To Stay Varied and Adaptable

30 Apr 2023 — 6 min read

Have you ever heard the saying “never put all of your eggs in one basket”? While this is usually said in reference to gambling on an individual or thing, you can easily apply this advice to your professional life. The public school system is often ridiculed for the lack of variety on the subjects they teach - especially concerning coursework that has little to no application in the real world. Indeed, one could argue there’s more practical value to classes like workshop or economics, versus pottery or that one fourth-level calculus class (why do I need to learn L'Hôpital's rule when I don’t even know how to do taxes yet, said the highschool senior).

When talking about your career and work-life, staying varied and adaptable becomes ten-times more important, arguably just as important as your degree. While you develop the core skills you need to succeed in your chosen career field through college; Practical skills, learned techniques, and unique knowledge drives your value as an employee or entrepreneur. Let’s talk about augmenting your core skills with extracurriculars, and share some examples from the medical field.

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The Value of Variety in Skills and Accreditation

If you were to look at any online job posting right now, I guarantee you that you would find several job listings from employers asking for candidates with a degree in a relevant field, in addition to multiple ‘required’ certifications related to the role. More often than not, these are certifications you have never heard of or come across.

The lone value of the degree has dropped substantially in the last couple of years. A societal drive to funnel aspiring young minds to college has gone on since the mid-80’s to 90s, and as a result, the number of graduates in the country have increased substantially (along with the average cost of tuition). With so many degree-holders entering the workforce, there’s a surplus of workers who can fulfill the requirements needed for more complicated jobs. This creates leeway for employers to reduce entry salary rates for new hires.

The average undergraduate degree now does not hold as much purchasing power as it once did. And with the rising cost of tuition across U.S. colleges, the average entry-level wage for jobs that require a 4-year-degree do not match the cost of obtaining that degree. The only current exception to this are opportunities that ask for a little something extra - and the difference can increase earnings from 40-50k per year to making 60-70k or more per year.

I speak of the certifications and extracurriculars mentioned above. Skills that go beyond what your core degree provides. A medical assistant who is also skilled in computer science can earn extra money developing software for their medical practice or hospital; Someone who works with medical devices that’s also an accredited medical writer can become a quality engineer for their company, who writes their compliance documents and researches government requirements.

Certain certification programs are not nearly as expensive as their college class counterparts, and the value you can get out of some certifications make them more than worth it. Do you feel stuck at your current wage tier? It might be worth looking into related certifications and credentials that’ll increase your overall value to potential employers. Requirements for these certifications will vary from state to state.

If you are not sure where to start in searching for appropriate certifications that will help you in your career, take a look at the following list for an idea on how to start:

Riddle of the Day

Only one color, but not one size. Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in the sun, but not in the rain. Doing no harm and feeling no pain. What am I?

🖊️

Keep reading for the riddle's answer below!

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Riddle of the Day: Answer

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A shadow!

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