Benjamin Todd

You can become much more skilled than you are today.

Lots of people come to us saying, I'm not sure I have any useful skills to contribute.

And that's often true.

If you've just graduated, you've probably spent the last four years studying Moby Dick, quantum mechanics, and Machiavelli, and your future job is unlikely to involve any of those things.

However, Erickson's research also suggests that anyone can improve at most skills with focused practice.

Sure, other factors are important too.

If you're seven feet tall, it's going to be a lot easier to get good at basketball.

But that doesn't mean short people can't improve their game.

This means even if you don't feel you have much to contribute now, you can become much more skilled in the future, and probably keep improving for decades.

This should normally be the top priority early in your career.

Why career capital is so important.

Chantelle wanted to make a difference straight out of university, and even managed to land an exciting job as a program manager at a non-profit working to prevent pandemics.

But the small team made it tricky to find time to develop her skills, and she wasn't able to have the impact she hoped for in the role.

After a few months, she was stressed, sleeping badly, and burned out.

Chantelle decided to go to graduate school instead.

Not only is she enjoying it much more, she also feels like she's learning things that could really support her future career.

While it sucks to delay doing something meaningful, it's rare to have a big impact right away.

Early in your career, it's more important to ensure you invest in your skills and get the training you need to maximize your long-term impact.

This is especially true because it's possible to become far more productive over the course of your career.

Consider the potential impact of a scientist, politician, or CEO at the peak of their influence, age 40 to 50, compared to the influence they had as a fresh undergraduate.