Knowledge vs Skills

Knowledge vs Skills

Studying at university has conditioned us to think that there's no fundamental difference between theory and practice. Sure, you understand that they are not the same. But you don't see the key difference. And it exists.

Most people equate “I know” with “I can do.” But do you?

What about these examples?

1. I know smoking is harmful, but I smoke.
2. I know McDonald's is unhealthy, but I eat fast food.
3. I know traffic rules, but I can't drive.
4. I know running is good for you, but I don't run in the mornings.

Very often, people mistake “I know” for “I can do.” A good example is traffic rules. If someone knows the rules and knows how to drive, does that mean they can? No. And if they think they know? Well, then why would they need an instructor when they already know and can do everything?

If you're confident you already know everything, chances are you won't learn anything new. And if you think you can do everything, you won't learn anything more. You won't even think about it. And that means you'll miss out on all the great opportunities to learn something new.

In a regular university, you're only taught knowledge, and skills you’ll have to acquire on your own. What do I hear? Did your university include not only theory but also practice? Okay, if you're a physics student, try to build a working model of a steam engine with at least 30% efficiency. You probably know how, but most likely you can't do it, right?

Are you a chemist? Make black smokeless gunpowder from readily available materials. You probably know how, but can't do it? Are you a mathematician? Write the equation for the projectile flight of an artillery shell. Don't forget to consider the shape of the shell. Material points don't fly in real life. Just like there are no spherical horses.

Biologist? Isolate penicillin. It’s mold that grows on melons. If you know how — great! Can you do it?

Economist? Build a forecast for oil price growth. Got it? Now turn $2,000 into $200,000 in a year based on your forecast. Have you ever traded on FOREX? With real money? Or do you just know what it is?

International economics? Great! Where should I open an offshore account? In Hong Kong, Ireland, or the USA? Why? Even if you know, you probably can't do it right away because you've never done it before. And you have no idea how to do it.

Was this not covered at your university? Why do we assign tasks on topics you haven't studied? Because these are real-life tasks. That’s practice, and everything you probably learned at university — spherical horses, perfect competition — don't exist in real life.

And what about marketers? What's the best way to spend $500 to get as many people as possible to learn about this course? On advertising? But outdated are not only traditional advertising but also the concept of Unique Selling Proposition, which was probably presented to you at university as a panacea for all problems.

Forget what you think you know. Ask yourself: what useful skills do you have? What are you willing to pay for with the money you have?

So, friends, let's thank a wonderful course like CodeGym. Thanks to it, you'll not only know how to program but also be able to program. And you'll be able to get a job and, in a couple of years, earn a decent salary. Which, hopefully, will be enough for a comfortable life.

Once again: it doesn't matter what you know. What matters is what useful things you can do for others, for which they are willing to pay you. The sooner you realize this, the better.