Specialize to Succeed
Posted by TestOut Staff on
When thinking about successful people in a given career, you’ll notice that they all have their specialties. Johnny Depp, an amazing actor, specializes in character acting. Steph Curry, former NBA MVP, specializes in ball handling and shooting. Elon Musk, a world famous engineer and investor, specializes in certain transportation advancements specifically with his work on Tesla, HyperLoop and SpaceX.
This list of specialists could go on and on, making us all feel worse and worse about ourselves and our lack of specialization. The good thing about this is that we all can still develop a specialty. We just need to put in a little extra work.
Here are a few thoughts on how to begin your journey to finding your specialty.
“If you never try, you’ll never know” — Coldplay (Specialty: ethereal alternative rock)
You first have to find out what you like and don’t like in your chosen career. You find out what you like by trying new things. There may be an aspect of your chosen IT career that you’ve never thought about that will end up being your favorite thing about it. Once you’ve narrowed down your likes, pursue them — become passionate about them.
“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” — Abraham Lincoln (Specialties: storytelling and ability to unify opinions)
Start networking with people who are successful in your chosen passions, whether you truly like them or not. Ask these people smart questions, and seek to learn from their vast knowledge and experience. It’s important to have a mentor in your chosen career.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” — Albert Einstein (Specialty: Theoretical physics)
The more you learn, the more valuable you become. Become certified, and work to achieve the most advanced certification in your chosen field. Practice what you learn in your own lab, or with TestOut lab simulations. Hands on experience is the best way to learn, and it will make you indispensable at your place of work.
All of the aforementioned “specialists” were not born with their specialty — they worked at it, and became extremely successful. Master your chosen trade, find your specialty
About the Author — Jake Slater is the social media manager for GoCertify and a graduate of Brigham Young University. Jake specializes in sidearm, slow-roll bowling release, which is one reason (among many) he recently won a companywide bowling competition.