a Librarian to be reading information about human kinetics and it's nervous system. What could they possibly read that they are doing to understand. It's your job and to go there and take the books that we are interested. The bad thing about library is that the internet has made its look not serious because of how easy it is to access internet with information.

[Keevoid]

My second question is that if you happen to be the employer here, which will you consider more, school or skills?

For me, education is definitely important, I won’t downplay that. But looking at how things are now, it’s obvious that skills carry more weight when it comes to employment.

A degree might open the door or make the interview easier, but what truly gets you hired is your ability to deliver results. Personally, if I were the employer, I’d go for skill over just schooling, because at the end of the day, performance matters more than paper.

[cxtreenal]

My second question is that if you happen to be the employer here, which will you consider more, school or skills?

For me, education is definitely important, I won’t downplay that. But looking at how things are now, it’s obvious that skills carry more weight when it comes to employment.

A degree might open the door or make the interview easier, but what truly gets you hired is your ability to deliver results. Personally, if I were the employer, I’d go for skill over just schooling, because at the end of the day, performance matters more than paper.

Skills are important but you can only acquire those skills through education. Most educated people can easily acquire skills in any job and in the initial stages of employment education is valued over skills. Many job seekers are skilled but uneducated they also get jobs but their salaries are much lower than those of educated people.

Just as educated people cannot progress without acquiring skills, skilled people do not get proper evaluation in the workplace without education.

[martinex]

I agree with your opinion that the education system tends to be monotonous, making it less responsive to new changes in the workplace, especially amidst the rapid pace of industrial change, particularly in the technology and digital fields.

However, this is the foundation for us to acquire skills. This doesn't mean that self-study is better than school. I don't think so. In fact, there's a difference that must be reconciled between theory in school and practice in the workplace. Therefore, we are required to be able to adapt quickly.

Your statement about graduates from prestigious schools not necessarily being adaptable is also very interesting. This shows that a degree or institutional status is not an absolute guarantee of job readiness. However, it must also be acknowledged that legality is sufficient to prove someone has studied in a particular field, and in some large global companies, this is still considered very important. I say this in general, but not all.

I think it depends on how we fit the boxes. Literally, both complement each other. School, initial identity, and skills are the key. If they can be combined, someone will easily find a job anywhere. But in my opinion, a higher percentage of skills is needed. A bachelor's degree is sufficient, but having professor-level skills must be attempted.

Do you know our ultimate goal? After acquiring knowledge and skills, there will be something that our children and grandchildren can use after we're gone. Our idea will remain and provide benefits for eternity. That's truly what God has entrusted to us to be shared and enjoyed by others.

[Finebone]

Skills are important but you can only acquire those skills through education. Most educated people can easily acquire skills in any job and in the initial stages of employment education is valued over skills. Many job seekers are skilled but uneducated they also get jobs but their salaries are much lower than those of educated people.

i largely agree to all the things you said here because that's the reality of our today's society, once you are educated, they automatically believes that you knows better than the skilled person with no education, that's why they receives more money than the skill person with no education, but in most cases, the man without a university degree knows the job more better than the degree holder.

Just as educated people cannot progress without acquiring skills, skilled people do not get proper evaluation in the workplace without education.

Very true, they compliment each other, but having both is actually not a bad idea at all.
Like in the company I was working a few years back, their was a day all the mechanics refuses to work because their salary was slatch by 5% due to error they all made, and pressure has already build up to that day  to complete a job, the boss and his assistant who are the master degree holders where unable to do the work themselves since they only have knowledge on the theoretical aspect, and because they have a deadline to deliver that job if not they might lose their job, they have to plead with all the mechanics that weren't as educated as they are, but are very good practically,  with promise of completely their money before the end of that day, which they all agreed to, and within an hour, the job was done successful. Why am saying this is that they both need each other to strive because a large numbers of the degree holder are not that skilled to practically like skilled men that are trained on a craft.

[criptoevangelista]

The time when formal education mattered more than real-world education is long gone. Nowadays, schools and universities (not all, but the vast majority) seem more focused on shaping activists rather than people willing to bring real improvement to the world. So, someone with a good idea and the right skills can easily end up doing much better than someone who followed the traditional academic path.

[Oluwa-btc]

I know many people try to downplay education these days, but let us be honest, most jobs you are going to seek will require you to have a degree at least before you can apply. It is usually during the interview phase that your interviewer would test your knowledge and know if you have the skills required to take up that role, irrespective of how good your degree says you are, but you see, without the degree you are already disqualified.

That said, both school and skills are important, go to school, get a degree, learn a skill, do all you can to make yourself more relevant and indispensable, there is no use picking one over the other.

That's just it,both school and skills are vital as they complement each other at every given time.A strong combination of education and practical skills is more valuable to everyone,it helps people to prepare for real world challenges and experiences even as they get to  transitions into different phases and stages of their life.On a general outlook,they give concrete support so they need to work hand in hand in other to survive and thrive

[MykeAdams]

The time when formal education mattered more than real-world education is long gone. Nowadays, schools and universities (not all, but the vast majority) seem more focused on shaping activists rather than people willing to bring real improvement to the world. So, someone with a good idea and the right skills can easily end up doing much better than someone who followed the traditional academic path.

