When many people think about picking a career path, they usually look at the skill sets that they possess. People naturally tend to gravitate towards what they know and what they are sure they can do well. However, one of the core aspects that people overlook is that skill sets are secondary to passion and drive in order to pursue any career option.
Without passion and drive, a person is more likely to just give up, particularly when things get tough. This very same passion is what allows people to enter into a new field without any particular skills and try to learn and make it big. It’s one of the core qualities that underdogs have, which allows them to then make a name for themselves.
Additionally, this drive and passion is also the main contributing factor that people often rely on when the odds are stacked against them. In this case, that is one of the core reasons why the underdogs often come out on top and are able to make a name for themselves and even pursue a passion project in an industry that they have no particular skill set for.
The following are some of the biggest examples of people who were able to learn new skills just because they really wanted to make a difference in their lives and pursue their passion.
Erin Brockovich
As a former beauty queen, Brockovich was someone who was going through life looking for her passion. She tried different jobs ranging from becoming a manager at a K-Mart to finally settling into the position of a secretary and file clerk at a law firm.
While organizing the files for a real estate dispute, Brockovich came across incriminating documents that highlighted that Pacific Gas & Electric had slowly been poisoning the water supply of a small town called Hinkley for over 30 years. Not only was this the largest direct-action lawsuit in the U.S., but Brockovich did not get a lot of help and support from others.
She clearly lacks an educational background in law and often had to find evidentiary material on her own, including medical records. However, Brockovich stuck with the case and eventually, in 1996, the utility company was forced to pay $333 million to over 600 residents in Hinkley.
Today, Brockovich is still a consumer advocate who stands for women’s rights and is active in handling cases for groundwater contamination cases all over the U.S. and Australia.
Christian Krauter
Focusing on music and the tech industry, Christian Krauter is a jack of all trades and is known to be entrepreneur, director, produce, programmer and a remix artist. While he is a system engineer by profession, his main interest was always on music which was one of the most important things in his life. In fact, he spent a lot of time and energy, just listening to the sounds around him.
As a musician, Krauter did not have any formal training, nor did he know where to start. However, he had a passion for EDM mixes and tracks took them to be his guidelines. By focusing on this aspect, he was able to innovatively use technology and combine it with creativity to create a unique sound. Krauter can proudly claim that he has mixed, combined and published over 140 singles and remixes in 2 years.
His skill as a remix artist is not the only thing he considers. Krauter is also very skilled as an engineer and is the founder and director of a successful cloud-based software business. The core focus is to improve the care management of elderly by collaborating with the New Zealand and Australian Government, Disability Service Providers and the Aged Care. In fact, his software product was nominated as the best solution for the disability sector.
As you can see, you can reach all your goals in life as long as you believe in yourself and follow through regardless of any doubters in your path. Follow your dreams, with passion and drive, and you can make it!
Martin Gray is done BSc Degree in MediaLab Arts from the University of Plymouth. He currently lives in New York city. He is a fantastic and reliable content creator with an inspiring and clear vision. He has his own blog on Medium @dailynewnews365