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Over 10 years ago the famous venture capitalist Marc Andreessen published a guide for planning your career, and the main concept is focusing on becoming at least a double-threat.
Here's what that means:
"Single Threat"
This is someone who only knows how to do one thing.
This is like going out into the real world with a dull knife.
"Double Threat"
This is someone who knows two things really well.
These people are better armed to take on the real world.
"Triple Threat"
This is someone who knows three things really well.
This is like going into the real world armed with an assault rifle and whole arsenal.
The other thing Marc Andreessen highly encourages is for people to learn at least one TECHNICAL skill.
He said it like this:
"Graduating with a technical degree is like heading out into the real world armed with an assault rifle instead of a dull knife....
....don't miss that opportunity because of some fuzzy romanticized view of liberal arts broadening your horizons."
-- Marc Andreessen --
The funny thing is, my own college degree is a liberal arts subject: Political Science!
It's a $50,000 piece of paper that won't (by itself) get me anything at all. (Although to be fair, I originally went to college trying to do computer science but failed out of the program).
However, there's a glint of hope for people without any technical skills:
The acquisition of new skills nowadays is incredibly easy!!
You can pick up all these skills if you deliberately practice within only a year or two:
If you take some time, you can learn any skill for free!
(Free books from Library, free YouTube videos, free Facebook Groups, free Meetup groups).
If you pay some money, you can learn any skill even faster!
(Joining classes, hiring tutors, buying courses, buying books).
You also don't have to be the best in the world at every skill, just "pretty good."
I’ve been able to charge higher rates and create more stuff than many other copywriters because I’m a triple threat in the copywriting industry. Let me demonstrate:
Single Threat Neville can only type words:
Double Threat Neville can type words AND make images:
Triple Threat Neville can type words AND make images AND make videos:
Because I know three different skills relatively well, I can take on more projects than other copywriters, convey information through more mediums than other copywriters, and just in general be able to do things someone who can ONLY type words couldn't do.
Maybe sit down tonight with a pen and paper and decide on how you're gonna make yourself at least a Double Threat by the end of this year.
Here's a quick story how John became a Double Threat with very little effort:
[business Degree] + [Excel Skills] = Double Threat
I had a friend in college named John who got an internship at AMD (the big computer chip company). As an inexperienced Business student about to start working with a technology company, John felt inadequate about his computer skills, so he picked up an "Excel For Dummies" book.
He spent a few days reading it and trying out some of the features he learned on his laptop. It was basic stuff like concatenating columns, making simple formulas, making simple macros, sorting data etc.
Within one week, John was known around the office as "That Guy Who Is Really Good At Excel!" Everyone from his manager to the VP of the division were constantly asking him to help with Excel.
A few months later there was a huge round of layoffs, and everyone in the division was laid off.....the only person they didn't layoff was John! He was deemed "too valuable" all because he knew some basic Excel stuff!!!
Just by acquiring slightly more knowledge than his colleagues, John moved ahead in his career!
He had a Business degree like everyone else, but became a Double Threat by learning Excel.
The best part about becoming a Double or Triple Threat is that you often have relatively little competition amongst your peers!
Many people are bitch ass whiny losers who don't realize how good they have it:
...these people will do the bare minimum to get by, so anyone who puts forth a LITTLE BIT of extra effort can get ahead!!
So even if you have a college degree, or even if you have a successful career, learning a new skill is never a bad thing.
It keeps your brain occupied, it gives you a sense of accomplishment, and then a year after all your hard work is put in someone can say, "You're so lucky you know how to _____!"
Watch the Triple Threat video:
Download this Triple Threat post:
-- Keep it in your files --
-- Share with someone it can help --
-- Download in PDF, Word, or Google Docs formats --
Sincerely,
Neville N. Medhora
- - - P.S. - - -
Are you a Single Threat, Double Threat, or Triple Threat??
List your skills below, or tell me what skill you want to develop more in the next 12 months:
(By publicly stating what you want to learn, it can help the odds of you sticking to it)!
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