In Turkey, placement results for the Higher Education Foundation Examination (YKS) have been announced fairly recently. Students, alumni, and even teachers entered the examination in order to try out their chances. Some were satisfied with the results, while some others were not that much. The latter group usually consists of students who spend their entire lycee period just to get into a university they dreamed of, and yet failed to do so. Short term-wise, given their immense efforts put forward, not being able to get into their dream university could be devastating. However, if we could look over the horizon and try to foresee the distant future, the university certainly does not even matter when it comes to pursuing a career and living a happy life.

 

Many people do not even realize that university is just another drive-through, and think as if getting into a university is an end goal. For this reason, examinees and their parents focus their goal on a decent university and nothing more. What they should also consider is the branch to be chosen, which is even more important than choosing the university. To do so, one should be aware of their abilities and skills. Self-understanding is a vital element in achieving a healthy and happy life.

 

The way to success is all within the person aiming for it. Only if you can utilize the opportunities of the foundation, will you achieve success. Whichever university you get into, if you cannot enhance your abilities, you will not survive in academia. Students believe ‘the better the university, the more the opportunities’ motto, though this is correct, mentioned opportunities may not be open to those who are not worthy. The key point here is having a goal, and striving to reach for it.

 

On the other hand, when we read the biographies of successful people, it is a common trait that many of them did not even enroll in a university, let alone a bachelor’s. Their road began from a blossoming idea spread from generation to generation, or an invention that made our lives much easier. Furthermore, what is even more interesting is the fact that the employees working under the successful company owners usually have a higher degree related to their respective workspaces. So, are these people unsuccessful? Certainly not. However, as mentioned a few paragraphs back, being happy in life is also a criteria.

 

As human beings, each one of us is different from one another. Consequently, not every job is suitable for every human being. For instance, those who work for a private sector relentlessly might not favor their jobs, even though they earn a decent amount of money, mostly because of the cyclic routine nature of their workflow. In contrast, some might be quite fond of having their workflow in order and living their lives in a routine. For this reason, one should be able to know whether or not they would like to work in a routine schedule and plan ahead accordingly.

 

Ultimately, even though higher education can benefit people in many ways and prepare them for what is next, it does not necessarily grant a job opportunity or a promotion. As a result, people need to educate themselves further to get a job they dreamed of, thereby achieving success. While doing so, people also need to decide carefully before signing any agreements in that regard. That said, the factors aforementioned do not come along with the education universities provide, but rather are achieved by knowing ourselves better.