“It’s Just my Opinion”–No offense

Once again, I found an article about the youngsters from my country that built up the successful start-up. I push aside my jealousy when I’m writing this. But the title kinda made me mad at instant. At second thought I basically agree with it. What is it about? In that article, two young men, that even not knowing about college, won the competition for 3D design in mechanical and electrical field that was held by United States. They won the competition over people which had more degree in their field, such M.Sc or M.Eng or even P.Hd. (I read this article long time ago, and has vague memory about it, haha. So if something’s wrong, I’m deeply apologize). Of course this kind of matter, made them really well known. Just imagine, two young men who never get into college, can build such a thing. And I, as Indonesian, really proud of it. But this is not the thing that made me mad.

I already read so many articles about start-up built by the people who are even not graduates from college, or we called it as drop-out. I don’t have any problem with drop-out people who built so many things, start-ups, or even make Indonesia go to international. I always say that they are really great people with great potential. But then students nowadays, even Indonesia citizen build the strange mindset: ‘Indonesia is a country with so many college graduates, but people who even not graduate from college can do better. So, what is the point of getting into higher degree, if in the end, you just become an employee of a company. And live over it for the whole of your life.’

With this kind of mindset, I totally disagree.

People were born in different way. Even the capacity of our brain, which the scientist said as a limitless knowledge, is different. There are people that were born as a genius, only need a little ‘spark’ in their life, and they will produce something awesome. There are people who born in hard way of life, which made them need to suffer more in order to get what they want. Even there are people who just born as common. I said common here, because mostly the people in this earth are like this. Wait, I know the term of ‘every person is special’. But I don’t want to argue about it now. I just want to say common in term of the ability of the knowledge. Why I said the majority of people in this earth are common? You can take an example from a classroom. In a classroom, you can find very easily someone who is really bright, excellent, the dumbest one, or the naughtiest one. And the rest is average. Harshly, I will say that is common.

No offense.

For people who born in common, they need more than just a ‘spark’. They need more knowledge that maybe only can be obtained from formal education. As for me, I know my capacity and I declare that I’m one of those common people.

I can never imagine if I didn’t get into school when I was child. Or even I stop the formal education in high school. Maybe I will never reach the term of creative. Not all people born as creative. For common people like me, effort is the most important one. And effort only is not enough. For us, also toughness. When people say that there is no point of getting into knowledge, I really hate it. Not all people born in the same way. If people start to build the mindset ‘drop-out people’ can be more successful, then it’s wrong, in my opinion. Why? Who can make sure you will be as successful as Steve Jobs when you drop out from college? Who will make sure you will not go astray? And who will make sure that your knowledge already enough for you to survive in this harsh world?

So that’s why, I never agree about the article that judge about the people who get into college and graduate. Even as common people, it is their rights to choose which path they will take in their life. If in the end, there is common people who can become someone great trough effort and tough life, then let it be. If in the end, they just can become and employee, then what is wrong? It’s their choice afterall. If everyone want to be the leader or employer, then who will work for them?

Again, the idea of ‘drop-out’ seems to be misinterpreted. If you still can earn the degree and have no problem in fulfilling the subject, then why choose to drop out? There are more people out there who are more self-motivated to get into college. For you being in the college only, please consider it as lucky. Not all people as lucky as you. So actually I want to stop people to write the article which indirectly point to one conclusion: ‘for people who graduate with certificate, are you certain that you can do better with that certificate than people who are not?’ This article only can make students nowadays think ‘drop-out’ as a trend, not disaster anymore.

Instead of discouraging the graduates from college, why don’t we encourage each other to get into college, earn the degree, but also don’t forget to work harder if you are not one of the species called genius. Why don’t we encourage each other to raise our skill, either soft or hard skill, so we erase people mindset about ‘graduates that only good at theory and getting certificate’. I hope, more Indonesian student can go to formal school, even get into college, or even get higher degree, and start to build our country, not only badmouthing about it. And also, start to see in different angle, not judge in one way. Respect each other, respect the decision if we don’t know the reason why they choose it. As wise word says: Talk less, do more.