Millenials have been bombarded with one constant message: You’re special. No accomplishments necessary—you’re just special for being yourself. When one believes in their intrinsic specialness, they’re unaccustomed to proving their worth. Being asked to explain why you’re special can seem insulting to someone who has been raised to believe that the simple act of being alive warrants praise.
One of the skills millennials are missing in the professional realm is the ability to demonstrate worth. In order to persuade an employer to hire you, the ability to prove why you’re worthy of your paycheck is crucial.
Though David McCullough Jr.’s commencement speech at Wellesley High School was jaw-dropping for some, it only delivers half the message kids need to hear.
A healthy dose of reality is great—especially when you’re reminded that with our population of approximately 6.8 billion, even if you’re one in a million, there are about 6,800 others just like you—and if everyone is special, no one is.
The message should be: do something special. Be ready to prove to your future boss why you’re special—better than anyone else for the position.
When you’re able to identify the skills you have, the skills you want to develop, and can speak convincingly of your accomplishments, you’ll be able to convince your future boss why they need you, why you’re a better fit than anyone else.
This is a time when schools have stopped teaching our future leaders how to be special. They’re teaching you to pass standardized tests instead of learning the most important aspects of the subject matter. Schools rarely teach critical and creative thinking. Students are programmed to receive and regurgitate information; on par with a flash drive. In a day and age when many jobs and job functions are replaced by software and overseas workers, you’re not taught to do anything special; you are instead taught that you simply are special—which doesn’t help you at all.
Learn how to BE special. Learn how to develop the key skills and qualities that can help you graduate from college on time and become successful sooner. Call Career Prep Academy at 317-641-4677 to schedule a consultation.