Over the past week, I have watched a lot of movies. One in particular, The Pursuit of Happyness, really stuck out to me. It is one of my favorite movies ever, but it also teachers its viewers a lot of valuable life lessons.


The one lesson that everyone will cite is that hardwork & perseverance conquer in life, which is undeniably true. Some would say, "when there is a will, there is a way." The movie also taught us one valuable lesson that I would call "hidden." 


It is about working smart, not hard. AND, it is who you know, not what you know...


Explanation: At certain points in the movie, it shows all of the candidates competing for the one job with Dean Witter working the phones and studying for hours on end. Being competent is important, but knowing people is even more important. The only reason Will Smith (Chris Gardner) was offered the job at the end of the movie was because he went to the 49ers game and was able to network with some high-end people that were interested in Dean Whitter's investment products. He would have had a 0% CHANCE of landing the job had he not taken an afternoon to go to the football game and exchange business cards.


In closing, an Ivy league education is valuable not because of what you read in the textbooks; rather, it is valuable because of the people you meet and the connections you make. Period.