Turkish youth are doing something wrong

I have been grinding away in academia for 30 years. Master's degrees, doctorates, research projects, international project partnerships, an intellectual environment, constant personal development, the energy of young people, the speed of the evolutionary process.

All of these and more are the main factors behind why I would undoubtedly say “I would be an academic again” if I were to live my life over.

Another reason might be the chance I had to work at Anadolu University, one of the most character-filled universities in the world.

Anyway, that is not our main topic.

Over the years, I have pondered what kind of “education model” there should be.

Thank God, almost all of the students we have trained have made something of themselves.

It is easily understood from following them on social media.

They have all, thank God, eaten, drunk, and thrived.

It is evident from their red cheeks and pear-shaped bellies that they are loading up on plenty of protein.

Their stance and body language at construction sites are proof that they have mastered their work.

The hawk-like look in their eyes is a sign that they are on the right path.

In fact, among my students I am still in touch with, Bünyamin Ayar manages projects in the African region, while Güneş Bardakçı and Hakan Karayel are doing serious construction work with Americans in the Asian region.

But a lot has changed since then.

Because we anticipated the change and where the world was heading, we tried to train our students with a new model of education.

Beyond just evaluating them with exam grades, these students achieved significant success through the close relationships and guidance techniques we established, especially in their fourth year.

And they will achieve even more.

By the way, I hope my students, both those mentioned and those not, will not forget to sponsor our new activities.

What is important here is to capture the spirit of the times.

Just studying, neglecting the development of social and emotional intelligence, not giving the necessary importance to developing communication skills, remaining static, and missing out on dynamic learning processes must be the biggest reasons for failure.

Throughout university education, ignoring the post-education opportunities the world offers and focusing only on courses like strength of materials, dynamics, and structural analysis does not bring success.

What I am writing here is not for those who want to be ordinary.

Let them continue to struggle within their lecture notes.

Let them console themselves with the motivation of “I must be the top student.”

What we write is for those who want to integrate into the world and truly live.

As the poet said, “everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives.”

We are writing these things not for those who truly die, but for those who want to truly live.

Look at what happened last month?

I sent the resume of a nephew of mine, who had ranked high in the university entrance exam, entered the best private university on a full scholarship, and on top of that had been eating, drinking, sleeping, and waking up for free, to a few holding company bosses.

They said they forwarded it to HR. No one called, no one asked.

I will have to dig into it again.

But just the other day, the holding company bosses to whom I sent a resume-like video I had a Moroccan student of mine prepare in the languages he knows—he knows 4-5 languages—immediately asked for this student's phone number.

They wanted to hire him immediately.

The bottom line is that all children are very smart now. There are no significant differences between their technical qualifications and abilities.

You cannot tell who is smarter than whom.

There is no dramatic or insurmountable difference in knowledge or ability between someone who ranks in the top ten thousand in the university entrance exam and someone who ranks in the top five hundred thousand.

However, someone in the top five hundred thousand can quickly overtake their competitors at the top with the opportunities of the new world.

Without daddy's money—which there is no such daddy left anyway—they can both earn money and improve themselves in the countries they go to with a shared economic business model.

They can use programs like “Work and Travel” or “Erasmus.”

They can travel all over Germany for 45 euros a month, or fly from London to Riga for 20 euros, which is barely enough to buy 1 kilo of ground meat here.

They can continue their education at European universities where education is free.

Thus, they become different people.

They can get the chance to work and build a career at the world's largest international firms.

While previously only graduates of a few well-known good universities had this chance, now even graduates of universities in the most remote corners have the opportunity to seize this chance.

The examples are too many to write here.

But the criteria are clear.

Emotional transfer, communication skills, the languages they know, and the cultures they are familiar with are the most important factors that make them stand out among their peers. Always keep in mind the philosophy of the sentence the announcer shouts to the wrestlers at the Kırkpınar oil wrestling tournament: “Do not grieve because you are on the bottom, do not rejoice because you are on top.”

Let no one rejoice because they are “in the top ranks,” and let no one grieve because they are “in the bottom ranks.”

Let them be brave and keep their perceptions open.

Let them not forget that “everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives.”

The decision is yours.