Book Smart vs. Street Smart

As a college graduate, I pride myself in earning the degree that I worked so hard for four years. When I entered the real world six years ago, I realize that my degree was basically close to useless.  Don't get me wrong, education can take us far in life since it opens doors to opportunities that we might not be able to enter if we do not have a degree but as I experience more of life, I discover that there are special skills that are needed in order to survive in the real world.  Being street smart is necessary for the survival of the real world; being street smart encompasses a set of skills that are needed for us to do well in the outside world.  Being street smart means: to know what is going on around you, to make good judgement base on what you observe, to be able to communicate and respond in a way where deems necessary, to be able to detect danger, to be able to know what to say at the right time and place.  Book smart means you are able to read and understand books in school and do well on tests.  In essence, book smart and street smart are skills one must learn and continually to learn in his lifetime.

Is book smart or street smart better? It depends on who you ask and the background of that person.  I believe you need both to survive and do well in the real world.  Without one or the other, you may not be able succeed in whatever goal you want to.  I recently read a blog where the blogger believes street smart will lead to book smart since you learn how to adapt and know what works and what does not work in an academic setting; I agree with every world the blogger states but I think you need both in order to do well in life.  Both skills are essential to adapting and they guard one another for potential problems that may arise.  

How to be street smart:

1. Go out more

2. Know your surrounding

3. Know where your belongings are.
4. Know how to read people-- no matter what is the distance and what is the relationships you have with the other person.

The good news is being street smart and book smart are skills we all can train ourselves to be better.  They help us in one way or another in every situation we put ourselves in. It's only the matter if we are willing to open our arms to the idea and train ourselves.