The Value of Specialized Knowledge
Getting specialized knowledge and skills will give you an edge over people with only general knowledge. Time and effort spent in gaining specialized knowledge pays handsome dividends. A mind that knows something special is a beautiful mind.
General knowledge is wonderful and very impressive. Knowing the names of all countries in the world is general knowledge. Knowing the names of leading brands of mobile phones is general knowledge. General knowledge may set a good foundation for your success, it will get you through the door, but you only get real results by acquiring and applying specialized knowledge.
The Value of Specialization – My Professional Life
I came to Australia in 1998 and took a course in Marketing & Information System (Bachelor of Business Degree). It felt good to be a graduate from one of the top ranked Business Schools in Western Australia. I was confident that I was going to become very successful as the market was “dying” for someone with my university qualifications.
I got a rude shock when I started looking for jobs. I would buy the newspaper and jump on the internet to see the kind of jobs on offer. Most of the jobs required experience which I had little to none. I applied for over 400 jobs but I kept being rejected. Maybe one of the reasons I was being rejected was because I did not have a defining skill that I could use to sell myself. I had no desirable actionable skill that potential employers could immediately put to use.
One day I was in a bookshop in the city and met a sharply dressed African man. I was curious about what kind of work he did. I was so intrigued and was out seeking the littlest advice I could get. He told me he was from Nigeria and he worked as a computer programmer, helping one of the leading banks in Australia build their online banking system. Wow! I kept questioning him how he got such a job. He told me his secret was that he had special skills that the bank needed. They had flown him in from Sydney to Perth to come work for them.
He asked me what I did at university and when I told him he said that “marketing is not very marketable” (lol) and I should lean on my information system degree. I had done generic course units like information management, strategic information systems, database management etc. He told me that those would not take me very far, especially if I wanted an entry level position.
With his own money, that gentleman bought me a web design book that really helped me. The book was called Sam’s Teach Yourself HTML in 24 Hours. He told me he was blessing a young brother and that I should do the same one day to someone. God bless him. I read the book and within 1 week I was calling myself a web designer and distributing fliers around the city, selling my web design services.
I continued gaining more specialized skills in computer programming (web) and even wrote a program to manage my job applications and fliers distribution. Every time I sent someone my Resume (Curriculum Vitae), or email, I would plug his details into my little program. I could track whether people were opening my emails with precision. I did this by embedding a really small image in the email (not visible to the naked eye). This image would call my program whenever someone opened my emails, and if they then rang me, my program would have alerted me in advance so I would have done a bit of research on their company before hand.
One day I was talking with a friend and told him about my little program. He told me that their organization sent hundreds of newsletters to members and they would love to customize, personalize and track their newsletters. I took on this challenge with my good friend George and made our first commercial software program.
Why am I telling you all this? I hope to inspire you to pursue specialized skills and knowledge. It is only when you get past the general skills that opportunities start opening up. Do not be like everyone else. Acquire a skill that sets you apart. Gain an edge over the competition by gaining special skills and knowledge.
Specialized Knowledge is Power
Knowing the names of major car companies does not give you any power. How about if you can become a good mechanic for one type of car? What if you became the go to guy when people have a particular problem?
Watching morning news in Australia reminds me that every specialized dog has its day. I find it funny and intriguing how the major TV networks are able to come up with an expert for whatever is in the news.
When Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin died, there were so many experts on TV that really understood his life works. Every time something happens, there is always someone on stand by, who just “happens” to have dedicated 30 years of his life specializing on the matter at hand.
Someone who was previously unknown can end up very powerful when his brand of specialization hits prime time.
How to Gain Specialized Knowledge
You can gain specialized knowledge by first deciding what it is that you want to learn. Then fully focus on that, read all relevant books, periodicals, magazines etc. Watch DVDs, attend seminars or get home study courses or even attend a course to gain that skill or knowledge.
Another way of acquiring specialized knowledge is by becoming an apprentice or doing work experience. Apprenticeship means gaining special skills under the instruction of a master. You can take on an apprenticeship on subjects ranging from mechanics to theology. It is well worth it, and I highly recommend it.
Summary
Gaining specialized skills is a good way of enhancing your prospects for success. Specialized knowledge is actionable and will give you more confidence and make you more relevant in the market place.
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