Entrepreneurship vs. Art History: A "Real Education"

[juillet]

<p>

“Combine Skills. The first thing you should learn in a course on entrepreneurship is how to make yourself valuable. It’s unlikely that any average student can develop a world-class skill in one particular area. But it’s easy to learn how to do several different things fairly well. I succeeded as a cartoonist with negligible art talent, some basic writing skills, an ordinary sense of humor and a bit of experience in the business world. The “Dilbert” comic is a combination of all four skills. The world has plenty of better artists, smarter writers, funnier humorists and more experienced business people. The rare part is that each of those modest skills is collected in one person. That’s how value is created.”</p>

<p>So, so, so true. And this isn’t just about business, or being wealthy. This is great advice for any career.

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<p>Eh, I don’t know if I agree with that. The market is trending more towards specialization; I’ve read quite a few articles about this, about how more and more employers are looking for people who are really good at one or two things instead of people who are moderately good at a lot of things. They then build teams of people who know how to do those things to work together. I think a better way to frame it would be for an average student to pick several things at which they can and are willing to achieve and then pursue/hone those skills to be really good. Maybe you won’t be world-class, but most businesses aren’t looking for a world-class accountant or computer programmer or technical writer - they just want someone who is great or really good.</p>