In my experience, it’s generally been the kids who drop out high school that are “street smart” or the ones who’ve been to jail. Either way those “street smart” people piss me off because all they know is what their dipshit friends tell them and think they can survive off that.
I’m a HS dropout. I have savings, a retirement plan, and a good job while my book smart peers emerge from university with nothing but a sense of bewilderment at how I’m not sweeping up garbage at the moment instead of working a job they’d kill to have.
I bet all the nice stuff you use come from dropouts engineer. I bet your good health is due to dropout doctors.
I’d rather bet you already hit your salary roof due to your education. Educated people might start to work later than dropouts, but I assure you have no idea how it pays off later on, otherwise you wouldn’t post such a moronic comment.
Jesus, I don’t mind dropouts but don’t start bragging about the fact you were too lazy to even accomplish HS.
^ The first thing that occurred to me was what Mario could accomplish if he had an actual education. He’s obviously articulate and can clearly write a coherent paragraph without stupid abbreviations like “U” and “ur,” unlike some college-educated people I know. So if he’s really got as good a job as he says, there’d be no stopping him if he had a formal education.
There are people in this world who do not care about having a high salary and I’m one of them. I grew up piss poor and simply being comfortable, as I am now, is good enough for me. I have a life plan that extends beyond crossing my fingers and it’s using my savings to start a restaurant, which I’m on plan to do in a few years.
I don’t think I’m bragging about it. I’m showing that it’s possible to carefully navigate the gaps in the system by standing out in other ways and by definition, these “street smarts” are valuable. Why is it that I’ve never been unemployed for more than a week since the age of 16 while recent university grads have to move back in with their parents because there are no jobs? I know why, it’s my superior work ethic and no job is too good for me. The great job offers will come if you take this approach. Sadly, most people equate HS dropout with someone like the champ in this Lamebook post and that’s not the case. Some of us are getting ahead because we prefer having work experience to learning how to get laid and note take experience.
This reminds me of a girl I know. She always got amazing grades and goes to great colleges but can barley cross the street. I graduated HS but the classroom just isn’t for me. Some people learn from reading some people learn from doing. I don’t think it makes anyone better then the other. It’s about what works for you.
The only context I’ve ever heard “book/street smart” in is when someone tries to devalue a college grad’s education.
“I’d rather be street smart than book smart because book smart people can’t survive in the real world and they don’t have common sense.”
Granted, I know a lot of CEOs who were entrepreneurs that never went to or finished college, but being innovative is not the same as being too lazy or stupid to finish hs/college. There’s a difference. I commend Mario for making a positive out of what could have been a hindrance to his economic and social well-being. =)
@someone, I’d never advocate for others to take the same path. My family’s economic condition plus my own general unhappiness took precedence over books and math, as they should. It wasn’t easy and you’re stigmatized. If you have the stomach and the wallet for it, education is key and always will be.
Mario and Dreddy: You’re one of many who realize that they CAN earn money and a living regardless of what new graduates complain about. Honestly, I know many people who paid for their own college with 2, sometimes 3, jobs. Worked their tail off as an intern in more than one company (while still in school) and networked relentlessly until they go where they needed to be. The point of any of this that people need to be making the right decisions. If you waste you time in college, using it as a social event, then graduate expecting a job without any much forethought behind it, that’s their fault!
I congratulate you, man. Really mean that. You’re a prime example of survival. Surviving meaning you will do anything to keep your head a’float. Including doing something apparently the younger generations seem to lack the skill of — SAVING.
I don’t know how many of these “99%-ers” I’ve seen who are complaining about not having savings. There is absolutely NO reason not to save. Even if it’s just pocket change!!
I’m only 24, and even I understand all this. It is common sense. Just make the right decisions!
“Granted, I know a lot of CEOs who were entrepreneurs that never went to or finished college, but being innovative is not the same as being too lazy or stupid to finish hs/college. There’s a difference. I commend Mario for making a positive out of what could have been a hindrance to his economic and social well-being. =)”
I agree 100%.
