So you’re going to school and taking the next step in your life…which seems to be college. Our teachers and parents all say the same thing:

“College gives you a better chance of getting a job where your life will be a lot less stressful; you will be a lot more successful. So education is the key.”

But what is education? Is it that degree you pride yourself in by framing it and hanging it on the wall? Or is it something more?

In my time in high school, I have not tried as much as my parents and teachers wanted me to and I have the grades to show it, but people still ask me for help because of my understanding and yet, I’m still defined by my grades, as are the students who have an ‘A’ and do not understand most of what they do.

So, let’s look at some people. Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Computers and is known around the world as a technological innovator. Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Records that now holds over 200 groups in more than 30 countries. Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most influential leaders and set the basis for civil disobedience. What do these people have in common? They are all successful people who never graduated from a higher learning institution.

They learned through the passion they had and the drive to make something of themselves. They changed the world through their ambition. Nothing says to be successful you have to go to school. Success isn’t measured in the amount of money you make or the amount of work you do. It is shown through your personal happiness. So when you go to college, the military or the work force to make something of yourself, make sure it’s something YOU want to do.

Make sure you take the passion you have and keep it part of your life.