TOP 5 Things You Would Never Be Taught in School

Many wonder why there are so many colleges and universities in Ghana, yet the products from these institutions cannot make significant impact in the society. Whilst others blame it on the Government, some manage to shift the blame to the educational system and a few think the individual is to blame. For instance, the question of why there is a high level of graduate unemployment in Ghana is being debated in every corner of the country. Some say, the Government should provide more jobs, others think the average graduate does not prepare himself adequately for the job market and some are of the view that, the courses taught in schools have do not have direct link with the job market as it is too theoretical . What do you think? Well, today, I am not going to talk about graduate unemployment. But I believe our educational system especially the universities need massive upgrade to help students cope with real world experience. During my High school days, we were being taught to memorize information and to regurgitate it back to our teacher, only to completely erase the information from our mind the moment we walk out after taking the test. We used to call it “CHEW BABA” At the universities, we follow this trend of chewing lecture notes alongside developing our analytical and problem solving skills; even with that graduates learn so much from the real world compared to all the years spent in class rooms. As I look back, I can capture five things I was never taught in school, which are very essential for life after the school. Hope you would identify with me on these things so let’s get started:

• Personal finance

personalfinance

One important subset regarding personal finance that you would never be taught in school are the  “intangible” things, such as learning to differentiate between  assets and  liabilities ,need and want, knowing how to delay gratification, and having an inner sense of value. You would never be taught how to invest the little money you have so could have something to rely on when you get out of school. Our teachers encourage us to learn hard to get high paying jobs but never teach us how to save the money we would get from these supposedly high paying jobs. So we earn more, spend all and get more and more in debt at a young age.

• Effective Communication

I’m not necessarily talking about giving speeches and presentations (which we only do getting to the last year of our studies).I'm mainly talking about being able to clearly take what’s in your head and to put it into words so the other person clearly understands what you’re saying the first time.At school the teacher does all the talking and all we have to do is to give him our ears, jot some few notes and hurriedly get out of class? We never get the opportunity to ask questions, even if we do, it is nonsensical.

• Social Skills

Closely related to communicating effectively are social skills in general. It is important to note that after you graduate, you’re not going to be dealing with your high school or college buddies anymore.

You’ll be dealing with many people from different backgrounds, countries, and top corporate executives, so it would be wise to learn how to socialize and cut off the slang. I once had a conversation with a young graduate who kept referring to me as “DUDE”, should I be surprised if he calls his Boss “dude” when he enters the corporate world?

Learn the art of networking – that’s key. Networking is a big skill that’s not taught in schools but is the sure way to land your dream job after school, learn how to approach people and how to start a conversation. For you would never be taught in school.

• Values

The last time I learnt about moral values was in my primary school days. Schools do not put much emphasis on values no wonder there is so much corruption in our world today. The average graduate does not know how to distinguish between right and wrong and everything is normal to him. The principle of integrity is lost in our world; people say one thing and do the exact opposite. They would go any length to get what they want even if it demands knocking others off the road.Our school is killing our innocent world. What a pity!

• Practical real life situations

We are all thrown into the schools of hard knocks, were we find what works and what doesn’t after so many years of trial and error. Vital things that makes the world worth living like marriage and family, finding your passion  in life, starting a business, money management  and adding value to the life of others is thrown into space. 

WHAT NEXT?

If all these are not taught in school, why then did I spend all these years in school? Please help me