I wish someone had told me a few things about the reality after graduation during my university years.
Would I have done things differently? I am sure I would, but after all, the journey is the most valuable source of knowledge and experience.
Why you should start a blog before you finish university
I am going to share in this post the thoughts and conclusions that I have created on my journey in finding my place in my professional career.
Just one advance:
your professional success will depend on the value you can deliver
The cruel reality after graduation
I still remember the time when my parents tried to persuade me to go to university and get a diploma.
There is an uncomfortable truth: Today having a university degree or even a postgraduate diploma doesn’t necessarily make you special. There is a lot of people with similar titles and companies, and corporations have plenty of options.
In the digital era, information is not an asset anymore, but has rather become a commodity. Information and knowledge are accessible everywhere.
If you want to succeed in your future career, you will need something more than just “knowledge.” Companies are looking for people with their own ideas and a unique angle in solving problems.
It is not about what you know; it’s about how can you apply what you know.
Starting a blog will improve your writing skills, but also your ability to structure your knowledge and build a unique asset based on your point of view.
Knowledge is not enough anymore
Start creating your content assets as soon as possible is the best way to stand out from the crowd in a short amount of time. And trust me, there is a crowded market in any industry that you would want to build your professional career in.
Most of my friends have a university degree, but not too many of them have a job related to their academic background. They complain to the world and curse the system.
But the truth is so cruel to be revealed to them. If you cannot get a job in your field after you have graduated, it is because you can not deliver enough value to the market yet.
It’s all about value.
Nobody cares about your qualifications, about how well you study at uni or if you never missed a class while your colleagues were out drinking beer.
At some point, you will be in front of a recruiter pitching for your desired job, and the recruiter will only have one question in mind: “Which candidate will make our company more productive, this one or the one before?”
The sooner you become productive, the quicker you will get the job (or get access to great business opportunities as an entrepreneur).
The problem is that people think they deserve the job just because they have a university degree. And that means nothing unless you can show how can you apply that knowledge to create as much value as possible.
Starting a blog is a great way to develop your unique angle in a crowded, over-educated and under-valued market.
Building your digital content legacy
Starting a blog and building your content legacy is one of the most important investments that you can make for your professional career.
As a professional, you will need to deliver value to corporations, clients, organisations and your whole industry.
Why?
The top performers in any industry are the ones who receive the best business opportunities, and you have two options, be one of them or fight with the crowd for the leftovers.
The way you can start this journey to the top positions in your industry is by building your content legacy as soon as possible.
Don’t worry, it is a long journey and actually, it never ends. The important thing is to start creating valuable content related to your industry, to share your views, your unique angle and thoughts and, more importantly, to teach all that you know.
You can start now with as little as you want, as not having a vast and substantial experience is not an excuse to wait. There is always something you can share because there is always something that you know better than the average people.
Start creating your content legacy and the reward will follow, industry credibility and authority, that is. This is the way to get access to the top performers in any industry.
TOP ADVISE: Be patient, nothing relevant happens overnight. This is the most valuable advice that I can give to anybody building an entrepreneurial career.
The new work paradigm
Those days when having a job, staying in a safe position for years, working in the same company and getting promoted until you finally retire, are no longer here.
The market in almost every industry has become incredibly dynamic, and things happen really fast.
You may be a highly demanded professional today, but in five years time, you could be out of tune in your market unless you keep updating your knowledge and skills.
The same way, a company that needs your skills today might not need them anymore in a few years. At that moment you will lose your job.
According to the Intuit 2020 report, in the year 2020, the independent workforce in the US will increase to a 40% of total workers, which represents 60 million people.
There is just one question. What are you waiting for?
Conclusion
Starting a blog could be an amazing way for building your personal brand and leveraging your credibility and authority in your industry.
Should you start a blog? To be honest, you should only do it if you commit to it and have the long-term ambition to build a strong brand around yourself.
It takes time and effort, especially when nobody else seems to be reading your content – which is normal at the beginning. But eventually, you will have attention, feedback and an audience, and that moment will be a game-changer in your career.
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