The Worst Reason to Learn a Skill is to Get Hired

Because in an AI-driven world, only builders win.

Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash

I have this simple rule about skill acquisition that has guided what skill I choose or advised others to learn. It’s simple:

• Let the skill you choose to learn be guided by something you want to build and not by the jobs it could land you.

The job market is saturated. The stakes are high, whether you want to work for an employer or you’re looking to land a paying client. And we don’t want just any job. We want those that tick certain boxes. Like, it should pay well, and also be exciting. The list goes on, and the truth is that this reality of specifics makes finding jobs even tougher.

If we assume a 50% chance of a job seeker landing a role, it’s easy to see how the chances would reduce dramatically when we throw in the specifics of the kind of job they want and the different boxes the job must tick.

I could not imagine expending effort, time, and money to learn a skill only to have all my hopes on an event with such odds and whose outcome isn’t within my control.

The solution? Find something you want to build, or a business you’d like to start, and learn the skill required for it. Your chances of scoring a win skyrockets since you’re not chasing one…