Jennifer Vasquez
Mr. Blaine
English 101
March 20, 2015 How to Get a Real Education: Response Essay
The essay written in 2010 “How to Get a Real Education” by Scott Adams outlines the ideal education for entrepreneurs. Throughout the essay Scott relates some of his experiences as economics major at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. He explains what he thinks should be taught to B students that will serve them well. Many people would agree with the idea of preparing students for the real world. The business world we live in; these students being those the ones who don’t study physics, chemistry, calculus and literature. I say the students who aren’t majoring or studying these subjects is because, in reality is that most people will not be big important engineers or important scientists. Therefore, they should be taught differently because they will live differently and need different strategies. It is unnecessary to make these students have to sit through the classes that will not benefit them in life. Students need to prepare to live in a world where only the one who takes the risks gets far. Scott frames how to “fail forward, find the action, attract luck,” as he tells some of his own personal stories. Scott’s purpose it’s to encourage different education to different students and to highlight the importance of this way of doing things.
I familiarized myself with Scott’s first telling of how he landed a job, at a small business on the campus of the college he attended. He explains that he got the job “thanks to my impressive interviewing skills.” I think that one of the most important characteristics of someone is the way they present themselves. During high school I got an internship at the public relationship office of my school district by speaking to the president of the department out of courtesy. Later that day she contacted one of my teachers to offer me an internship they weren’t offering until she met me. While many people do not have the ability to speak to others easily, it is a skill that you can learn. Conquering your fear like Scotts explains, I think is one of the most important things you must do in the business world if not the most important. I agree with Scott that B students should be taught necessary entrepreneurship skills, but there are also students whose career will not intersect with a business like working environment as much; unless it comes to promotions or interviews. The benefit of this type of education will not benefit them in a greater way nor will it affect them. However, I do not agree with Scott that every B student should be taught this way, most students aren’t there yet but they can be with more motivation. I have seen numerous cases of students that come from being a “C” student to a straight “A” student. Scott makes a great point when he talks about failing forward. He says “the trick is to get paid while you’re doing the failing and to use the experience to gain skills that will be useful later.” I think that it’s great to get paid to something that will help you gain experience. Getting that experience it’s