Knowledge vs Skills

Knowledge vs Skills

Studying at university has taught us to think there are no fundamental differences between theory and practice. No, of course, you understand that it’s not the same. But you don’t see a fundamental difference. And yet there is one.

Most people equate “I know” with “I can do.” Don’t you?

How about these examples?

1. I know that smoking is harmful, yet I smoke.
2. I know that McDonald’s is unhealthy, yet I eat fast food.
3. I know the traffic rules, but I can’t drive.
4. I know running is beneficial, yet I don’t run in the mornings.

People very often take “I know” for “I can do.” A good example is the traffic rules. If someone knows the rules and knows how driving works, does that mean they can do it? No. And if they only think they know? Why would they need an instructor when they already believe they know and can do everything?

If you’re sure you already know everything, you’ll most likely stop learning. And if you’re sure you can already do everything, you won’t learn anything new. The thought won’t even occur to you. Which means you’ll miss great opportunities to learn something.

At a typical university, you’re fed only knowledge, and you’ll have to acquire skills on your own. What’s that I hear? Your university had not only theory but practice, too? OK, if you’re a physics student, try to build a working steam engine model with at least 30 % efficiency. You probably know how, but most likely can’t actually do it, right?

Are you a chemist? Make black smokeless powder from improvised materials. You seem to know how, but can’t do it either? Mathematician? Write down the equation for an artillery shell’s flight. Don’t forget to account for the shell’s shape. Point masses don’t fly in real life. Nor do spherical horses exist.

Biologist? Isolate penicillin. It’s a mold found on melons. You know how—excellent! Can you actually do it?

Economist? Build a forecast of oil price growth. Built 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 company? In Hong Kong, Ireland, or the USA? Why? Even if you know, you’re unlikely to be able to do it right away, because you’ve never done it before. And you may not even have any idea how it’s done.

Weren’t you taught this at university? Why do we give assignments on topics you haven’t covered? Because these are tasks from real life. This is practice, and most of what you likely studied at university—spherical horses, perfect competition—does not exist in real life.

What about marketers—did we forget them? Where is it best to spend $500 so that as many people as possible find out about this course? On advertising? But not only has traditional advertising become outdated, the very concept of the Unique Selling Proposition has, too, which was most likely presented to you at university as a near-panacea for all problems.

Forget what you think you know. Ask yourself: what useful things can you do? What are people willing to pay enough money for?

So, friends, let’s say thanks to a wonderful course like CodeGym. Thanks to it, you will not only know how to program but also be able to program. You will also be able to get a job and, in a couple of years, earn a decent salary—one that, we hope, will be enough for a comfortable life.

Let us repeat: it doesn’t matter what you know. The only thing that matters is what useful things you can do for other people, for which they are willing to pay you. The sooner you realize this, the better.