FBC – 205 – The real purpose of school explained

The real purpose of school explained.

Today, we are going to talk about the school systems. Somehow, most of us completely miss the point of school. What is school good for and what is the hidden truth behind these institutions?

All this and more in today's episode.

It's about the school system and education system. I think we we've talked about the subject quite a lot here. And, you know, I often have chats with people, especially amongst entrepreneurs.

So people tell you, man what I learned in school, I don't use it. I only use like 10 percent of it or something. And then you have all these entrepreneurs. You know, as I told you people that I think belong to some sort of cult where they hate everything institutional, like the school and corporate and all that stuff.

They will tell you that you shouldn't go to school. It's useless. It's pointless. You should start your business and all that stuff. So I've told you, my opinion about this is, well, you shouldn't be that harsh. And there are good things about the school system. There are bad things about school system. But you can't just dismiss the whole system anyway.

When we studied the Second World War, we were told what happened in Europe and all that stuff. And I was actually surprised. I don't know if I told you that I was in a taxi in Singapore and I started talking to the taxi driver and the guy was explaining to me that, well, during World War Two, we had the Japanese, who invaded Singapore.

And I was like, what do you mean the Japanese invaded? We had no idea. We have absolutely no idea in Europe what happened in Asia. Because it's not in our history books or anything. So, you know the information you get will always be subjective. There is no information that you get that's not subjective, Whether it's TV, the newspaper, all right. So don't just assume that it's some sort of conspiracy.

People complain about school but here's the thing. One thing people haven't understood and the biggest misconception is that the main purpose of school, if you ask me, is to teach you how to learn stuff. It's to teach you how to go and get information. It's not there to teach you everything. It's there to give you the reflexes and give you the skills for how to go about finding information.

And the biggest mistake that people make is that they assume that, you know what? Once they finish school, that's it. They don't have to learn anything. No. This is where it starts. School was there to prepare you for the moment where you're on your own and you need to go get the information for yourself.

And 99 percent of the people, what do they do once they stop school? That's it. They don't learn anything. They stagnate and then they complain about, oh, man. Oh, my. I'm not moving forward and some people are getting ahead. And I don't understand why. Well, the reason why some people are getting ahead is because some people understood the fact that school is not here to teach you everything. It's a stepping stone from there. You have to educate yourself.

Some people are like, you know what? The school system is our lot. And then afterwards they say they're like, dude, I'm not in school anymore. I want to don't have to read. I don't have to learn anything. That's it. I have my job. That's what I'll do. And this is a big mistake. You're missing the point.

The real purpose of school explained

School prepares you for life. You know, once you're an adult, life actually starts because before you were in some sort of like cocoon and stuff was being done for you and you were a teenager and all that stuff. And then afterwards, once you're an adult. This is where the real shit starts, right? Because you have problems, you have your own family and all that stuff. And this is exactly when you need to start learning.

And well, unfortunately, people miss the point. It's important for you guys to understand this.

Yes. Well, later in life, you can pick and choose the subjects that are of interest to you. That's the difference. But it doesn't mean that you need to stop learning just because now it's not mandatory. You're not in school. This is how you never, ever reach your objectives. And this is how you see everybody around you getting ahead and you complaining and moaning about it.

Getting information never stops. It never stops until the day you die. Or until your last breath, you should be looking for more information and evolve as a person. Don't stop learning. Right. That's my opinion, you know? You need to evolve. I think it's a good thing to evolve.

School does not teach you what to think. At its best, it teaches you how to learn. That is the real skill that separates people who keep growing from people who stop the moment they graduate.

What school never taught me about building a business

School trained me to follow instructions. Business punished me for it. The real purpose of school, for an entrepreneur, is to teach you how to unlearn fast. I left the safe path, built 4 companies from Bali, and lived in 49 countries, and not one of those wins came from a lesson plan. They came from doing the thing, failing, and adjusting.

Here is the shift. Stop asking what the right answer is. Start asking what happens if I try this. I built 1,500+ workflows for clients like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and eBay by testing, not by memorizing. I dig into this mindset across 578+ episodes of my Freedom by Choice podcast, and I write the raw version on my Substack. If you want the research angle, Harvard Business Review has strong work on learning agility, and McKinsey keeps writing about the skills that actually matter as work changes. Read those. Then go build something that scares you a little.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the real purpose of school according to entrepreneurs?

The real purpose of school is to teach you how to learn, not to fill you with facts. The most valuable graduates are not the ones who memorized the most content. They are the ones who developed the ability to pick up new skills quickly and apply them in new environments.

Why do traditional degrees often fail entrepreneurs?

Degrees are designed for predictable career paths. Entrepreneurship requires you to constantly learn new skills, adapt to new markets, and solve problems that did not exist when you were in school. The information taught in a degree becomes outdated. The learning process never does.

How should solopreneurs approach continuous learning?

Treat every project as a curriculum. When you take on a task you have never done before, you are running your own course. The ability to research, experiment, fail fast, and adjust is exactly what school should have trained you to do, and it is exactly what growing a business requires.

What is the single most important skill for business success?

The ability to learn faster than your competition. Business models change, tools change, platforms change. The people who win long-term are not the most educated in a traditional sense. They are the most adaptable, and adaptability is just a trained learning habit applied at speed.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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