It’d be different if he was below average intelligent, and didn’t have the apparent worth ethic that he does indeed carry. He made an amazing recovery from a bad situation. Keep up the good work, man!
I wasn’t saying you’re not smart because you dropped out. I don’t know you but you don’t seem to be a moron. I meant that the street smart vs. book smart debate has nothing to do with dropping out. Having dropped out makes you neither street smart nor book smart automatically.
Usually it means you’re either lazy or stupid or you had some kind of hardship that hindered your education, though none of that is given. I fall in the third category; I dropped out of high school when I was eighteen, months before graduation. No one who knows me would consider me stupid and I’m in university now, with straight As.
There are many different definitions of intelligence. “Book smarts” and “street smarts” aren’t two of them.
@ someone, I totally get what you’re saying. I managed to apply as a mature student when I was 19 at a local college, aced the entrance exam, and actually went to classes for month, but decided it wasn’t right for me at the moment, as I was already working on job number ten or so and preferred independence via working. In a way, not choosing to continue a traditional education was stupid and will possibly be the dumbest thing I’ll ever have done, but life itself is education. As you know, dropouts suddenly don’t stop thirsting for knowledge and real life smacks you in the face much sooner. Some people adjust by going back to school, while some people embrace what’s made them marketable in other ways.
As for book smarts vs. street smarts, I guess I’m going on a literal meaning, which I believe is very relevant. This was touched on The Wire and it’s correct. Inner city kids are extremely smart, just not in a traditional way– and it’s all because they have to be. They have no idea what an exponent is but they can turn fifty cents into five bucks. That’s a skill fostered through years of informal education that university kids often don’t have. Plus, there’s the added benefit of actually seeing and experiencing the bottom, so you know exactly what you’re trying to crawl away from. There’s no shelter from the realities of the world, which is and always will be dog eat dog. You can be both or either. Book smart people walk through crappy neighborhoods with earphones in, eyes fixed on the ground, while some dude hides in the bushes. Street smart people assume there’s a guy hiding in the bush who wants your iPod. From birth, we’re crammed with useless information, even at the university level. It’s a different way of viewing what information needs to be carefully studied and what can be taken out back and shot.
As a book-smart person, I choose to avoid walking through crappy neighbourhoods at all. Because I’ve read in books about how that can go bad.
On the other hand, Rob doesn’t use ‘your’ correctly, and misspells ‘common.’ Such a lack of knowledge of the English language does not bode well for him.
Mario, I’m glad you succeeded. However, you seem fairly smart to begin with (e.g. acing the entrance exam). I’ve dealt with many students in my college classes who are just dumb. These are not people I would want working in any capacity where others have to depend upon them for any service above stocking shelves at a grocery. I have no idea if they are street smart or not, of course. However, ‘street smart’ often simply means ‘knowing how things are done on the streets,’ which does not in any way imply a high level of cognitive reasoning; it only implies a familiarity with things on the street.
Also, lots of jobs require that you have a degree just to apply for them.
Finally, part of the reason those who dropped out five-ten years ago are now holding jobs while your educated friends struggle today is in no small part because back then, it was a lot easier to get a job, and once you have it is much easier to keep it than to find a new job in today’s market. A person who drops out in today’s market is going to have a hard time too.
Anyway, I’m with Tyler.
There are three kinds of men:
The ones that learn by reading.
The few who learn by observation.
The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence
and find out for themselves.
Casey Jones is a perfect example of “street smart.”
My cat is street smart.
In my experience, it’s generally been the kids who drop out high school that are “street smart” or the ones who’ve been to jail. Either way those “street smart” people piss me off because all they know is what their dipshit friends tell them and think they can survive off that.
I’m a HS dropout. I have savings, a retirement plan, and a good job while my book smart peers emerge from university with nothing but a sense of bewilderment at how I’m not sweeping up garbage at the moment instead of working a job they’d kill to have.
I think I’m pretty damn street smart.
