Finding Your Career Path: Part 3

Natural Talent Trumps Formal Credentials. The second obstacle on your career quest is to get past the credentials dragon. College degrees can’t turn you into something you’re not. You have to figure out what you’re best at and be self-motivated to push your natural talents.

Most professionals say they use about five or ten percent of their college education. Almost everyone learns their profession on the job. A college degree or formal training largely serves one main purpose, to get your foot in the door. Your diploma is really a membership card to join a club of like-minded people. But what if you get the wrong membership card? You might be able to fake it for a few years right out of college, but sooner or later it will become obvious that you’re not in your element.

I’ve met people with no college education who are a genius at what they do. Many people find their way into rewarding careers without formal education. Steve Jobs and his buddy, Steve Wozniak, invented the first personal computer. They taught themselves how to do it. The iPhone in your pocket was invented by people who considered college degrees and formal credentials to be an unreliable indicator of how creative you are, if not a waste of time.

The sparks will fly if you’re innately talented at what you do and care about the purpose of the work. You are not a blank slate; there are certain fields of study that will come naturally to you. It’s silly to work hard at a career when you can perform with grace and ease at something that taps your inborn talent.

What they don’t teach you in college: If you work hard, sure, you can learn just about anything. The problem is, you’ll burn out or get bored with it if you don’t have the right aptitudes and traits for your field. A formal education can’t turn you into something you’re not.

The right mix of aptitudes, traits, lots of self-study, finding a good mentor and wholeheartedly immersing yourself into an activity or subject matter you love trumps formal education by a long shot.

Read part 4 . . .