If at some point in your life, you felt like you wasted your years in school, please gather here, I want to show you something.
Many of us were done with school and still had an identity crisis; we didn’t know what to do with our lives. Despite the high-flying grades, some people graduate and struggle to find work. While others wonder if all the effort was worth it.
Now these feelings are more rampant than we care to admit. You won’t know until you’re told.
Here’s one of the most uncomfortable conversations about education we avoid: education does not always deliver results immediately.
While growing up, many of us recall a simple story:
Go to school. Read your books and get a good job. One may wonder, was it all a lie? Nobody prepared us for real life.
But here’s one thing we must put into consideration:
Education does not take away economic challenges overnight. You will still wake up to bills and more bills. It does not automatically change into income, clarity, or confidence.
Most of our parents have high expectations of us, now when such expectations are set too high, disappointments can feel like failure; even when it isn’t.
This Is The Truth About Education
Education is not a magic formula or potion that works instantly; it is more of a long-term tool which sharpens how you think. It teaches you structure, discipline, and problem-solving.
It helps people understand systems; whether broken or not. The benefits of education are not always seen immediately, but they compound over time.
A lot of people only realise their educational value years later; that is, when they have to make complex decisions, adapt to change, or create opportunities where none existed before.
Education is a foundation, not a finish line, it is just the starting point of the race of literacy. One reason people feel like they’ve wasted their time in school is that education is often presented as the finish line. In reality, it is a foundation.
Things like skills, exposure, networks, and resilience come after school matters as well. Education makes it easier to build them, but it doesn’t replace them.
Once you understand all these, your mindset on learning shifts from “What will education give me immediately?” to “What can I build with it over time?”
Once this shift occurs, the pressure reduces. Guilt, comparison, and shame give way to patience and strategy.
We need to take this mindset shift or change to environments where opportunities are uneven and systems are imperfect.
I must reiterate that education alone may not solve everything; but without it, navigating difficult situations becomes harder.
Acknowledging this truth does not reduce the value of education. Rather, it makes it more realistic and useful.
Conclusion
If you are educated and it hasn’t paid off yet, it doesn’t mean it never will. And if you’re still learning how to use what you’ve gained, don’t feel bad or compare yourself to others. Education works quietly; maybe slowly. You may not know it until later. And that, too, is part of the journey you must face.
So when someone else asks, “Is education a waste of time?”
I hope you know what to say.
Faith is a professional writer with over 6 years of writing experience in the educational sector. She uses her research and writing skills to help prospective international students