What relationship is there between how much you know, how fast you can learn, and how much money you make? It’s said, “Learning opens doors to economic opportunity.” What skills and knowledge provide your income, and how have you acquired them?
Don’t Sweat So Much!
I dabbled in and out of college for several years. During one of my “college-isn’t-worth-my-time-and-money” spells, I worked as an independent residential paint contractor. The hot New Mexican summer afternoons would cook my body and brain. Yet I took pride in earning between $20 and $30 an hour. After a 12-hour work day, I stopped by my parents’ home to return my dad’s borrowed tool. “You know,” he said, “God gave you a brain so you wouldn’t have to sweat so much!”
Not only do more thought-demanding careers take less of a physical toll, they also compensate much better than manual labor. There’s nothing dishonorable about physical labor. In fact, if I could make the income I do now digging ditches, I opt for the shovel instead of the cubicle! But the physical labor ages our bodies prematurely when it’s required day after day. And again, the compensation typical of manual labor or service jobs does not keep pace that of the “knowledge worker.” When more and more of our commerce hinges on information, it follows that whoever can learn more will earn more. The tradition of hard work loses ground each day to the growing trend of smart work.
How to Work Smarter
In the classic comedy Three Amigos, Lucky (Steve Martin), Dusty (Chevy Chase), and Ned (Martin Short) crouch outside a bandito hideaway trying to get in and rescue the kidnapped senorita, Carmen. As the observe that all the gates are blockaded, Lucky dejectedly says, “Well, we’re just gonna have to use our brains.” Dusty and Ned cheerlessly respond, “Damn it!” When we realize that increasing our earning potential and quality of life will require using our brains, we may want to respond in the same way.
We can learn more with some commitment and self-discipline. Here’s a high level overview of how we can start the process of learning more in order to start earning more:
- Determine what you want and need to learn. If you want to receive compensation for a skill or service, there has to be a market for it. Try to find some common ground between the things you are good and what people are willing to pay for.
- Discover what resources exist to get educated. More often than not, this means something other than formal schooling or academics. Buy (and read) a book, learn from a mentor, attend a workshop.
- Set time-specific goals and develop a structured plan for mastering that knowledge and skill
