MONEY IS SUCCESS

There has been an overwhelming discussion about educational qualifications these past few days. I wrote a long article in earnest; if it helps you, feel free to take a look. If it doesn't, just pretend you didn't see it.

From tribal hunting to settled living, humanity entered the agricultural era, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Everything revolved around the most important means of production: land. The family structure was naturally based on clan gatherings. For most, recognizing the 24 solar terms, eating according to the weather, and knowing that spring planting and autumn storage is more important than studying. Works like The Book of Lord Shang, The Salt and Iron Debate, and The Prince are representative of this era. Education and literacy were privileges of the few, hence “All are of low status, only reading is esteemed.” A single exam could allow one to leap over the dragon’s gate; a moment of glory could lead to “Spring breeze brings success, hastening hooves to see all the flowers in Chang’an in a day.”

The steam engine rolled in with the industrial revolution, where everyone was a cog in the societal machine, revolving around energy, factories, and transportation. The clan system crumbled, and the gentry and nobility were both discarded in the agricultural age. Today’s social structure—whether family forms, companies, offices, or educational structures—serves the factories, as different factories require different workers for fine division of labor. They need to mesh precisely between each cog and require foundational training in their respective trades, thus education began to spread. We benefit from technological and social development, but even today, the prevailing educational philosophies and subject classifications exist to solve division of labor issues. Even the top MBA programs merely teach you how to manage workers or create consumerism traps. Successful business cases from Ivy League schools strive to maintain the last rays of their imperial glory. With the overflow of the education industry’s bubble, “top scholars” have shifted from guaranteed job placement after graduation to questioning whether they should shed their long robes and become laborers.

The information revolution brought about the internet, which also opened Pandora’s box. Countless ideologies and cultures converge here, smashing and reshaping everything, rendering all authorities no longer authoritative. The internet has no limits, neither upper nor lower; educational qualifications can bestow a halo or bring slander. This is the best of times in human history. If you are willing, you can learn everything you want on your phone. This is the worst of times, where countless curious bits of information snatch away the little remaining attention. Therefore, in this era, we see countless grassroots rising, as the internet flattens the world, but competition also becomes fiercer. You suddenly realize that this world is merely a makeshift stage where everyone is “just so-so.” Every platform is engaged in “great scholars debating,” and new “gods” are born every day.

In just over thirty years, I have almost simultaneously experienced the baptism of these three waves. As a fortunate graduate who made it to shore, I find myself daily troubled about where to find suitable team candidates. From the employer’s perspective, I offer an unpopular opinion: a good educational background at least indicates that the candidate is smart and has worked hard towards their goals. However, from another perspective, graduating from a conventional university or an MBA program merely completes a general education. Knowledge does not equal skills, nor does it equal a way of thinking, and it certainly doesn't mean you have the resilience to navigate praise and criticism. Most abilities are acquired through daily improvement, and character is even harder to come by. Whether a candidate is upright, has clear logic, possesses resilience, and has a growth mindset is more important.

Finally, this is a recruitment post: If you can reach the moon in the sky to drive growth, dive into the ocean to catch transformations, constantly push product iterations, and endlessly engage the community in abstraction, then I have been looking for you for a long time. A beautiful degree is great, but a diploma is also acceptable.

I just realized that there are many things in life that are “great to have, but it’s okay not to have them.”

— Credit: MONEY IS SUCCESS