A 'Factory for Unhappy People'

"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." ~ Oscar Wilde

Why does one pursue higher education?  Is it to acquire knowledge?  What do we do with the knowledge once it is acquired?  Do we ultimately want money, power and social status or do we want to learn more about ourselves?  What can a classroom teach us of life?

A recent article in BusinessWeek, "What I Learned at Harvard Business School," provides some rather interesting perspective into the pursuits of business school students, as written in the book, Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School, by Philip Delves Broughton.

Here are some selected excerpts from the BusinessWeek article that highlight Broughton's Harvard experience:

Broughton provides an insightful and entertaining, behind-the-scenes glimpse at a powerful institution that he sees as generally succeeding in its mission of transforming students into business leaders.  But he views HBS as failing them in almost every other way.  It is, in his persuasive account, a 'factory for unhappy people...'

Broughton found little to criticize and much to praise about the HBS case study method, which gets students to find fixes for company problems...

But ethics is another matter...

Many of Broughton's classmates came to HBS ethically challenged, he says; some qualified for financial aid by depleting their savings with the purchase of expensive cars...

The pressure to follow conventional paths is a recurring theme, with classmate after classmate either battling the forces of conformity or succumbing to the siren song...

[Broughton] gives insight into daily life at Harvard and the 'fear of missing out' that leads many students to attend every event, no matter how trivial...

He came away appalled by the power that business wields in our society and by the ability of an institution like Harvard to perpetuate that state of affairs.  'Has society allotted too much authority to a single, narcissistic class of spreadsheet makers and PowerPoint presenters?'

It's interesting how Broughton reveals the unhappiness that is produced by the pursuit of money, power and social status via higher education.  I wonder if most of the HBS students truly believe that their degrees will bring them the kind of success that produces real fulfillment -- what they believe to be happiness?

"That's one thing about a little education.  It spoils you for actual work.  The more you know the more you think somebody owes you a living." ~ Will Rogers

I touched on this issue before in a previous post called, The Knowing-Doing Gap, where I pointed to studies of behaviors and teaching methods in business schools that would have their graduates learning how to "talk smart" and strategically climb the corporate ladder but never really learning how to "do" much of anything.  After all, knowledge is power. Actually applying this knowledge is not necessary for "success" in the world of big business today -- one only needs to look and act "smart" and let others do all of the "doing." 

I say knowledge may be power but it is certainly not wisdom and that the word, student, has no boundaries...

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." ~ Buddhist Proverb

I have a personal view on higher education and should disclose that I am less than one year from completing my masters in business administration (MBA) degree studies.  When I began the program five years ago, I was looking to advance my career -- to climb the corporate ladder.  Now, when I look back, I realize that I was pursuing the MBA to make me a faster runner in the rat race -- a pursuit that brought more stress and unhappiness -- not happiness via money, power and social status.

I now see that the knowledge acquired through "higher education" is still beneath the self-knowledge acquired through the highest form of education, which is found within ourselves...

...And when I "graduate" from business school and hang that MBA diploma on my wall, I will be able to look at it and be perpetually reminded that the greatest lessons I learned during those five years were learned outside of the classroom...

Related Posts:

The Knowing-Doing Gap

Enabling Opportunities

Curing Affluenza

 

Comments

[Ari Koinuma]

This is a bit of radical view, but I am of opinion that the entire school system as we know it is a factory of unhappy people. Its critical sins are:

1)make you get used to living a life structured for somebody else's convenience
2)make you compete for arbitrary standards
3)force students to learn what they do not wish to learn

I've been meaning to write this in a post, but now you've given me the kick I needed -- I'm off to go work on it.

Thanks!

ari

[The Financial Philosopher]

Ari:

I am happy to have provoked some thought.

Having a seven-year old and a three-year old child makes education a constant discussion topic in my home.

Schools "teach" social conventions and are not capable of adjusting to various learning styles.

This is why it is up to parents and to the students to question their lessons and seek their own path...

For your post, I also suggest reading another post I wrote called, "Who Am I? Part II: Learn How You Learn"

http://financialphilosopher.typepad.com/thefinancialphilosopher/2008/02/who-am-i-part-t.html

Here's a quote from the post:

"Schools everywhere are organized on the assumption that there is only one right way to learn and that it is the same way for everybody. But to be forced to learn the way a school teaches is sheer hell for students who learn differently." ~ Peter Drucker

[Next Gen Politics]

Great article once again, and in my case, very timely. I'm currently looking at schools for my MBA studies. I have to take the GMAT soon, and hope to get into a good school.
Your article highlights a lot of my fears. I want to get an MBA so that I can enter the business world and be at the top of my game, but if everyone around me is just talking and not doing, I worry that I may be ultimately dissatisfied and waste $50,000 or more on the piece of paper.
Your site is always making me think about what I think I have already decided and what I think I already know. Thanks again Kent. Keep up the good work.
Jerame Clough
-Next Gen Politics

[The Financial Philosopher]

Jerame:

I must say that my MBA studies, especially my Entrepreneurship class, gave me the confidence and skills necessary to start my own business.

I highly recommend continuing education. In fact, when I am finished with the MBA program, I will likely take a short break and begin a PhD program.

I have no idea if a PhD will "help" with my business career and I am not seeking "career advancement."

I simply enjoy learning and believe that it is good for my mind and brain. If opportunities arise as a result of the PhD, then so be it. If not, then I have still gained much knowledge and experience...

If you look at the MBA program as something that will "enable opportunities" rather than something that will just bring you "more money," then I believe you will succeed...

Send me an email if you want to exchange thoughts in more detail...

Thanks for the comment...

Kent

[Peter]

great article about a topic that is too often ignored by my generation in their continual search for more money and power....I believe that an MBA is oftentimes overrated and that self-eduacation (see http://personalmba.com/) can be just as productive and worthwhile, without the huge $$ spent. All of this depends, of course, on one's actual goals and objectives.

[The Financial Philosopher]

Great points Peter...

Any pursuit can be misleading if the objective is money and power.

My objective with any further education I may pursue is simply for the intrinsic value of learning and growing as an individual.

If money follows, then that result would be acceptable but unintentional.

Thanks for the comment...

Kent

[Aman]

Another good post.

Behavior and action is a separate matter from thought. If we depend on thought for our happiness we're setting ourselves up for a continuous flow of disillusionment.

"Thought is the organizing factor in man: intersected between the 'causal' primary instincts and the resulting actions." -Albert Einstein

[The Financial Philosopher]

Aman:

Thanks for adding your thoughts and the great quote from Einstein! I've not seen that one before...

Cheers...

Kent

[donna]

Funny, my MBA talked me out of starting my own business. ;^)

It's not the degree, it's how you apply it. Degrees and money don't bring happiness -- but they aren't what makes one unhappy, either.

BTW, since I got my MBA at a Catholic university, there was plenty of emphasis on ethics. ;^) And no, I'm not Catholic, it was just the best program around.

[The Financial Philosopher]

Donna:

I agree with your point that "Degrees and money don't bring happiness -- but they aren't what makes one unhappy, either."

As I stated in this post, I am one course away from an MBA degree myself. I apply the knowledge learned to my own ethical perspective, as you also imply in your comment.

I believe where Harvard Business School differs from our respective experience is that the school likely attracts the kind of people who do believe that degrees and money bring happiness (via career, power, social status).

HBS does not necessarily "make" the students unhappy or unethical. The students probably come to the school with low ethical standards and use the degree as a tool to achieve the capacity to perpetuate these ethical standards and to meet their idea of "happiness."

Thanks for the thoughts. It's good to hear from you...

Kent