‘The biggest gifts education granted me were resilience and to learn how to learn’ – Patrick DeBattista

Some of the most valuable lessons learnt by Patrick DeBattista at the University of Malta, were not about the subjects themselves, he recalled. In fact, he had forgotten 90 per cent of the content he “was forced to study.”

Mr DeBattista, now a Financial Planner and Lecturer, reflected on his time as a student and how one of the most valuable lessons bestowed upon him by his studies was the power of resilience.

“Being thrown in the deep end and left to sink or swim. The biggest gift it granted me was to learn how to learn,” he added.

He also quoted John Dewey saying that education is not preparation for life, “education is life itself.”

Sharing his life lessons on LinkedIn, Mr DeBattista said that university had taught him very few of the key financial concepts that he teaches today, “which I believe should be compulsory education for everyone – but let’s not go there.”

He remarked that teaching has come in leaps and bounds since his time as a student but nonetheless he has made it his personal mission to “revolutionise the way finance is taught, a subject that is notoriously feared by most.”

“So, whenever I watch students graduate, I am reminded of that skinny 22-year-old who thought he knew it all yet was unaware that the bigger, scarier school of life was still around the corner,” Mr DeBattista added.

Finally, after sharing his thoughts, he congratulated all MBA and ACCA students for their graduation. “As you progress throughout your career, you will find that financial education is a gift that keeps on giving – just like compound interest (a concept which you know I also teach)” he concluded.