Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor died today in Los Angeles. She was admitted six weeks ago to Cedars Sinai Medical Center for a heart condition. Today she died of congestive heart failure. Elizabeth Taylor was 79 years old.
Her parents were from Kansas but she was born In England during the year 1929. Her parents were living there while her father worked as an art dealer. The family fled back to American during the beginning of World War II. They settled in Los Angeles, staying with her maternal grandparents. A family friend knew an executive at Universal Studios and it was suggested that she meet with him. She was immediately signed to Universal but her association with them was short lived. Universal did not want to continue her contract because she could not sing or dance. However, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) immediately signed her based on her unusual beauty and what they saw in her acting abilities.
She starred in her first blockbuster film at the age of 12. National Velvet is still remembered as an outstanding classic. It was not just the catalyst for Taylor’s career, it also starred newcomers Angela Lansbury and Roddy McDowell. She soon became famous not only for her looks, but for her ability to shoot a scene in one take.
Her reputation as an excellent actress continued into her adult hood with 3 Academy Awards nominations in a row. Taylor said that she would like most to be remembered for her role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf , but it was her role in Cleopatra that made her the highest paid actress in Hollywood.
Elizabeth Taylor spent the 1980′s doing television and Broadway musicals. She took a part as Wilma Flintstone’s mother in The Flintstones, played herself in The Simpsons, and starred on General Hospital. Her theatrical performances include The Little Foxes and Private Lives.
Controversy followed her for most of her life and she seemed to welcome it. She was an strong supporter of Michael Jackson during his molestation trials. She spoke out against smoking after having smoked for years (saying it contributed to her heart condition). She founded the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation. She was married a total of 8 times. Her husbands included some of the most prominent names in Hollywood: John Warner, Richard Burton, and Eddie Fisher.

The debate is not a new one. Self-made entrepreneurs thumb their noses at their school-going counterparts, insisting that you can’t learn to be successful in school, that the really important lessons can only be gained through real-world experience. They will even go so far as to claim that education is just an unsubstantial stamp of approval with very little value behind it. To these lucky few, I would say the following…

First, for every self-made millionaire who rejected higher education and hit the big time, there are thousands of other degree-less workers who will be forced to settle for low-paying, unsatisfying jobs for the rest of their careers. You see, the anti-college millionaire is the exception rather than the rule. Meanwhile, those others who decided to skip college find themselves under a very low glass ceiling. They make up the vast majority of those who skip higher education. Those who work while their peers go to school may find themselves making more initially. But the statistics plainly show that their degree-holding peers quickly and uniformly surpass them in pay and promotions.

An old adage says, "Experience is the best teacher." Numerous other adages, however, say, "Learning from others’ experience is best of all." In essence, that is what higher education is, a collection of the experience, successes, and mistakes of the past. It gives students exposure to knowledge, concepts, and people that they would never have known otherwise. Beyond just career success, education imbues individuals with awareness beyond their day-to-day world. I believe this trait is called being well-rounded.

Am I rejecting the value of real-world experience? Absolutely not. Experience is an invaluable companion to education, and it becomes proportionately more important as one’s career progresses. I am opposed, however, to those who would devalue education as a foundation for success. Common sense does not support their claims. The statistics certainly do not support their claims.

Don’t kid yourself! School is the best way to build a foundation for the rest of your career. Of course, ultimate success will depend largely on how the individual chooses to perform after school. But there can be no denying that school is the best way to start.