The Book That Changed My Perspective On… Pretty Much Everything
Imagine two people. Both of them are in college. Both are quite ambitious, perfectly capable and adequately good-looking. And yet, they live out their days quite differently.
Sarah is the typical go-getter. She is hyper-focussed on nailing her Finance degree. She is an ambassador of the “work hard, play hard” philosophy, as she is the last to leave both the library and the dorm room party.
Joanne is quite different. She’s proven in class that she’s very talented, but you won’t find her in class that often. She has friends from very different social groups, so maybe she spends time with them. Everyone agrees she’s not really applying herself at anything, whether in or out of school.
In five years, who will be more successful, career-wise? Data shows us it will most likely be Sarah. Her laser-focussed approach will translate into better grades and references, and her knowledge of the degree will make an impression to the hiring manager during the interview at that big firm.
However, author David Epstein argues that it’s the Joannes that eventually rule the world. They forego their ‘head start’ by not committing themselves to any particular field, in order to grow as broad, multi-faceted personalities. It’s their range of interests and abilities, in the end, that…
