rejecting college, self-educating
A couple months ago, I completed my re-read of one of my favorite books by writer Michael Ellsberg titled "The Education of Millionaires." I read it when I was 19, exhausting myself attempting to ascertain what to do with my life as I had just graduated from high school. Dead-set on becoming a nun, I didn't make any backup plans. Feeling regret, I decided to expose myself to other perspectives. I don't remember where I found the book. It may have been the local library which I regularly frequented, looking for answers.
According to the book, I did things in the wrong order in my 20's. I have a difficult time aligning my passions with a job and because of that I was building up my passions while living comfortably at home without an actionable money-making plan.
That so happens to be what Michael Ellsberg also went through. Started writing a work of creative nonfiction in his parent's home after being laid off of a job and not having any of the 7 success skills [or millionaire skills as it is called in the book] built up.
Luckily, he decided to go for any paying gigs and thereby forgetting about his passions and philosophies for a while in order to make actual cash. He got these gigs [ghostwriting, editing, copywriting] through the success skill of networking [discussed as one of the chapters in the book]. He also got a boring 9-5 in order in order to have the free time and resources to resume his previous passion projects years later.
This focus on making money and in a sense "emptying" himself of his passion was finanically therapeutic for him. I love this line in the book:
"Writing my "subversive" incoherent mess of a memoir might have been metaphysically rewarding to me at that time (Pre-Step 1). But at a certain point, the whole "starving, debt-laden artist" thing was no longer appealing to me. So at first, I swung totally in the other direction (Step 1) and focused entirely on paying the bills. Which made sense for a while-it was like "Financial therapy," waning me off my artistically under earning ways of the past"
One of the action steps that stood out to me was in the networking chapter: for someone just starting out on the path and not having anything to give, Ellsberg advises to start out with your willingness to implement other people's advice.
Ellsberg only studied Eben Pagan's stuff, one of his virtual marketing mentors, for a couple months before he started implementing his advice. It doesn't have to be perfect.
GENEROUS connection means telling them a story. Your story. The story of how you implemented their advice. I think Seth Godin talks about this as well, the power of your personal story. A resume is so bland compared to a story.
Networking events and non-business parties is another way to build connections or "connection capital." He gives two questions that you can always use in either situation.
He also mentions how this concept of expansive capital is used in creating connections:
"Capital is something used to create value, which itself is not depleted significantly in the creation of that value. (A hammer is used to create a house, but is not significantly "used up" - the way nails and wood are - in the creation of that house). In a capitalist society, she who owns the most capital is the wealthiest and has the greatest means to become wealthier still....Connection capital is anything that can help you expand your network of connections...and is not significantly used up in expanding this network. The two biggest forms of connection capital are (a) your already-existing connections and (b) your ability to give good advice"
When people start answering your questions, you can gently give advice in order to solve their problems These advisable areas can involve hobbies, passions, skills, relationship knowledge, anything that you feel you have some experience or a little more knowledge of.
Freely giving your story and advice is a fantastic way to get a mentor!
In addition to networking, Ellsberg also has chapters on sales, marketing, and leadership, including the best resources to learn these millionaire skills.
Sales? It is an honest conversation between two authentic humans, merely a persuasive face-to-face method of communication anytime you are talking with someone and desire a specific outcome. In "Tribes" Seth Godin talks about leadership as the new marketing. Ellsberg goes even further stating that leadership is the new sales and that good sales is truly a form of leadership. And if you really want to help people solve their problems, learn how to sell in an authentic way. It is possible to create trusting relationships through selling contrary to what ordinary people assume.
The chapter on marketing starts off with what marketing essentially is. The question to first ask is: "how well is it [the product/service] designed to solve the problem of a specific target market? Excluding how pretty it is?
He explains:
"So the first part of marketing has nothing to do with communications or ads or messages. It has to do with the concept of the product or service itself, and how well it is designed to meet needs/solve the problems of a specific target market. Good marketing...."starts with a problem you can solve for a customer (who realizes he has a problem!") Good marketing, in other words, is not something you do after you create the product; the fact that most marketing is done this way s why we hate the word "marketing" so much. If you start with marketing- that is, with thinking about, anticipating, and meeting the need of a market in an original, effective, compelling way- then that market will be glad to hear about what you're offering"
He also talks about the beauty and utility of direct-response marketing. So many businesses, especially now as opposed to back in 2011 when he wrote the book, wastefully employ nebulous "branding." Businesses fail to see the immediate problem-solving of direct-response.
The book is anti-college and offers a self-education alternative which I really resonated with. And what does college teach a person? That you can be better at your craft [the skill outside these 7 success skills]. It doesn't teach you how to be successful! If it did, you would see a lot more college-educated grads with jobs in their field. Success is its own skill. You can learn the success skills taught in this book as well as the skill of your craft. They aren't mutually exclusive.
He also talks about how to go about getting a job in a competitive, global, results-oriented economy. Great jobs are in the hidden resume-less job market. These great jobs, making up about 20% of the market, don't require a college degree. The 80% of jobs which everyone sees are the ones that do.
Implement what is in this book and you will find the unknown 20%.
Instead of getting more formal credentials, solve problems in the real world that people actually care about. This will get you results. And marketing, sales, & copywriting are all skills to bring in new business, which will always be a valuable ability to potential employers & will greatly assist you in getting a new job.
Learning as an adult or "andragogy" in the real world is problem-centered. College and learning as a child "pedagogy" involves content. I would much rather become a problem-solver.