Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts

[Adam's Apple]

Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts: Who Can Really Do the Job Better?
by Gina LaGuardia for encarta.msn.com
April 4, 2005

The current season of The Apprentice has taken viewers on a roller-coaster ride of disbelief, hope for the underdog, and a hearty dose of "uh-oh" moments. The format for forming teams*--book smarts vs. street smarts--sets us up for drama not far removed from the real world. Could Magna Corp.--academically brilliant grads from top colleges--outfox the pavement-pounding prowess of the "street-smart" Net Worth team? Above all, since many people watch The Apprentice with hopes of learning more about the inner workings of a boardroom, what does the outcome mean to America's corporate strivers and armchair CEOs?

We decided to ask successful executives and management experts to handicap the race to the last boardroom showdown, and in the process, to shed some insight on the true ingredients of corporate success.

An effective leader needs both a strong intellect and in-the-trenches leadership skills, says businessman Wayne McVicker, an architect, writer, and entrepreneur with more than 25 years experience in the design, healthcare, and IT industries. While at the helm of his prior company, a dot-com darling, he was urged by board members to hire fresh MBAs from top schools to work on business development. McVicker was skeptical about relying on academic credentials, but agreed to give them a try.

"While I found them to be consistently smart, charming, and intimidating," he recalls, many of them didn't work out, and "were among the first to go during our mid-2000 belt-tightening."

For full article
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/elearning/?article=booksmarts&GT1=6413

 

[fuzzykitten99]

people with first hand real life experience tend to fare better than those with more book education than actual work experience. they also are more willing to try other avenues because they didn't spend thousands to learn about one type of career

 

[Annie]

Along the same lines, I'm surprised that no one read and commented:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=261174#post261174

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Along the same lines, I'm surprised that no one read and commented:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=261174#post261174

i read it, but i had no real opinion on it.

 

[Adam's Apple]

I agree with the article--a combination of both works best. Book smarts combined with street smarts means you get more things done in a shorter amount of time. No time lost figuring out the "how to". This in no way puts down those with street smarts, many of whom succeed using their God-given talents plus life's lessons learned.

 

[Comrade]

What's interesting is seeing now that the 'book smarts' team, Magna, has been kicking ass over the 'street smart' crowd in Net Worth

If were speaking about this show in particular, I put my money on the quality standouts which exist in Magma. And given this gameshow represents only a small sample of each 'class', so to speak, it's possible that someone from the H.S. grad could win, but it's highly unlikely in this particular sample and quite impossible in the real world for the H.S. graduates to prevail over those with college degrees.

College graduates demostrate all the advantages of modern society. You might be a brilliant person but the choice to earn a higher education requires a form of mental discipline that is reserved for either the descendents of successfull people, or a descendent of an imporvershed family who is hardworking and ambitious enough to rise above their circumstances. A college degree is still the #1 factor in individual success in America, despite the hype over these rarified H.S. millionares on the show.

 

[Adam's Apple]

Lot of truth in what you've just posted, Comrade.

 

[Annie]

College graduates demostrate all the advantages of modern society. You might be a brilliant person but the choice to earn a higher education requires a form of mental discipline that is reserved for either the descendents of successfull people, or a descendent of an imporvershed family who is hardworking and ambitious enough to rise above their circumstances. A college degree is still the #1 factor in individual success in America, despite the hype over these rarified H.S. millionares on the show.

Have to agree with you here. I don't think necessarily that college graduate are per se brighter than non-grads, but they have completed a process of thinking, that most without formal teaching do not.