Raw Experience
By Alfredo A. Weeks VI
I’ve heard from loads and loads of vlogs, blogs and everything in between about how you don’t need a degree to be successfully today. I mean if ya got the right stuff you get the reward right? I wish it were all so simple.
I’m sure most of us have heard stories of some gazillionaire’s dreams and success story. Telling about how they dropped out of school because they felt there were bigger fish to fry. Then all of sudden one day they had seen the light at the end of the tunnel, telling them to follow their dreams. I love it. There is nothing more inspiring to me than a real gut testing risk, where one simple choice will determine the rest of our lives. I wish more of us would take chances in unplugging from this easy to download feed we call experience. I mean to most ‘experience’ is what it all comes down too right? If we have the ‘experience’, wouldn’t we all have accomplished all of our visions of success already.
“I worked, I failed and I documented the lessons learned.”
The journey. The ups and downs, good, bad and the ugly all take part in the story of our careers. What about the experience the underdogs have gained over the years. And, by underdogs I mean the drop outs, the rogue thinkers and everyone else who have challenged the cookie cutter narrative of going to school, finding a job and moving up in a company.
The ‘experience’ to some of us is the journey. Success comes in various shapes and sizes. Like myself, I’m a high school dropout, never worked at an advertising agency, worked every dead end job you can imagine while in constant pursuit of becoming an entrepreneur. Yes, I went to college late, but one thing I can tell you is that from the first day of the college I knew I didn’t want to work for anyone. I have a love-hate relationship with my college experience. While getting my degree, I was told by some of my own professors that my visions, aspirations and concepts just wouldn’t work. The best part, is how just as I was learning fundamentals in class, outside of class I put theories into practice.
“This article is for the ones who hadn’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet.”
The very same concepts my professors thought would never work, well I put them to the test. Professors were literally tiered of me presenting the very same advertising and design concepts they had once before claimed “would never work” over and over again. It got so good at one point, that I never had to rush to do home work or even to finish an assignment because I was out in the real world pursuing my entrepreneurial spirit. From sponsorships to volunteers even earned media I had it on lock. I felt great since this was a big middle finger to nay sayers out there. What made it even better was how all of this happened in my sophomore and junior years. I worked, I failed and I documented the lessons learned.
So, where did my experience come from right? It came from loads of trials and errors while studying advertising, graphic design and fine arts industries. It came from aligning myself with people who were more experienced than I while keeping focus on working on projects I believed mattered. I challenge popular opinions while embracing new ways to grow. Much of my experience came from countless client meetings, developing proposals and whole lot of not winning. This was all so I can wake up the next day and do it all over again. The more I failed the better I’d become. I love what I do.
This article is for the ones who hadn’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet. This is to the underdogs, the people who believe their way can, and will succeed. Forget all of the people who have the great salaries, drive nice cars and give speeches like their poop don’t stink.
To my underdogs, trust your gut do what you love and stay consistent. Find ways to embrace and enjoy your journey towards success. Mind your craft, because everyday there are others lining up ready to take your place.
