When people discuss street smarts and book smarts, it’s usually implied that you can only have one or the other. It’s the question we’ve all had in our minds as soon as our brains were capable of thought. Which type of intelligence do we prefer, book smart or street smart? Book smart are those stereotypical nerds who get straight A’s  and are gobbler of books and are masters at creating complicated code, researching in detail, and teaching students what is written in books.
On the other hand, the street smarts may not be the intellectuals or highly educated people that we find in the other group, but they get by just the same. These street smart people can succeed very well despite their lack of formal training or background. Somehow, they naturally know how to navigate the challenging waters of competition at work, in business, and even in relationships.
You were taught by your parents and teachers that if you study hard enough you will get a successful well paid job as a reward. That’s not necessarily true. There are people who totally succeed in school and at college but fail in their professional careers. And those who fail in academic institutions might be the ones joining tomorrow’s most influential entrepreneurs.
A college degree may help to open the door to a better job, but street smarts are what allow you to succeed once you walk through that door. In order to recognize opportunities or deception, it is important to have both types of smarts at your disposal.
Only someone who is both book smart and street smart can be a winner. The world does not choose a winner based on the IQ score of an individual or how much knowledge he/she possesses in his/her brain. And neither is one considered a winner if he has practical knowledge but no clue of theories and facts pertinent to a specific field. A winner is someone who has the ability to put the knowledge that he has gained through reading books into practice and enhance the lives of people around him.
How do you justify yourself as?
– Tanvi Shah
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