Chapter V - Specialized Knowledge

Chapter 5 has reminded me of a fact that has been becoming clear in recent months. The fact is if you study the life story of some of the most successful people in the world, most of them had a few things in common. These commonalities are, to name a few, they where underachievers. i.e. they where counted out early in their lives and had to fight for every little bit they got. They had a parent or mentor push them to learn. Most of these successful people hated school, but the authority figure in their lives forced them to learn. One very important thing many successful people had in common was they loved to read, research and experiment on their own, on the road to self-enlightenment. Indeed, when their schooling was done, they didn't stop their education.

This is precisely the point of the chapter on specialized knowledge.

Napoleon Hill wrote "Back of all ideas is specialized knowledge". His point was, when you gain sufficient knowledge and mix it with imagination, which we will study in the following chapter, you will begin to develop the ideas needed to create your road to success.

Dr. Hill also gave us a warning. He wrote, "Unfortunately for those who do not find riches in abundants, specialized knowledge is more abundant and more easily acquired than ideas." For those people, he said, there is an ever increasing demand for people who can use ideas to help sell their services. This may be the first referance to the mastermind, which is another important chapter.

So, how can you acquire the knowledge necessary to be a success in your endeavor?

If you listen to the common knowledge of society, you may be lead to believe that you need to enter into a course of study at some college or university, where you will be asked to invest a large amount of time and money.

There was a line in a movie from a few years ago that puts everything in perspective. The movie was "Good Will Hunting" and the line was something like, "You spent 150 thousand dollars on an education that you could have had for a dollar fifty in late fees at the local library."

Dr. Hill referred to the library in 1937 and even today the library is a powerful tool of education. The membership is free and if a particular library doesn't have the book you need, they can get it for you.

You may be thinking of many different reasons to not go to the library, but remember; the books are free, they won't clutter up your house (because you bring them back), you can find any book you want (if they don't have it, they'll find it) and if your late bringing back the books, the fine is cheep (unlike your local Blockbuster).

The fact is the local library provides the cheapest education in the world.

There are areas of expertise where it is best to have an instructor to get your education. But before you plunk down your $150 thousand consider a few other options.

Do you want to be a writer? Writers Digest offers full writing courses, taught by real and sometimes famous writers. These courses coast anywhere from $130 to about $450.

Another source of knowledge is professional clubs and organizations. Many organizations offer free and cheep courses of study. For example, the local National Speakers Association offers an eight week course on how to start a speaking business for less than $100.00. The local Chamber of Commerce offers an 8 week course on how to start a business for $100.00

Let's not forget about Dr. Hill's suggestion of correspondent's courses. Yes, they're still around and they're cheep. Correspondence Courses teach many different subjects which are very useful. This is one thing you and I need to check out. And then there is the modern version of the correspondence course which is the on-line or the distance learning course which most colleges and universities participate in.

For the areas of study which can not be covered in any of the above courses, they can usually be found at your local Community College. Community Colleges get a bad rap, but it is not where you get your education that matters. What really matters is how well you learn it and what you do with it. The fact is college students tend to learn more in the years following college than while their in classes. In other words, no matter where you go to college, you still will learn on the job.

Regardless of where you acquire your specialized knowledge, Dr. Hill's main points in this chapter are:
First: learning and self development doesn't stop when schooling does. School only gets you ready for learning. The rest is up to you.

Second: Contrary to popular belief, knowledge is not power. Knowledge - in action - is power.