I left school with a lot of information and almost nothing I could actually use.
Like most people, I had sprinted through years of lectures and exams. I could recite formulas, define terms, and pass tests but I couldn’t build, create, or solve anything real.
That’s the hidden flaw in our education system, it’s built to fill our heads, not change our lives. We’re taught to store information, not to transform ourselves. We leave knowing about things, but not knowing how to become the kind of person who can live them.
School and real life, two worlds apart
School lost me the second I realized everything was about memorizing meaningless facts instead of actually learning and putting knowledge into practice. I wasn't a model student, not because I didn’t want to learn, but because of the way it was taught. I didn’t like mathematics, informatics, algorithms, yet somehow I ended up as a developer.
It wasn't my passion at first, but I allowed myself to put passion into what I do because without intention and fire in your work or learning, you'll extract nothing but disappointment. Now, I spend much of my free time exploring history, philosophy, and physics, learning from people online who teach these subjects in ways that actually spark curiosity.
I was mediocre at the beginning of my career, even with an IT degree collecting dust on my wall, because I didn't know much that actually mattered. But I started building my foundation through forgiveness (for my past failures), acceptance (of where I truly was), and developing a scout mentality that helped me navigate my career with curiosity.
On my first day coding, I wanted to quit. It was too hard, too confusing. But I made myself a promise: give it everything for 1-2 years and see if I was up for the challenge.
I hunted for mentors, people willing to help because when you're truly paying attention, you can learn from anyone walking a similar path. I extracted every drop of wisdom they offered, applied what felt right for me, and eventually became a mentor myself, paying it forward.
What I learned in university and what I needed in the real world were separated by an ocean of irrelevance. So I built a framework and through constant use, it became part of myself and how to approach things when I want to learn something new.
The system I built to outgrow myself
Years ago, I made a decision, I refused to set a finish line for my potential. Instead, I chose to see it as something that evolves with every challenge, every moment of doubt I push through.
Mediocrity is crowded, and it's time to stop accepting it. So I built a framework.
Brutal inventory of potential
Where could I have been versus where I am right now? I know I can't measure this perfectly, but I can feel the difference when I ask myself:
Am I on the right road?
Am I actually following my goals or just talking about them?
Do I have the activities I crave?
Am I spending time with people who elevate me or drain me?
This is how you take your pulse and start analyzing where you really stand.
Build your foundation
Forgive yourself
I started with forgiving myself for everything I did in the past, all the things I'm not proud of, because you can't build greatness on a foundation of self-criticism.
Accept your past
Accept that those past decisions are exactly why you might not be where you want to be today, and that's okay. This way, you can move forward with clarity instead of shame. If you're not good with yourself, you'll sabotage every self-help book, every chance at growth from the inside out.
Develop a scout mentality
Question your beliefs like your life depends on it because it does. Whenever you discover that 1, 2, or 5 of your beliefs are completely wrong, have the courage to question them and seek new ways of seeing reality. Stop being a soldier who fights to prove everyone else wrong and start being a scout who's willing to be wrong if it means finding the truth.
Focus your attention with intention
Create structure
Develop a clear plan
Set limits (spend less time on your phone, limit time-wasting activities)
Invest in what I actually want with small, intentional steps every single day
Personalize your road
Only you know your specific problems, fears, needs, dreams, and the exact destination that will make you feel alive. Everything you know can change, and so can everything you think you know about what's possible for your life.
We can’t wait for schools, workplaces, or the world to hand us the tools we actually need. Learning starts the moment we take ownership of it, when we stop treating knowledge like something to collect and start treating it like something to live.
The gap between who we are and who we could be will never close on its own. It takes brutal honesty about where we stand, the humility to unlearn what doesn’t serve us, and the courage to take small but intentional steps every day.
The framework I built was a way to become the kind of person who can grow endlessly. And that’s the real education, not passing exams, but continually passing the test of becoming.
The classroom is behind you.
The real work is ahead.
Cris
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