How Average People Can Be Smarter Than a College Grad, MBA, or PhD Or… Are You Smarter Than a College Graduate? Let’s Find Out.

Redefining Smart

What makes someone “smart”?

A degree? A high GPA? Fancy vocabulary? Impressive credentials?

Not necessarily.

Because in the real world—smart is not what you know. Smart is what you can do.

It’s not memorization.
It’s not academic complexity.
It’s not jargon, citations, or credentials.

It’s:

• Solving real problems
• Making clear decisions
• Communicating simply and persuasively
• Learning fast and applying what you learn
• Adapting under pressure and in uncertainty

You don’t need a college degree, MBA, or PhD to do any of that.

In fact, many people with those degrees aren’t that smart—at least not in the ways that matter most.

In this article, we’ll examine:

• How college grads, MBAs, and PhDs are trained to think
• What limitations their training often creates
• Why “average” people can outperform them
• And how to know if you’re smarter—not on paper, but in practice

Let’s dive in.

Part 1: What College Grads Are Taught—And What They Miss

What College Teaches:

College trains people to:

• Absorb information
• Follow instructions
• Memorize and recall under pressure
• Write essays and pass exams
• Obey deadlines and authority

It rewards compliance and academic fluency.

What It Misses:

But here’s what college often fails to develop:

• Real-world decision-making
• Creative thinking under pressure
• Emotional intelligence
• Initiative
• Practical problem-solving
• Clarity in communication

The result?

Graduates with theoretical knowledge but no clue how to:

• Launch a business
• Lead a team
• Sell an idea
• Make a client happy
• Handle rejection, feedback, or real-world friction

Being “college smart” doesn’t mean being practically smart.

Part 2: How MBAs Think—And Why That Can Be a Problem

What MBA Programs Teach:

MBAs learn:

• Frameworks for strategy, marketing, and finance
• How to analyze cases
• How to talk like an executive
• How to network
• How to structure a slide deck

They’re trained to sound sharp, present well, and manage complex information.

The Pitfalls:

But most MBAs:

• Never actually build anything
• Don’t know how to sell
• Struggle to communicate without jargon
• Avoid risk and prefer case studies over experiments
• Default to managing—not doing

An MBA knows the map—but often has never walked the terrain.

That’s a problem in a world that rewards results, not recitations.

Part 3: What PhDs Know—And Why They Often Stay Stuck

The PhD Path:

PhDs are trained to:

• Go deep into narrow topics
• Question everything
• Rigorously defend conclusions
• Write complex academic papers
• Contribute new ideas to specialized fields

They’re masters of precision, depth, and methodology.

The Problem:

That depth comes with serious drawbacks:

• Inability to simplify
• Perfectionism and paralysis
• Aversion to action without overwhelming evidence
• Poor communication with non-experts
• Over-identification with theory over practice

Many PhDs:

• Can’t translate their insight into usable tools
• Can’t adapt to non-academic environments
• Get stuck in research while others build

Being brilliant on paper means little if you can’t explain, sell, or apply your insight.

Part 4: How “Average” People Can Outperform the Educated Elite

Let’s flip the script.

What if being “average” in credentials doesn’t mean being average in thinking?

Here’s how real-world intelligence works—and how people with no formal degree can run circles around those with advanced ones.

1. They Take Action

While others are still thinking, preparing, planning…

Smart doers:

• Build prototypes
• Send cold emails
• Ship messy versions
• Get feedback
• Iterate in public

Action always outpaces analysis.

2. They Focus on Usefulness Over Theory

Smart “average” people ask:

“Does this help someone?”
“Can I make this simpler?”
“Will this move the needle?”

They don’t speak to impress. They communicate to connect and solve.

They understand:

• Customers don’t care about credentials
• Teams follow clarity, not complexity
• Markets reward value—not vocabulary

3. They Learn Faster by Doing

While the credentialed elite learn in lectures…

Smart builders:

• Break things
• Fix them
• Try again
• Learn from failure
• Grow from feedback

They get real reps in the real world.

That’s where wisdom comes from.

4. They Stay Curious, Not Complacent

Degrees often create intellectual entitlement.

“I already know that.”
“I have a diploma—I’m done learning.”

But smart “average” people stay in learning mode:

• They read
• They test
• They adapt
• They improve
• They stay humble

In a fast-moving world, curiosity beats credentials every time.

Part 5: Are You Smarter Than a College Grad, MBA, or PhD?

Let’s find out.
Answer the following honestly.

🔹 Do you solve problems others avoid?

Do people come to you when things are broken—not just for advice, but for actionable answers?

That’s smarter than any textbook.

🔹 Can you explain things clearly?

If you can break down a complex idea in simple, compelling terms—especially to non-experts—you’ve outpaced most PhDs.

🔹 Have you helped someone succeed in something they couldn’t do alone?

You’re already creating outcomes—no degree required.

🔹 Can you adapt under pressure?

Can you improvise? Shift strategies? Learn on the fly?

That’s real-world intelligence.

🔹 Are you self-educating constantly?

Do you read, reflect, apply, and refine?

That beats memorizing for a test.

If you answered yes to most of these…
You’re probably smarter than a lot of graduates.

And more valuable.

Part 6: What Really Defines Intelligence in the 21st Century

Let’s redefine “smart.”

It’s not GPA, academic titles, or the ability to write 10-page papers with footnotes.

It’s the ability to:

• Understand context
• Spot patterns
• Make good decisions with limited info
• Communicate with clarity and confidence
• Take action with incomplete data
• Learn and adapt faster than others
• Deliver outcomes, not just arguments

The modern world doesn’t reward academic intelligence.
It rewards applied intelligence.

And you don’t need a college, MBA, or PhD to build that.

Part 7: If You Want to Be Smarter Than a Degree—Do This

Here’s how to win the game without a formal title:

1. Learn in Public

• Read and write daily
• Share what you’re learning
• Build projects and document them
• Teach as you go

2. Solve Real Problems

• Don’t just learn theory—apply it
• Help a friend, a team, a client
• Improve a system
• Build something useful

3. Create Proof of Work

• Build a portfolio
• Share case studies
• Record videos explaining your thinking
• Collect testimonials, not just knowledge

4. Simplify Ruthlessly

• Turn complex ideas into diagrams
• Build frameworks and checklists
• Be the person who makes it make sense

5. Stay Humble and Hungry

• The smartest people don’t need to prove it
• They ask questions
• They challenge assumptions
• They stay curious

Final Word: Smart Isn’t a Degree—It’s a Way of Operating

You don’t need a title to be smart.
You don’t need a degree to lead.
You don’t need an MBA to build.
You don’t need a PhD to teach.

You just need to:

• Think clearly
• Act boldly
• Learn fast
• Solve problems
• Communicate well
• Keep going

The world doesn’t care about your diploma.
It cares about what you do.

So ask yourself…

Are you smarter than a college grad?

If you’ve made it this far—and you’re thinking like a builder, doer, and problem solver—the answer might just be:
Yes.

This is Myford University.
Welcome to your new definition of intelligence.