James Marcus Bach - Secrets of a buccaneer-scholar: self-education and the pursuit of passion

Schoolteachers dont like me very much

Y ears ago I was invited to speak at a special school for at risk kids. These kids had quit or been thrown out of normal high school. I was twenty-four, and working as a software test manager at Apple Computer in Silicon Valley. The kids teacher had heard about me. Since I was a high school dropout who made good, she asked me to explain the importance of a good education to her students. I wanted to bring an encouraging message. This is what I told them:

The students seemed surprised to hear this. They had questions:

How did you get Apple to hire you without a degree?

I knew how to program computers because I taught myself by reading and studying the technical manuals. I wrote video games professionally after I left school, and there was one manager at Apple who liked my experience and enthusiasm. After that, I just showed I could learn fast and do good work.

But how did you even get an interview with them?

I wrote a rsum listing my experiences and projects. It looked pretty good. I sent it to a contracting agency. They sent it to Apple.

Isnt it true that many employers wont even consider you unless you have lots of formal education?

Maybe its true. So what? Im not trying to get a job with many employers. One at a time is good enough. There are always some who value what is truly useful, such as technical skill and the ability to play well with others. Find those people.

Why did you leave school in the first place?

I believed it was interfering with my education. I felt that it wasnt just a waste of my timeit was using my own time against me. I needed to build confidence and independence, and school was tearing me down. Schools are good for some people, and I bet, somewhere, there are schools that would have been good for me. I never found one, so I took matters into my own hands. In that process I discovered that education is so much more than school.

Are you saying we dont really have to do homework?

Only you can answer that for yourself. Me? I rarely did schoolwork that followed me home. Ill tell you this, though: If you want to take control of your life with the power of your mind, then youll be doing homework whether or not you go to school.

What if Im not interested in anything? What if Im lazy?

If you were very hungry, would you make the effort to eat, or would you be lazy and starve? I dont believe in lazy. You just need to find what youre hungry for. So, get out and try different things. One way to try different things is to go to school. Another way is to leave school. Or you can do some of both.

Doesnt learning require discipline and hard work? (The teacher asked this from the back of the room.)

To learn something valuable, you may have to work at it. It may be hard work. For me, it has to be fun, too. Or else forget it. The secret to my success is this: I found something that was fun for me, I learned all about it, and now I get paid for fun things I do with my mind.

A FTER THE L ECTURE

I felt good after talking to the class. I liked the idea of working with kids. People have helped me along the way. I wanted to return the favor. As I was leaving, the teacher joined me.

Mr. Bach, I want you to know that I will recommend against you speaking at our school again, she said. Your message is dangerous for children to hear.

She was almost right. It was dangerous, what I saiddangerous for her. To maintain a docile herd of students, her school needs them to accept certain truths:

• You must study what we tell you. What we say is the only thing that matters.
• You must pass our tests. Our tests measure the only important things about you.
• You must attend school. Only through schooling can you hope to enjoy a good life.

This is what I call schoolism the belief that schooling is the necessary and exclusive way to get a good education. Must and only !

I told them about myself, I said, and how I came to be here. I told them the truth.

It may be true for you, she replied. But these kids arent super smart like you. They dont come from well-off families. Theyre barely staying in school, and you just told them that they dont need to be here. They do need to be here!

Maam, my eighth-grade English teacher told me I would have to pump gas for a living if I didnt graduate high school. She was wrong about my future. Isnt it possible your students will surprise you, too? I think any of your students can do what I didin high tech, journalism, business, art, or any number of different fields. And they have a lifetime to develop their talents. Whats the rush?