Educated vs. Smart

[hatidua]

Street-smart and book-smart are two vastly different things. Chances are, if you know someone with a PhD in molecular biology or the like, they have a certain amount of intelligence in that field by the time they finish their dissertation. However, it does not preclude them from being all but unable to function in day to day life.

Specialists aren't always good generalists....but it happens now and then.

[MED]

Whether a person is smart and/or intelligent depends greatly on their gifts and ambition to apply them.

Education in all things is knowledge. Knowledge is gained and applied regardless of institutional knowledge, practical knowledge, or knowledge passed down from your parents. The purpose of formal higher education is based on gathering knowledge and learning how to apply that knowledge in your field of study. Some people work at it and some people don’t; I have met brilliant well rounded people and idiots as well. Some knowledge may seem ridiculous to some but brilliant to others. I have a real problem with undergraduate work when some institutions and professors teach students what to think instead of how to think.

Yes, a lot of people may be really knowledgeable about one thing and really ignorant about something else. I am really really close to finishing my doctorate; the one thing about all the years of education that really helps me…I can learn and apply knowledge quickly and efficiently. One thing that sets me apart from academia, I completed my masters and worked on my doctorate from the professional world and not in an institutional lab. Ultimately, education opened doors for me that otherwise would have been closed.