I have an ongoing intellectual debate with my mother that began in my early teens. My position: the key to surviving the modern world is knowledge and skills. My mom’s stance: it’s risky or even dangerous to not focus on social and networking skills.
Okay, I may be oversimplifying things a bit, but the overall thrust is that I tend to think like a scientist. Logic, research and proof are what I crave. And despite warnings all my life that this was the wrong approach to my career, I always believed my skill set was more important than connections.
I don’t think I really appreciated how different our two perspectives were until returning to Chicago. That’s because in my new career I can see just how powerful social networks can be. (I’m can be a bit dense, at times.)
For example, if I have a technical problem, some of my younger co-workers Instant Message a friend they’ve known since high school for a quick solution. In my past life, I would've just cold-called some colleague I never met. It would take me a bit more time, but I would get the answer – eventually.
Both methods of navigating life are powerful, but it turns out my viewpoint is becoming more predominant among the wealthy as research reveals that higher education offers a better chance of financial success. So much so that it’s one reason our education system is at a crossroads, reports The New York Times in a lengthy magazine piece:
I have an ongoing intellectual debate with my mother that began in my early teens. My position: the key to surviving the modern world is knowledge and skills. My mom’s stance: it’s risky or even dangerous to not focus on social and networking skills.
Okay, I may be oversimplifying things a bit, but the overall thrust is that I tend to think like a scientist. Logic, research and proof are what I crave. And despite warnings all my life that this was the wrong approach to my career, I always believed my skill set was more important than connections.
I don’t think I really appreciated how different our two perspectives were until returning to Chicago. That’s because in my new career I can see just how powerful social networks can be. (I’m can be a bit dense, at times.)
For example, if I have a technical problem, some of my younger co-workers Instant Message a friend they’ve known since high school for a quick solution. In my past life, I would've just cold-called some colleague I never met. It would take me a bit more time, but I would get the answer – eventually.
Both methods of navigating life are powerful, but it turns out my viewpoint is becoming more predominant among the wealthy as research reveals that higher education offers a better chance of financial success. So much so that it’s one reason our education system is at a crossroads, reports The New York Times in a lengthy magazine piece: