The other day, I went out to Ginza, and when I finished my work and played the piano at the Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan in Yurakucho, I unexpectedly received applause and felt good. This is a book I found by stopping by a bookstore I was indebted to when I was using Yurakucho Station to transfer when I was an office worker.
I saw “I wanted to know when I was 17” in the title, and I thought it wasn't for readers, but I read “The Postcard” and decided to read this book. The importance of an educational background means “having completed your studies to pass a university, or having graduated from university.”
Looking back on myself, even being a ronin, I didn't necessarily get into the university I wanted to apply to, but I feel that the 6 years I spent at university made me grow. Before I took the exam, I couldn't find what I wanted to do in the future, but as the advice in this book says, “Then aim for a difficult university” was something I wanted to ask at that time.
Below are the points I was concerned about.
・Going to college is very different from career choices up until now, and it has a big impact on life after that (p7)
・There is absolutely no such thing as “educational background doesn't matter when you become an adult.” Adults don't tell me the important things that underlie this society. They say things like “just be yourself,” but it wasn't until long after that that that we realized that mistake (p9)
・There are two goals of this book: 1) getting rid of things you didn't know you hadn't heard since you became an adult, and 2) motivate yourself to take the exam. University entrance exams are extremely difficult, so if we do it anyway, let's aim for a university we can be excited about together (p12)
・Any path is correct, and each person has a different way of proceeding, but no matter which path they choose, they have only one thing in common. It means “it is advantageous to have an educational background” (p22)
・The reason why there is an educational background filter is very simple: adults “don't have time to spare to look at everyone's individuality”, why is it an educational background, and the reason is “because the tool that can determine whether that person is someone who can work hard is an educational background in one shot” (p24)
・At school, many people accept everyone as “it's your personality” and “it's your personality,” but when you go out into society, the hurdles until people see your individuality in the first place become quite high. Basically, after clearing these educational requirements, you can listen to the story for the first time (p26)
・Educational background is actually for ordinary people. If you are a genius that everyone can understand just by saying your name, you don't need an educational background, and if you think “educational background is bad,” it is better to change that way of thinking. I recommend that you think that your educational background will help you in the future (p29)
・Educational background is a weapon; if you have an educational background, you can challenge various things. The reason I dare say “weapon” here is that educational background can be a special move depending on the user's ability, and it can also be useless (p30)
・A smart person's “I don't need an educational background” and a smart person's “I don't need an educational background” have different weights (p37) You are free to decide how you perceive educational background, but if you were to be a denier, it's meaningless unless you say it “in a state where you have an educational background” (p39)
・Whether it's studying, sports, or work, the moment you blame others, your growth stops right away. Even if you make a mistake, don't let this happen (p39)
・Studying for entrance exams can only prove to the world that you are “an excellent self who can challenge things you are not good at.” When you become an adult, you run into a lot of things you are not good at, and the important thing is to understand what is wrong from there and increase what you can do one by one. This is the same as studying for an entrance exam (p41)
・The real ability being tested in the entrance exam is not “academic ability,” and the ability being tested is “problem solving ability.” If the university entrance exam only requires academic ability, it would be good to focus the exam only on students attending preparatory schools without leaving any room due to effort. However, this is not the case, and the reason why everyone can take tests equally is that human resources are not judged based on academic ability alone. The current entrance examination system is used to discover people who have the will to improve the current situation (p43)
・If you don't have anything you want to do, you should go to a university with even a slightly higher standard score. It's rare for people to clearly decide what they want to do at age 17. Furthermore, what I want to do changes within a few years (p64) The reason for advancing to a university with a high standard score is that the range of options is wider, and it is easier to correct the trajectory when a dream is found. Basically, excellent human resources gather at smart universities, so no matter what you do, it's easier to meet the conditions (p65) You don't have to force yourself to find what you want to do at university when you're 17 (p67)
・University is an educational background that can be used as a weapon for everyone for the first time after graduation. Please don't make passing college your final goal (p94) I want you to envision your ideal future even roughly during the 4 years of college (p95)
・As long as college students don't care about ronin, they don't care if they are ronin or not when they become adults. Conversely, adults are tough when it comes to retirement, and people ask why they have a retirement history, especially when they get a job (p101)
・There is no place more diverse than a university, because companies have interviews, so people who don't suit the company cannot join the company, but universities don't refuse to come if they have good entrance exam scores. The conditions for admission are really equal (p106)
・No matter how much you are in the worst situation because you can't study right now, if you take the time to act, your dreams will come true someday. Many people don't have confidence in themselves during that process, and they give up, so they can't achieve it. All success begins with “unfounded confidence,” and we should start acting now with unfounded confidence (p141)
・The recommendation to relieve tension is to decide on a “routine.” Make a habit of taking a deep breath or muttering “I can do it myself” in your heart (p144)
・People who enjoy life even when they become adults think “it's easiest to start now” (p149)
・If I were to express what kind of place college was in one word, it is “the last place where you can make friends without interests,” it becomes difficult to make friends when you become an adult, and opportunities to become friends drastically decrease in the first place (p206)
・When I was in college, if I were to send one piece of advice, I would recommend spending time on “things that are difficult to experience when you become an adult.” The first thing I can mention is “overseas travel” (P216)
