Invest in Yourself: Why Learning Pays Off More Than Chasing Opportunities

We all seek opportunities at every moment of our lives—those opportunities that will contribute greatly to our lives—in fact, life-changing opportunities. Attaining these opportunities can be exciting, especially when we find them and are able to grab them.

𝖨 𝗀𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗇 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍?

This is why we find ourselves lured by flashy opportunities without considering our readiness for them. We do not check if we have the necessary skills to handle the job well. We run into opportunities without experience. A simple example is seeing someone who just finished a web-development bootcamp running towards applying for a senior-dev role due to its high salary.

This blog delves into the overlooked concept of proper preparation in the face of opportunities, building the necessary skills, and also assessing if we are capable of handling opportunities head-on.

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Building Your Foundation

Before running into opportunities or finding opportunities, we should be aware of our skill set, what level we are at with these skills, what foundation we have and what we need to work on.

Having a strong foundation in a specialized field will make us open to opportunities in that field. We will be able to handle these opportunities, adapt and even learn on the job. Without a strong foundation, we will not be able to do all these.

So instead of mindlessly applying to series of job applications and searching for opportunities, we should spend the time to take note of the skills required and take the necessary online course that will build our foundation on those skills. We should not forget to build projects that will increase our competence in the eyes of recruiters and interviewers.

Building real-world projects can contribute to building experience and skills that will put you in a position to grab opportunities. You will learn what it takes to be in a certain role and the skill set that needs to be applied.

Invest more in learning

𝙾𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝! 𝚈𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚘.

There is a saying that opportunities come, but only once. But what if you are not ready for these opportunities? It can lead to a rather unfortunate event rather than an exciting experience. Instead of spending so much time seeking opportunities, be calm and invest a lot of time in learning the required skills.

You cannot eat more than you can chew; only those who are prepared for an opportunity can make it life-changing for them. This is why I say, give yourself time to grow, do not rush it but learn all that is needed.

_{Be like a seed planted in the soil, and let yourself germinate into a tree.}

The Cost of Incompetence

A lot of people do not take the time to be aware of the needs required by the opportunity; not alone do they not take the time to be aware of the set of skills they have to handle the role that comes with the opportunity.

Eventually, they apply to jobs they are not qualified for, which may result in a lot of stress and disappointment when they don't meet the job requirements or expectations hence losing their jobs or don't even make it to getting those jobs.

Imagine making it to the interview stage without having a strong foundation of the role we applied for. Imagine the lack of confidence or how stupid we may seem in the face of recruiters when technical question regarding skills we don't have is being asked.

This can lead to a number of things, including wasting the employer's time and damaging our reputation and future opportunities.

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Hence, it is advisable that we learn to recognize opportunities beyond our capabilities, pick out what we need to learn from those opportunities and then polish our skills so we can be prepared for future opportunities. It is better to not rush into a job opportunity than to actually go head-on towards an opportunity for which we are not skilled.