College education has somewhat led us to think that there are no fundamental differences between theory and practice. No, of course you realize the two are not the same. Still, you don't see any critical difference. However, it does exist.
Most people equate "I know" with "I can". Do you ever do that?
Consider the following examples:
- I know junk food is bad, but I still eat it.
- I know the traffic laws, but I still violate them.
- I know jogging is good for me, but I still don't go for a run every morning.
People often confuse "I know" with "I can". The traffic law example is very relevant in this context. If someone knows all the rules of the road and knows how driving works, does that mean they can drive? No. But what if they think they know? What does they need an instructor, thinking they already know it all?
If you're confident about your knowledge, you probably won't keep studying. And if you're sure you already know everything, you won't learn anything new. It won't even occur to you that you should. Thus, you'll miss plenty of great chances to master new skills.
There are plenty of colleges and other institutions that only offer you knowledge. You have to acquire skills by yourself.
Let’s see the example. If you are a physics student, try to make a functioning steam engine that operates at even 20% efficiency. You probably know how, but most likely you aren't able to, right?
Are you a chemist? Make some smokeless gunpowder. Again, you know how, but you can't, right?
A mathematician? Write an equation that describes the trajectory of a ballistic missile. Don't forget to take its shape into consideration. In real life, point masses aren't flying around, and the proverbial spherical cow doesn't exist.
A biologist? Isolate some penicillin for me. It's a kind of mold you can find on melons. Already knew that? Great. But can you make it?
An economist? How about a forecast for fuel prices? Coming right up, you say? Now use your predictions to turn $2,000 into $200,000 in one year. Have you played around with forex even once?
International economist? Excellent! Where should I open an offshore account? Hong Kong, Ireland, the US? Why? Even if you know the answer, it's unlikely you'll be able to immediately do it, since you've never done it before. You probably wouldn't know where to start.
These are things they sometimes don’t teach you in college. So, why here at CodeGym we assign tasks related to topics that you haven't learned about yet? Because these are real life tasks. This is what real-world practice means, not the spherical cows or perfect market competition you likely learned before.
Oh, and how could we forget about marketers! What's the best way to spend $500 to reach as many people as possible with information about this programming course? An ad campaign? But the classic approach to advertising, as well as the whole USP concept (which you were probably taught in college is a bandage for all wounds), have long been outdated.
Forget that you know something. Ask yourself what useful thing you can do. Do you have any useful skills that people are prepared to pay for, and pay enough to cover your needs?
Let us say it again: it doesn't matter what you know. What matters is whether you are able to do something useful that other people find useful and for which they are prepared to pay.
The earlier you realize this, the better.
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