I cannot seem to find the original post, so I will just share what I have left of it. So if you know who originally posted this let me know.
I firmly believe that education is the very best and most accessible social leveller. Those who are educated are those who will go far and fast, and, despite our rapidly increasing international access to education, a truly educated perspective remains immensely valued.
To my mind, there are two types of education, formal and independent, and both are equally invaluable and utterly necessary in our present day and age.
Many girls here go on a great deal about the value of formal education and they're absolutely right to do so. Simply holding a degree as a woman earns you an enormous amount of respect amongst certain types and, to speak frankly, it's rapidly becoming a necessity in our world now to hold a Bachelor's degree at the very least. I vehemently disagree with those who say that a university degree is unnecessary, rather it's more necessary than ever these days; a degree from an institution with a good name behind it will open doors you never knew existed, I'm continuously surprised by the power my C.V. holds by itself and the opportunities which have opened up to me because of where I've studied. The university experience gives you a holistic skillset and understanding that you'll never be able to replicate elsewhere in its entirety, you need to be educated and you need to hone those skills in forming your own arguments and opinions, you need to be able to read a great deal within a short space of time and meet strict deadlines, and you need to know how to socialise with a wide variety of people from all walks of life.
With that said, you also need to be able to educate yourself and teach yourself new skills, simply going to university will do nothing for you if you can't also learn new things in your own time and keep everything in motion. It's important to be constantly learning about the world around you, making your own observations and drawing your own conclusions, and it's important that you have knowledge and skills outside of your formal specialisations, too - you must be well-rounded. I think that anyone who is looking to go anywhere needs to have a basic and broad knowledge of history, of science, of current affairs and business, of literature and art; you need to speak foreign languages and understand human psychology, you need to be able to play a few card games and know how to properly discuss sports. You can't just laugh along nervously when those around you mention, say, Willy Brandt or the Opium Wars, you need to actually have a handle on what's going on and be able to contribute intelligently in order to be taken seriously by anyone at all.
