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I’ve had a vast array of job
experiences. While in high school, I worked as maid for a
local motel. While attending college, I worked as an
office worker in the Sociology Department and Museum of
Fine Arts. After college, I was a social worker for six
years.
Following a career change,
I spent the next several years working as an editor and
technical writer in various publishing and software
companies, including Microsoft. And…whenever I had any
spare time, I worked on my true passions: creative writing
and art.
I’ve worked with maids,
nurses aides, office workers, people with PhDs, and
millionaires. I’ve worked with people subsisting on
welfare and those living…and dying…in nursing homes.
I’ve worked with software engineers, project managers,
and vice presidents, as well as publishers, artists, and
writers.
And…in that vast array of
different jobs, locations, and peoples, what have I
observed?
I’ve observed maids and
nurses aides who are as sharp, witty, and insightful as
famous guests on television talk shows.
I’ve observed employees
who had made millions in stock options, standing in the
espresso line at Microsoft, bragging about how many
coupons they had for free lattes.
I’ve observed
post-graduate students getting their PhDs, cramming hard
to write their dissertations in time, sweating over
passing.
And, I watched in
amusement, as a coworker who had recently received his PhD
spent 30 minutes hanging a sign over his cubicle that
read, “The Doctor Is In.” Otherwise, he’d just be a
plain technical writer, like the rest of us.
Based on my observations
from working with many types of people, millionaires and
PhDs are not smarter or better than the rest of humanity.
But there is one major difference: Confidence! Because of
their situation, they feel much more secure about the
future.
So, if millionaires
aren’t smarter, why do they have a lot more money than
most of us? A few reasons come to mind:
- People with money often
inherit it. Or, they inherit the opportunities that
come from their families having money. This often
includes access to a network of well-heeled
businessmen and investors.
- They are in the right
place at the right time. For example, during
Microsoft’s heyday, many employees became
millionaires and retired after working with the
company only 5 years.
- People who make millions
from the ground up, from their own efforts, are rare
and usually have a good business sense. Most
millionaires aren’t in this category.
And, if people with
advanced college degrees aren’t really smarter, they
must have something (besides confidence). So, what is it?
- They have the financial
resources to pay for college, whether from their
family’s savings, financial aide, or working their
way through school.
- They usually have good
memories, or at least a good short-term memory that
enables them to memorize numerous facts they promptly
forget after the exams are over. (Most educational
systems still reward good memories over the ability to
analyze and creatively solve problems.)
- They have a certain
amount of discipline. (Or, they hire ghostwriters to
write their masters theses and doctoral dissertations
for them! Yes—some people do this!)
Life circumstances,
including those that evolve from the choices we make, can
make a big difference. For example, when people get
married or have children at a young age, it limits their
opportunities for going to school. Sometimes people must
take care of disabled family members or younger siblings.
There are many life events, some unforeseen, that can make
it nearly impossible for someone to complete a college, or
even a high-school, education. But most of these have
nothing to do with intelligence.
So! If you have been
feeling “less than” because you don’t have a degree,
an advanced degree, or a million dollars in the bank,
please stop beating yourself up. Most likely, you are just
as smart as the next person. You are just on a different
path.
And, contrary to popular
belief, having a college degree doesn’t automatically
mean you’ll earn more money. I’ve known service
workers who work for themselves--for example, guys who mow
lawns, paint houses, and wash windows–who earn more than
many software engineers!
I’ve also worked with
people from all over this country, and people from
countries all over the world – including Asia, Vietnam,
Canada, Ireland, England, France, Indonesia, India, and
Russia. I have found most of these people to be
intelligent, charming, and sincere. Yes, our customs (and
our senses of humor) may be different, but most of our
needs are very similar.
Yet stereotypes abound.
Some people feel a need to judge others, or themselves, by
superficial differences. But when all is said and done, no
group of individuals is smarter, better, or less than
another. We each have our own talents and strengths. As
well as our own weaknesses.
We each live life the best
way we know how, learning lessons along the way. And,
hopefully, learning tolerance and compassion as well.
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About
The Author
O’Vivian
is a versatile author and artist who
believes that art has the ability to help
heal, and inspire, the Soul. O’Vivian
holds degrees in psychology and sociology,
and has long been fascinated by spiritual
psychology, the human condition, and the
seemingly universal quest for a more
meaningful existence. These elements
invariably find their way into most of her
work. To view O'Vivian's work, go to http://www.ovivian.com.
To contact O'Vivian, send email to ovivian@ovivian.com. |
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