Yeah in today's world skills are more exhibited and profitable but school can be more profitable too in long term, degree matters in some areas like medicine, engineering, and law etc creates room for networking opportunities.

The saying that "someone with a good idea and the right skills can easily end up doing much better than someone who followed the traditional academic path" is partially true, yes having skills brings about income quickly because you can start earning from what you do without a degree ( for example trading, tech and marketing). But skills without knowledge is somehow a waste because at some giving point your credibility will be needed to prove your value, some skill can be no longer useful when you stop learning and your going to need discipline to do so.
What am I trying to say, truth be told school is used to build up knowledge while skill is used to unlock that knowledge and craft it to something profitable which has impact too.

[Father111]

Education is always the keys to every areas in life, i choose school because for me to function very in my skills i need the to acknowledge the fact that i must go through school to be able to learn how to read, write and communicating affectively, a situation a skills personnel don't acquire education background he will end employing those that goes through school to elevate his investment, if not it is very important to go school at least to know how to read and write at the primary school or secondary school level, which i know that is not everyone can afford to go to high school but skills can be affordable so during the learning of the skills, your smartness and write and read is highly needed.

[Nanga Parbat]

It all depends on the type of business or services one renders.if the services requires making some records and calculations, you will need someone who is educated.if its only skills or crafts and nothing more.then skillful individuals will do that for you.but in all both works interchangable because a skilled individuals will needs some level of literacy to be able to discharge his/her work effectively likewise the educated person.

In the choice of school or skills we can't give important to one over other. Both go side by side. But in some places schooling is giving  value. School are helps you in management while skills improve your  efficiency in practical work. It is usually  nature of your job who determine which is best. In few fields school degrees play vital role where your specialization is essential. While on other side, in few fields  like crafts, fashion design,anchor skills are important. no one can truly excell in skill without schooling. No one can get improvement in skills without education.

[criptoevangelista]

The time when formal education mattered more than real-world education is long gone. Nowadays, schools and universities (not all, but the vast majority) seem more focused on shaping activists rather than people willing to bring real improvement to the world. So, someone with a good idea and the right skills can easily end up doing much better than someone who followed the traditional academic path.

Yeah in today's world skills are more exhibited and profitable but school can be more profitable too in long term, degree matters in some areas like medicine, engineering, and law etc creates room for networking opportunities.

The saying that "someone with a good idea and the right skills can easily end up doing much better than someone who followed the traditional academic path" is partially true, yes having skills brings about income quickly because you can start earning from what you do without a degree ( for example trading, tech and marketing). But skills without knowledge is somehow a waste because at some giving point your credibility will be needed to prove your value, some skill can be no longer useful when you stop learning and your going to need discipline to do so.
What am I trying to say, truth be told school is used to build up knowledge while skill is used to unlock that knowledge and craft it to something profitable which has impact too.

But looking at it from an entrepreneurial perspective, what's more advantageous? Investing money and time in college, or investing money and time in starting a company and hiring people who have studied? I know there are many indispensable professions, like doctors, engineers, and everything else, but in the long run, I still believe that skills outside of formal education take a person much further, because you can create scalability by buying people's hours.

[Bitcoin.com97]

To me the both are very important, school and skill , while acquiring your certificate you should also apply for a skill , having skill without been educated is a kind of bad , imagine owning a fashion shop were you cannot chat with client and post your business with a good caption because you don’t know what to write or how to place them , so both go hand in hand , the world is getting modernize , school is important and skill is also very important.

[atookz]

I agree with your opinion that the education system tends to be monotonous, making it less responsive to new changes in the workplace, especially amidst the rapid pace of industrial change, particularly in the technology and digital fields.

However, this is the foundation for us to acquire skills. This doesn't mean that self-study is better than school. I don't think so. In fact, there's a difference that must be reconciled between theory in school and practice in the workplace. Therefore, we are required to be able to adapt quickly.

Your statement about graduates from prestigious schools not necessarily being adaptable is also very interesting. This shows that a degree or institutional status is not an absolute guarantee of job readiness. However, it must also be acknowledged that legality is sufficient to prove someone has studied in a particular field, and in some large global companies, this is still considered very important. I say this in general, but not all.

I agree that schools still have a fundamental function as places for thinking and acquiring fundamental skills. The structure and legitimacy of schools are still widely respected. Legality and certification certainly play a role in marking the formal learning process. However, I highlight the urgency of bridging the gap between education and the world of work. If the education system focuses solely on delivering theory without developing adaptability, creativity, and critical thinking skills, then that foundation risks becoming irrelevant. At this point, the role of adaptation you mentioned becomes crucial.

Learning in school is indeed important, but I want to emphasize that the relevance of the material and learning approach must be more dynamic and integrated with real-world challenges. The world of work requires more than just knowledge, but also adaptive, applicable, problem-solving, and flexible skills. Perhaps the ideal future should not be a choice between school and independent learning, but rather how the two can complement each other. Schools must begin to open themselves to more flexible, collaborative, and contextual learning models so that graduates are not only prepared theoretically but also ready to face reality.