There are many stories of success that we have all heard time and time again of people who didn’t finish college or in some cases, even start college. These people went on to have massive success. Steve Jobs the late founder of Apple and Bill Gates the founder of Microsoft are two that come to mind.
I have been in the education sector for the last 10 years of my career and I hire lots of people that must have a college degree. However, the ones that grow within the ranks of our company are the ones that continue to develop and make growth and development a top priority over everything else.
Since the context of this article is about how to be outstanding with or without a college degree, all 12 of these will work for you no matter what your educational background is.
1. Start Early:
Find your passion and purpose in life and pursue that with vigor and dedication. There are a lot of elite athletes such as golfers, tennis players, runners, soccer players, and many more other sports. In some cases they did go to college and in some cases they didn’t. But most, if not all of them started early in their life and put in the work to be a success in their chosen field. Steve Wozniak, who developed the first Apple computer, was playing around with electronics as a kid.
2. Find a Mentor:
Yes. Regardless if you have a college degree or not; find a mentor. Maybe you are passionate about real estate. You don’t need a college degree, but if you can find a mentor that can show you the ropes you can learn faster. Even if you do have a college degree, find a mentor that can show you how to continue to grow and develop in a chosen field.
3. Learn how to Sell:
No matter what, if you start your own thing or you work for someone, learn how to sell! If you can learn to sell or you already know how, you will always have a job.
4. Expand Your Network:
Job or no job, degree or no degree; if you can develop a strong network of people who know you, know what you are about, know your product, know your company that you work for, all of these things, then you can have massive success and be outstanding in whatever you decide to do.
5. Read Lots of Books:
How many? As many as you can get your hands on! Read anything and everything that is in your chosen career field/space. You can always learn more and broaden your knowledge. No amount of books is too many!
6. Take Some Online Courses:
You can take an online course for just about anything these days. You can get formal education online (a degree) or you can take specialized online courses that immerse you in a particular subject for a period of time. Regardless of your educational background, by attending these kinds of programs you can take your career and success to the next level.
7. Take a Short-term Specialty Program:
These are not degrees. They are certifications and in some cases certificates in certain fields. The medical field, the computer field, and other areas like skilled trades, such as welding and culinary have short quick programs that can teach you exactly what you need to know to get a job.
8. Invent Something:
If you want to go from being just an employee with a company to a super star employee, create something that makes the company more money. This will get you going on the fast track within your company. If you’re just finding your way in life and you can invent something that the market needs, then you know what the results of that can be… Watch SharkTank or QVC.
9. Be a Leader:
No matter what, every company needs leaders that are capable of leading others to get the desired results that the company needs. It isn’t a popularity contest to be a leader though, its hard work, long hours, and hard decisions. That is why good leadership is hard to find. If you can lead others you will always have a place within a company, with or without a college degree.
10. Put in the Work:
Sorry, I had to put this one in here. Some people think that they can get a college degree and then coast for their rest of their career. Then you have other people who just don’t want to put in the time, but complain about their situation. If you put in the work and extra hours, you can become outstanding in your job and career no matter what your educational background is. The 41st hour is where the herd separates.
11. Learn how to Negotiate:
This is a valuable skill for anyone, no matter what. Sometimes you have to negotiate your salary with a potential employer, or negotiate a contract on a product you have developed. In everyday life, it seems as if everything we do really comes down to helping other people see that it’s a win-win situation. Negotiators are able to show others a win-win situation.
12: Be a Problem Solver:
Most great inventions and start-up companies start from an idea for a problem they can solve. If you can solve problems for people, you can become an entrepreneur, which doesn’t require a college degree. If you are an employee for a company and can solve problems for your manager and your company, that skill will get you to the next level in your career at that company or somewhere else. Solving problems and saving the company money will get the attention of executives, and lead to positive outcomes for you.
Try doing some of the things above and I will guarantee you will have massive success, and be outstanding no matter what your educational background is!
Featured photo credit: Dinn Bros. Trophy Company via dinntrophy.com