^ Wow, what an amazing guy.
I bet all the nice stuff you use come from dropouts engineer. I bet your good health is due to dropout doctors.
I’d rather bet you already hit your salary roof due to your education. Educated people might start to work later than dropouts, but I assure you have no idea how it pays off later on, otherwise you wouldn’t post such a moronic comment.
Jesus, I don’t mind dropouts but don’t start bragging about the fact you were too lazy to even accomplish HS.
^ The first thing that occurred to me was what Mario could accomplish if he had an actual education. He’s obviously articulate and can clearly write a coherent paragraph without stupid abbreviations like “U” and “ur,” unlike some college-educated people I know. So if he’s really got as good a job as he says, there’d be no stopping him if he had a formal education.
There are people in this world who do not care about having a high salary and I’m one of them. I grew up piss poor and simply being comfortable, as I am now, is good enough for me. I have a life plan that extends beyond crossing my fingers and it’s using my savings to start a restaurant, which I’m on plan to do in a few years.
I don’t think I’m bragging about it. I’m showing that it’s possible to carefully navigate the gaps in the system by standing out in other ways and by definition, these “street smarts” are valuable. Why is it that I’ve never been unemployed for more than a week since the age of 16 while recent university grads have to move back in with their parents because there are no jobs? I know why, it’s my superior work ethic and no job is too good for me. The great job offers will come if you take this approach. Sadly, most people equate HS dropout with someone like the champ in this Lamebook post and that’s not the case. Some of us are getting ahead because we prefer having work experience to learning how to get laid and note take experience.
Thanks jsister, I guess.
This reminds me of a girl I know. She always got amazing grades and goes to great colleges but can barley cross the street. I graduated HS but the classroom just isn’t for me. Some people learn from reading some people learn from doing. I don’t think it makes anyone better then the other. It’s about what works for you.
The only context I’ve ever heard “book/street smart” in is when someone tries to devalue a college grad’s education.
“I’d rather be street smart than book smart because book smart people can’t survive in the real world and they don’t have common sense.”
Granted, I know a lot of CEOs who were entrepreneurs that never went to or finished college, but being innovative is not the same as being too lazy or stupid to finish hs/college. There’s a difference. I commend Mario for making a positive out of what could have been a hindrance to his economic and social well-being. =)
I have to agree that people who think they have street smarts instead of book smarts are usually lacking in both.
Dropping out of high school is not any kind of smart.
@someone, I’d never advocate for others to take the same path. My family’s economic condition plus my own general unhappiness took precedence over books and math, as they should. It wasn’t easy and you’re stigmatized. If you have the stomach and the wallet for it, education is key and always will be.
Mario and Dreddy: You’re one of many who realize that they CAN earn money and a living regardless of what new graduates complain about. Honestly, I know many people who paid for their own college with 2, sometimes 3, jobs. Worked their tail off as an intern in more than one company (while still in school) and networked relentlessly until they go where they needed to be. The point of any of this that people need to be making the right decisions. If you waste you time in college, using it as a social event, then graduate expecting a job without any much forethought behind it, that’s their fault!
I congratulate you, man. Really mean that. You’re a prime example of survival. Surviving meaning you will do anything to keep your head a’float. Including doing something apparently the younger generations seem to lack the skill of — SAVING.
I don’t know how many of these “99%-ers” I’ve seen who are complaining about not having savings. There is absolutely NO reason not to save. Even if it’s just pocket change!!
I’m only 24, and even I understand all this. It is common sense. Just make the right decisions!
“Granted, I know a lot of CEOs who were entrepreneurs that never went to or finished college, but being innovative is not the same as being too lazy or stupid to finish hs/college. There’s a difference. I commend Mario for making a positive out of what could have been a hindrance to his economic and social well-being. =)”
I agree 100%.
It’d be different if he was below average intelligent, and didn’t have the apparent worth ethic that he does indeed carry. He made an amazing recovery from a bad situation. Keep up the good work, man!
