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| 9.6 | Goals Tip - To Become an Expert at Something, Get a Job Doing It |
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101
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| 1/31/2009 |
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How to become an expert in any area by getting a job doing it.
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 | The best way to learn something is to do it! This is why experience is so valuable when you are looking for a job. Employers know that people can read and study a subject, but to really become an expert they have to actually do it.
The best way to make yourself do something is to get a job doing it! When you get a job, you automatically get social and psychological pressure to perform. You are expected to show up on a regular basis and put effort into accomplishing the task. You get to practice because you are expected to perform the task for extended periods of time. You may also get extra training through the job or a good teacher through a manager. You may also gain a peer group of co-workers that will automatically pressure you to rise to their level. By working in a field you will be expected to be an expert by your friends and family. As a result, you will become an expert.
You do not have to replace your current career with a new job. Look for a part time or flex time position. You could even try volunteering for a few hours a week.
If you know you need to improve in a certain area, find a job for that area. If you need to loose weight and get in shape, get a job at a gym or health club. If you know that you struggle talking in public or speaking to people, get a sales job. If you want to learn to ski, get a job at the ski resort! If you want to learn to make money, get a job at an investment banking firm.
Books and training are good, but they are an abstraction of the real thing. The author has an image of the real thing in their head. They take this image (which may be distorted already) and have to explain it with words, pictures or videos. If they are good, they may give a fairly accurate representation of the real thing. However, it is still not the real thing. You can only really understand something if you do it. When you actually do it, you remove a level of abstraction and you begin to understand things that the author of the book may have had difficulty explaining. You see things that are overlooked and you get a deep understanding of what is really going on. You gain true knowledge.
A rule than many rich, successful people have in common is that when they were starting out, they did not work for money. They worked for knowledge. Find the areas where you need knowledge at get a job doing them.
“You learn more doing than doing training.” – Ian Hart
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