"Experience Is Key"

A good friend of mine by the name of Lance Goyke is an avid learner. No matter what he does, he seems to always figure it out for himself and hold his own beliefs to it. Very respectable in my opinion. I know it's hard to imagine these days, but he has a blog. These are short for "web logs." Who woulda thunk it?

His latest post published really hit me hard, not because it was about graphic design necessarily, but because it was extremely truthful and accurate. I don't say this too often, but in this case, I could not have said it better myself. His post is as follows:

"Everyone loves to have experience. Compare two people you're considering hiring, same price, same education (or "education"), but one has been doing it for 20 years longer. Everyone wants the guy with more experience.

Now for someone young like I am, 20 years of experience is far away. That would more than double my lifespan if I started immediately! So how can I, an aspiring college student looking to make a name for himself, get the experience to compete with other professionals?

Well first and foremost, since I haven't harped on it, educate yourself. Make sure that the others are not actually better than you on paper. Don't expect to learn a whole lot in college, but make sure you learn something every day. The internet is fantastic for this if you know how to take what you read with a grain of salt.

Now let's consider a case where education is not worrisome. Well what is the next and most productive step (remember Pareto's Principle and get results)? Get experience from another trustworthy person who has it.

Let me explain. Make sure you are a sponge to information. Listen to everything. Use a mentor's experience to your advantage. That is the single trait that you can learn the most from a mentor. Caution, though. Make sure you understand what you're learning. Hardly ever is something black and white. Knowing the intricacies will make you a master of your craft.

Something I've found that has been helping me lately is to be the trainee. It's a great way to get another perspective, and therefore understanding your client's side of things. This is crucial."

Lance says it like it is. Indulge. I suggest you take his advice and consider following the workings of a passionate health enthusiast. I know I will!

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