The Problem With Modern Education

—

by

Ivo S.

You were never meant to do something meaningful in your life – at least, that’s what the system implies.

Your whole life, you’ve been told what to do. Get good grades. Get a degree. Get a job. Retire. Play it safe. But what if that path – the “right” one – isn’t made for people like you? What if you are following blindly a program that was handed down to you?

Most people go to university simply because they feel they have to. It’s the “right” way. Everyone does it.

So, what’s the problem with this time-proven path, you might ask? You get an education, then play your part in society. You do your job so you can pay the bills and raise a family.

The Broken Path

Well, why are we so used to thinking that we must always be told what to do – from birth to grave?

We all know people who studied something they didn’t care about. Then they find a job in that field. Then they switch careers. Again and again. It becomes a cycle that’s hard to escape once the responsibilities of adult life take hold.

Every year the number of individuals that are unhappy and dissatisfied with their jobs grows exponentially. More and more people don’t find any meaning, purpose and fulfillment in their jobs.

We should zoom out and ask ourselves: Why do we follow the old method that has been proven to be ineffective for hundreds of years?

The Old Method

Today’s education system evolved during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Industrial Revolution created the need for a system that produced prepared individuals—people with specific skills to feed the industrial economy.

Compulsory education laws were introduced a bit later in Prussia. One of their main goals was to create an obedient population—people who fit into a military mindset, who don’t ask questions, and who are good at completing tasks.

The problem with this system is that it was designed to produce like-minded people. Its purpose is to make you a “specialist” in one narrow area. You must acquire a specific skill. You get rewarded for playing that role. This method was the norm for the past 200 years.

Now we see that the System isn’t broken. It was built this way. We have created an education system that develops humans into single-purpose tools.

But we live in a completely different world already. If you follow this path blindly, you risk being replaced. Either by a person who is better than you, or by AI – especially if your work is repetitive and easily outsourced. And the hard truth? If your job doesn’t fulfill you, you probably won’t be good enough to avoid being replaced someday.

In the past – especially in ancient times, finding valuable information was a challenge. Only the elite had access to the best books and teachers. Today, all the information you need is free and one click away. The real obstacle now is filtering out the distractions to find the meaningful knowledge.

Identity & Labels

As we see, defining oneself with a specific role can be pretty dangerous. How to escape the threat of being replaced? Do not identify yourself as a programmer, designer, editor, or whatever label you put. Become a visionary who uses these labels to achieve a particular goal.

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, con a ship… Specialization is for insects.”

— Robert A. Heinlein

The successful people nowadays are those who are flexible and have multiple interests. They possess a decent level of knowledge in more than one area. Building a business is a skill – but it’s made from many sub-skills. For example, being an online creator means being good at writing scripts, editing, understanding social media, and much more.

I’m not saying conventional education is bad. If you feel becoming a doctor, lawyer, or engineer is right for you, then go for it. Working a 9-to-5 office job can also be reasonable. But don’t resign yourself to the idea that you must follow this system your whole life.

Some people call it “wage slavery” or “modern slavery.” I wouldn’t go that far. After all, you’re not physically oppressed. You can change your career and your life at any time. Don’t define yourself with the system. Use it instead.

Look at school and job as a temporary place, where you can take whatever lessons you find valuable.

This is an experience that can be helpful when you finally decide to start your own company, build your online business or write your first book.

When you zoom out, you start developing the mindset of an entrepreneur rather than an employee.

The Mindset Shift

“But I have a family to look after”, “I don’t have enough time to work on my own project”. It’s a natural instinct to look for excuses. Most people are afraid to take responsibility for their lives.

  • they’re used to being assigned roles by external factors.
  • they love stability and rules.
  • they are afraid of the unknown.

Yes, starting something new on your own is scary. It will be extremely hard in the beginning. You’ll feel uncomfortable. But think about it—everything is hard and uncomfortable at the start. Joining a new class is stressful. A new job is challenging until you get used to it. Graduating from university is hard. So why don’t you sacrifice that same period of discomfort for your own project, instead of someone else’s?

The Addiction

Naturally our brains are wired to spread cultural information from person to person. Ideas and beliefs are passed down to us just like the genes of our parents. That is why we feel so addicted to the need to fit in society and be accepted by the tribe. It is our brain’s attempt to survive and reproduce on a conceptual level.

However, we have already evolved above the point of relying solely on physical and mental genes.

Even though it feels wrong at first, we are capable of going beyond the program.

Take back your sovereignty

We were told that we should always respect anybody but ourselves. We must spend our time and energy so we are granted recognition from authority. If you complete the tasks you will get the good grade, the degree, the promotion. Our whole society is structured around authority. Through the illusion of security we give away our self-respect and power to teachers, bosses and academics.

But here is the thing. The “authority” that people are afraid of consciously or unconsciously is an illusion. We police each other with the fear of what other people think. It’s in your hands to simply say “no” to this illusion.

