What we do....

    As I was driving around today I paid very close attention to all that was happening around me. A thought occurred to me and it was this, What if that job didn't exist or there was no one that would do that job? This led to a second question.... Should everyone go to college? I realized that the answer to the first was somewhat long but not very complicated and the answer to the second is a resounding "NO"! I think that I will start by explaining the answer to the second question first.

    We, here in this most prosperous nation, have told ourselves that an education is everything. That we will have no future if we don't go to college. That only losers do not go to college. Well I don't believe this and I take issue with the idea that somehow we are less valuable if we don't get a degree. I know that many of you are shaking your heads right now and believe otherwise. Well. please allow me to explain my position.

    As parents, everyone wants their child to have a degree. It is a proud moment to watch your son or daughter, dressed in cap and gown, accept their degree. It is a feeling , that I am sure, of relief. You tell yourself that, now, everything will be o.k.. Your child will enter the workforce and make a boatload of money, right? Well, maybe and maybe not!                                                                                                                                                

    If everyone has a degree in_____insert major here____ then I, as an employer, have a large pool to pull from and the laws of supply and demand now take hold. Not to mention that college graduates have little to no work experience. Even with a degree, most will have to take an entry level position at a low rate of pay. Sure, over their life, they may make more than a non degree worker but there is no guarantee. Then there is the cost of repaying the loans that were taken out to achieve the degree. The number can be mind numbing. This can cause problems with future credit purchases such as buying a home or a car.

    Last is that careers seem to be chosen not because we want to do what we love.Instead, we would rather make as much money as possible. While making money is a good thing it is, most definitely, not the only consideration one should be making when choosing a career. To do a great job one needs to love what they do. There is nothing worse than having to get up and go to a job we hate doing no matter what the pay is.

    When looking at careers we should really consider what we love in life. What is it that we are passionate about? That is where we should look for work. Let me highlight a few people I have come across in my life's journey. People who have no college education in the field they chose but are exceptional at what they do because they LOVE what they do. Because they love what they do, they are both happy and constantly busy with work.

    Frank. He is an auto detailer. I met him one day while I was at the barber and decided to have him detail my car while I was getting my haircut. It took him and his crew about 30 minutes and when I saw my car I was amazed. It looked like it just rolled of the showroom floor. Keep in mind, I have a black car and there are always little scratches on the car. I call them spiderweb scratches......there wasn't one scratch to be seen anywhere. He took pride in what he did and he liked his job. I asked if he was always busy and he told me that he could barely keep up with the calls. Look, I know this is anecdotal, but my point is that he didn't need a degree, he ran his own business and is successful. Plus, he has no student loans to pay off! And there is this, without Frank, I would have had to spend hours to achieve almost the same outcome with my car.

    Tim. Tim is a great mechanic. He started his own shop right out of  high school. His shop was specialized and he worked on VW's. He even had a few cars that he raced. Tim is one of the best I have ever watched( and I say watch because that's how I learn from him ) turn a wrench. He LOVES cars. He has owned countless classic muscle cars and has even built a few from the ground up. He is so precise with his work that if I put a real 69 Chevelle SS against one he built from a Malibu, you would be unable to tell the difference unless you looked at the VIN#. Why is it that he is so good? It is his talent.... it is what he has always loved. It is his passion.

    Paul. Paul is many things. He went to college for computers. Mostly web design and so on. He has worked in that field on and off. Mostly in a free lance capacity. What is his passion? Skydiving! Not long after he got his degree and started his related career he discovered skydiving after meeting a couple of neighbors who introduced him to the sport. He has fallen in LOVE with the sport and has made it a career. First it was jumping for fun. He then bought a camera and started doing videos for those who "just want to try it once". He then worked on getting his Cert so that he could be an instructor/ tandem skydiver. Why was he able to achieve this so quickly? Because he LOVES it and that has made him very good at it.

Look, we need detailers and skydivers and mechanics and janitors and truck drivers and countless other professions that we take for granted or that we don't even think about. What we should really be asking ourselves is" are they happier than me and if so, how much value does that add to their life?" The answer may amaze you and even make you a bit envious.

    Best wishes in this New Year and I hope that you are doing what you LOVE!