The American Dream is still alive out there and hard work will get you there. You don’t necessarily need to have an Ivy League education or to have millions of dollars startup money. It can be done with an idea, hard work and determination.
Bill Rancic – Entrepreneur
A common theme in Working It is there are fewer great paying jobs during COVID and many more aspirants with non-marketable college educations and high loans. Some call this career warfare for the best paying jobs. Some call this a crisis of privilege.
So, what can you do to compete if you’re average like most of us? Gordon Scott Adams, the creator of the cartoon Dilbert, believes the future for many VUCANs will be some startup, craft, creativity, small business, or entrepreneurship. He offers these reality based, tongue-in-cheek tips for success:
“Combine your creativity in unexpected ways. For example you may be an average student in four or five areas. However when you combine these four or five unusual skills, you may find that the combination of all these skills create something that is truly differentiating and world class.”
There’s a lot of wisdom in Adams’s advice. In my hometown, business heroes are coders, curators, creatives, founders, and makers in nichey areas. These VUCANs are millennial’s and boomers who start small businesses. They share common interests such as believing in fairness, diversity, and self-actualization. They believe in working in the Green Work World. Or, they simply want to keep busy and make a little money on the side.
Work Lesson Earned: RBPS, RBDM, and grit can overcome lack of privilege. Starting a company is a form of self-expression for a maker, curator, and hustler. It’s easier than ever with lower barriers of entry. It’s easier to be successful. A VUCAN with a four-month cyber or big data online certificate may make more than a VUCAN who invested a hundred thousand dollars in a non-marketable degree.