Once you understand that you have the sovereignty to explore the unknown as it suits your own vision, things will start to make sense.

This is where real education takes place. You stop following static goals, you start creating them yourself.

The Infinite Game

The conventional school system is great at developing the left side of the brain – the part responsible for logic and order. Modern education prepares you for playing a finite game. It teaches you to climb a ladder, to play by rules created by others. You can win that game by achieving the goals set for you, but then a sense of emptiness will follow.

Think about the most successful people you watch on screen every day. None of them followed a linear path. All of them struggled at the beginning. They tried and failed a good amount of times until they figured it out. Certainly they didn’t succeed because they stuck to the instructions of their professors and parents.

There are three main groups of tasks:

  • Easy and Achievable
  • Hard and Achievable
  • Unachievable

An easy and achievable task is like working a 9-5 job for your whole life. It’s a part of your known capabilities.

A hard and achievable task is like building a business. It’s out of your known capabilities but through self-education and agency you can do it.

Unachievable tasks are those out of your physical abilities.

Focus on the achievable with learning and effort, distinct from easy or impossible ones. This is how multimillionaires build their businesses. They learn how to learn.

Purpose

Humans are emotional beings. We need a deeper purpose – a meaning, a calling. We long for creative work- something that comes from within. Deep down, you know this already.

You might struggle to define what is that one meaningful thing to work on. Don’t worry. You’re just used to being told what to do. You are not comfortable with thinking by yourself yet. Remember, your relatives and your teachers can’t tell you what path to take. You have to discover that yourself. The “right” way doesn’t exist. That mindset is part of an outdated way of thinking about education.

Our body likes to move so we maintain good physical and mental health. It’s the same with meaning and purposes. It needs to be in constant movement so we become deeper and more developed. Once we stop seeking new goals and directions our sense of fulfillment will deteriorate.

Just Start

Real education means constant self-improvement. Jumping from one thing to another until things start to make sense. Self-education is about setting goals, then changing them. Discovering new goals. It’s an infinite cycle, not a straight line like the conventional path.

There are two types of people:

Those who keep seeking advice on what they should do.

Those who just start and figure it out along the way.

If you want to get good at coding, you have to start coding. Or you can keep asking people online which language or framework is best.

You’ll be successful if your core reason for learning coding is to build something. Like a video game, for example.

But if your reason is just that you were told it’s a “promising” field that will earn you money, you won’t get far.

Model your interests

Phase 1: Identify Your Current Interests

What content do you consistently consume?

Books, articles, or blogs you read, Podcasts you listen to, YouTube channels you follow, Social media accounts that interest you.

What do you actually do with your time?

Think about the Hobbies you pursue, the skills you’re developing, the topics you research independently. The projects you’ve started.

Aspirational Interests: What have you always wanted to explore?

  • Fields you find fascinating but haven’t pursued
  • Skills you wish you had
  • Projects you’ve dreamed about starting

Phase 2: Identify Patterns and Intersections

Review your three lists and ask yourself:

What themes appear across multiple lists?

Which interests have persisted over time?

What activities give you energy rather than drain it?

Which interests combine multiple skills or domains?

Now take time to reflect on each of your top interests and evaluate them. First, consider the personal value each interest holds for you—how much fulfillment or satisfaction it brings into your life.

Next, think about how well each interest aligns with your natural strengths and abilities.

Finally, assess the market value of each interest by asking how useful or valuable it might be to others.

Could it meet a need, solve a problem, or offer something meaningful to a community or audience?

By thoughtfully examining these three dimensions—personal fulfillment, skill alignment, and external value—you can begin to see which interests stand out.

The ones that resonate most across all three areas are likely to represent your most promising and rewarding directions to explore further.

Your first Project

For your top 1-3 interests, design a small, concrete project that:

Remember: This is an iterative process. You’re not committing to a lifetime path; you’re exploring possibilities through action. The goal isn’t to find your “one true passion” but to start moving in directions that engage and energize you.

Set a small goal. It might be writing your first blog post or outlining your first YouTube video.

Define your first project and take action. You’ll face the first knowledge gap, the first small problem to solve. Just google the solution or ask AI.

All the information you need is already out there – just one click away. You won’t get lost in the sea of information if you know what you’re searching for and have a goal in mind.

Conclusion

If you are waiting for things to start making sense, stop.

They won’t.

You can’t find the ultimate truth neither in your books nor from an institution that provides you with a piece of paper.

You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to start asking better questions:

Am I acting from a lower point of awareness?

  • programs
  • mental genes
  • systems that don’t work
  • survival mode

Am I acting from a higher point of awareness?

  • creativity
  • purpose
  • exploration

Real education begins when we develop the habit of observing. Only through awareness and observation will we be able to see the core reason behind our problems.

It’s about self-knowledge.

Teach your mind to stop lying to itself.

It will be painful but liberating.