@ mario
I wasn’t saying you’re not smart because you dropped out. I don’t know you but you don’t seem to be a moron. I meant that the street smart vs. book smart debate has nothing to do with dropping out. Having dropped out makes you neither street smart nor book smart automatically.
Usually it means you’re either lazy or stupid or you had some kind of hardship that hindered your education, though none of that is given. I fall in the third category; I dropped out of high school when I was eighteen, months before graduation. No one who knows me would consider me stupid and I’m in university now, with straight As.
There are many different definitions of intelligence. “Book smarts” and “street smarts” aren’t two of them.
@ someone, I totally get what you’re saying. I managed to apply as a mature student when I was 19 at a local college, aced the entrance exam, and actually went to classes for month, but decided it wasn’t right for me at the moment, as I was already working on job number ten or so and preferred independence via working. In a way, not choosing to continue a traditional education was stupid and will possibly be the dumbest thing I’ll ever have done, but life itself is education. As you know, dropouts suddenly don’t stop thirsting for knowledge and real life smacks you in the face much sooner. Some people adjust by going back to school, while some people embrace what’s made them marketable in other ways.
As for book smarts vs. street smarts, I guess I’m going on a literal meaning, which I believe is very relevant. This was touched on The Wire and it’s correct. Inner city kids are extremely smart, just not in a traditional way– and it’s all because they have to be. They have no idea what an exponent is but they can turn fifty cents into five bucks. That’s a skill fostered through years of informal education that university kids often don’t have. Plus, there’s the added benefit of actually seeing and experiencing the bottom, so you know exactly what you’re trying to crawl away from. There’s no shelter from the realities of the world, which is and always will be dog eat dog. You can be both or either. Book smart people walk through crappy neighborhoods with earphones in, eyes fixed on the ground, while some dude hides in the bushes. Street smart people assume there’s a guy hiding in the bush who wants your iPod. From birth, we’re crammed with useless information, even at the university level. It’s a different way of viewing what information needs to be carefully studied and what can be taken out back and shot.
As a book-smart person, I choose to avoid walking through crappy neighbourhoods at all. Because I’ve read in books about how that can go bad.
On the other hand, Rob doesn’t use ‘your’ correctly, and misspells ‘common.’ Such a lack of knowledge of the English language does not bode well for him.
Mario, I’m glad you succeeded. However, you seem fairly smart to begin with (e.g. acing the entrance exam). I’ve dealt with many students in my college classes who are just dumb. These are not people I would want working in any capacity where others have to depend upon them for any service above stocking shelves at a grocery. I have no idea if they are street smart or not, of course. However, ‘street smart’ often simply means ‘knowing how things are done on the streets,’ which does not in any way imply a high level of cognitive reasoning; it only implies a familiarity with things on the street.
Also, lots of jobs require that you have a degree just to apply for them.
Finally, part of the reason those who dropped out five-ten years ago are now holding jobs while your educated friends struggle today is in no small part because back then, it was a lot easier to get a job, and once you have it is much easier to keep it than to find a new job in today’s market. A person who drops out in today’s market is going to have a hard time too.
Anyway, I’m with Tyler.
I suspect that perhaps both are bullshit.
You should maybe listen to or read some of Ken Robinson’s stuff.
By “street smart” people mean knowing how to use crosswalks and sidewalks and how to get out of the way of traffic and stuff, yeah?
There are three kinds of men:
The ones that learn by reading.
The few who learn by observation.
The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence
and find out for themselves.
I buy and read my books in the streets…does that make me both?!
@Mario word on the street is you are a job-whore
The real question is “Are you smarter than a fifth grader dropout??”
*yawn*
Achievement is pointless without enjoyment, and that point seems to have been missed amongst the ultra-capitalists out there at present.
Not calling YOU guys ultra-capitalists btw.
By any chance, is Rob from Stilwell?
what the fucking fuck is this? make a humorous comment and move the fuck on.
this ain’t oprahs book club mother fuckers.