Zero-Sum Education
I have been fortunate to receive an education from the top private schools and an ivy league university.
However, it wasn’t until recently, 6 years after graduating from Columbia University, that I realized how flawed the underlying assumption of the education system is.
The problem with top universities is they’re inherently designed to train you to think that education is zero-sum.
Specifically, the concept that there can only be a handful of “winners” in each class or school. This zero-sum approach was a known pervasive edge in education. Students were always learning to individually excel to land a prestigious role.
Even in the day-to-day, strict honor codes translated to students working entirely independent. In class we’d come together to share our understandings, but the assignments, grades, and praise came independently.
We were never genuinely taught to work together and learn from one another. After all, how could we learn from each other when there were limited opportunities and stiff competition?
The problem with a zero-sum education is I never learned education was or should be freely shared. After all what incentive would my competition classmates have to share their work, when they could face punishments for cheating or risk driving even more competition?
Then came learning on the internet.
I want to draw a distinction between learning and education:
Education is tied to traditional scholastic mediums: the structured syllabi, a professor leading a class, grade point averages, etc.
Learning is individually motivated and driven by curiosity, it can connect you to other “learners” but by definition it’s an unstructured approach. No syllabi. No competition. No grading scale.
Learning publicly on the internet, a new muscle for me to flex.
This made me realize that it’s the best way to meet other learners across the world that helps will ideas into existence. The internet works as a positive sum game where everyone with the willingness to learn can collectively win and succeed.
After 28 years of studying and competing in a zero-sum mental construct, I am thrilled to now be learning across new mediums (e.g., Twitter, blogs, podcasts) from the best, brightest, and most curious.
I am excited to share what I’m learning, as I’m learning.
So welcome to my sub-stack, I’m happy to have you here!
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Special thank you to Dave McClure and Omar Morales for your support and guidance to start sharing my ideas!