Credentials vs. Skills

Credentials vs. Skills vs. Talent Credentials Most people in the world of work are looking for credentials. They’re the gates that people pass in order to appear better to others. Some put a lot of effort and money into getting these. Credentials can pay off because they’re good at fooling (most) people. Credentials is one reason we got into the financial mess we did. Investments got rated triple-A when they were really Junk. People trusted the ratings agencies, so these investments got called “safe. ” In other words, credentials are for those that don’t know how to Judge quality. Sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re wrong.

They exist because the modern world is complicated, and we can’t be experts as everything. Skills Skills are why I love the web. They’re hard to show off, because they need to be seen in person. (If they’re talked about instead of seen, they become credentials! ) But on the web, you can prove that you know what you’re talking about by Just doing it. Skills often pass off as talent, because people like to believe the myth of the “overnight success. ” They might think you were born with it, and you can let them believe that. But most people can develop the equivalent of talent by working hard and developing the skills instead.

In fact, with hard work, skills supersede talent. This is where I think most people need to work at. Talent Talent is unprocurable. If you have it, it shows, but most people still need the evidence (e credentials) to get you where you need to go. If you don’t have it, you can’t get it- but don’t worry. It’s likely that everyone around you that you think has talent probably has skills instead. So don’t feel left out. 🙂 The Pyramid If you have talent, you can sometimes get away with not developing the skills. If you don’t have the talent, you can work to develop the skills that you want or have instead, and you’ll end up in a great spot. Learning to work hard is the first step. ) If you don’t have anything else, then you need the credentials. Otherwise, you might be able to skip them. In fact, I recommend it. Most people say they need the credentials because they need evidence. That can be true, but it will always be the long way around. Credentials make you pass through far too many hoops- consider how long it took you to graduate high school vs… How long you would have needed if you were doing it on your own time. Credentials vs… Skills