I'm a believer in education, I really am, and my children's eduction is very important to me. I've pursued high-level tertiary education myself, and I regularly attend business and personal development courses. But I'm also a believer in determination, passion and experience. A huge believer in fact, and sitting next to a guy in the Wool business one evening  after speaking at an Icehouse event, I was reminded of why...

His story went something like this:

He was sacked from his first job packing shelves at K-Mart when he was young. I believe he left school early as he suffered with dyslexia and to add insult to injury, as he walked from his job that day, his boss told he would never amount to anything. That comment ignited a fire in his belly. He so badly wanted to prove the world wrong. He now owns and runs a company in the wool industry turning over tens of millions of dollars each year. The key to his success wasn't some fancy education - it was something thats hard to teach - it was pure determination, passion and drive to achieve his dreams. I truely believe some people are born with it. Born with such determination and passion that it'd be hard for them to fail - like Gary van Ner Chuk. I blogged about him a couple of days ago and posted a video in which he explains how school wasn't really for him. His constant 'F' grades told him that. But get this. During the weekends he was down at the mall earning over $2k selling base ball cards each week, and dispite what the education system said about him, he's gone on to become famous and build a company  turning well over $60m a year. A lot of people fail in the 'system', but one of the things I've learnt over my career in is that there's no substitute for determination and passion. Someone who's clear about their dreams and has the drive to achieve them, will almost always outsmart someone with only an education. I've also learnt as a father that I'll only influence my children if I have their attention and respect. More important than my children's education is that they learn to focus, to be strong in themselves, to form their own opinions and believe they can do anything. Their self esteem is precious to me. Unfortunately those values aren't always treasured in the education system, but I am certain it will do a lot more for you over the long term than any single university degree. Do you agree? What are your thoughts?