Inspire to WIN

Collaboration of world-class
content creators.
Introduction

When a degree speaks, you become capable.

When skills speak, you become visible.
When degree and skills speak together, you
become unstoppable.

There is always a debate between skill and degree. Some

are strongly in the favour of degree while some are in
the favour of skill. Is there any scope of debating on the
topic? No, both the topics have their significance and
relevance. It’s a difference of perspective, experience
and choice. Some have achieved a victorious triumph in
their career only because of their degree. On the other
hand, some have achieved skyrocketing success because
of their skills. While some have created a difference with
the help of both.
The dilemma that distracts the youth and jobseekers
when it comes to making a career. They get confused
about which is the best option for them and how they can
spark their future. They get caught up in the fascinating
options and at the end make the wrong decision.
Without research and understanding market trends,
they dive into careers that make no sense and they come
back to square one.
By keeping all the aspects, this book has been crafted in a
way that helps you to understand the significance of the
degree and skill. It will let you know what is even more
important than skill and degree, how you can find your
niche and explore the different trending careers.
All together, it will help you to understand the different
mindset and how collaboration works. The delicacy of this
book lies in the teamwork, creativity, experience, diversity
and thought process. We take pride in announcing that
this is the first book ever that has been written by the
collaboration of 10 best content creators.
The interesting thing about this book is that you get
the opportunity to understand the different mindsets.
Despite having different thought processes, they
collaborate with each other with one motive- to inspire
the world with the help of their writing skills.

Together we can win.

Together we can inspire.
 Nasir Ali

Aspiration of inspiration is the biggest

motivation to impact the world.
- Nasir Ali.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasiraliuae/
Founder Message
Being a life-long learner, I always believe in transformation
and accepting the changes. The pandemic outbreak hit
hard on most people because of non-mobility, loss of
jobs, and lack of social connections. An idea came into
my mind which aimed to inspire others, and it was the
formulation of the "LinkedIn It To Win It." (Inspirer
World) Community. My aspiration to inspire others
became the only motivation at that time. It gave me
the sense of satisfaction that I have headed towards the
betterment of society.
Due to the changing market, I have seen a paradigm
shift in technology and mindset. The new dilemma is the
lack of employment opportunities and the confusion of
choosing a career based on degree or skills. Therefore,
we bring a collaborative approach that helps job seekers
to get clarity about their careers and empower their
futures.
Unlock your dreams. Unlock your power.
Brighten up your future with new opportunities.
Don't get caught up in the dilemma of degree and skill.
Find out your best, and skyrocket your success.

More power to YOU.

More Success to YOU.
 Our shining stars
Megha Chhabra and Safaa Sahulhameed both have
worked hard for the completion of the book. They
both have incredibly helped the founder Nasir
Ali in reviewing and editing the book. Also, they
have contributed to writing the content of the
book along with other content creators. We highly
appreciate their hard work and are thankful for
their valuable contribution to the book.

Kudos to their efforts.

Our Content queen's - Megha & Safaa

 Megha Chhabra
An Engineer's mind transformed into a content
creator.

My journey as a content creator commenced with

a striking question of how to discover a passion.
After experiencing a variety of exotic flavors of
life, eventually, an eighth wonder happened, and I
discovered my passion for writing.

The REAL Passion I found in writing.

The REAL Creativity I found in creating content.
The REAL discovery I found in exploration.
The REAL Inspiration I found in reading this book.
 Safaa Sahulhameed
Writing has always been my passion. I write under
cover of darkness and turn nap-times to work hours.
Being a freelance writer is no easy feat, but writing
is my getaway. Now, I've turned my passion into a
profession.
I am a content creator, writer, and editor who blends
pieces of content into compelling and creative brand
stories
Writing is what I love, and Content is what I live for.
Writing content for this book, I believe I have
inspired myself and would love the book to be an
inspiration for many.
 Shobana Karthik
I always had a flair to express my thoughts to spread
positivity. Also , I believe in the power of giving. For all
these to happen, I chose writing as the medium.
This book aligns with my thought process and I am
naturally inspired to share my thoughts. Through
writing, I am eventually learning and growing.
I love to create these positive ripples through the art of
writing. Looking forward for the inspirational vibes to flow.

Shakeel Mulla
I have always believed in the phrase that your passion
leads your way to achievements. My intense passion is to
guide and assist people and I started living my passion
through writing, which keeps me inspired within.
This is my first professional writing as co-author with
other amazing writers.

This book is all about thoughts, experiences & learnings

shared by INSPIRING writers to INSPIRE others.
 Ioanna Petrochilou
A passionate dreamer and a pragmatic leader with 30 years
career in the corporate field, leading coaching, and training
teams.
Writing was my hobby, today is part of my life. It is my way to
express myself and to communicate with others. It is the way
to inspire others through my experiences and beliefs!
It started as a hobby, today is part of my reality, thanks to the
volunteer platform "Inspirer World" in where I am a content
creator and a co-author of this book.
As a content creator, made my hobby a way to pass my
message to others: Inspire the World and shake it!

Samia Usmani
As a content writer I feel privileged to connect with the
readers through my words. I use my writing skills to give
structure and form to my feelings and thoughts.
I try to keep my writing simple so that readers understand
me in a better way.
However, I love to create magic in my writings and make the
readers amused with the careful blend of ideas and opinions.
 Altaf Ahmed, MBA
The recent Covid-19 pandemic has shown its different faces
on everyone, from losing jobs to losing their loved ones, many
established businesses closing down and also giving rise to
many e-commerce businesses. Being part of the LinkedIn
community in job hunting, I too was inspired and developed
a habit of creating posts on weekly campaigns and brought
out the Content Writer in me.
I have gained a good reputation for being an exceptional
leader who attracts, mentors and inspires and feel proud to
share my wealth of experience in knowledge, learnings and
skills.

Ntsiki Ncoco
Writing is the way of putting my inspired thoughts into
context and capturing them for good use. I used to write
poems for fun, triggered by a personal feeling or experience,
I would then put it on paper and give it a title aligned with that
adventure. When I did my honours in Education, one critical
module was Curriculum Studies, we designed curriculums. I
enjoyed and loved the flow of formally creating to educate.
Later in Management Consulting, I take time in preparing
presentations and love to create content that will inspire
others. I ge inspired first as I write and edit books and articles,
in aid of inspiring the world professionally.
 Asma Mukadam
Asma Mukadam's thought about writing and being a
content creator.
I embrace my writing as it enables my mind to travel
the world limitless. For me, writing is a way to inspire
people, granting them a glimpse into my life experiences
and help them live better stories. Writing also connects
me with various cultures of people, understanding their
needs and solve the issues quickly that helps to bring
back their comfort.
Writing is my unique career and a mysterious kind of
creativity with an unusual skill every day.

Nayyab Farooq Satti

I am not only an Artist & a Graphic Designer, merely
looks just a statement. It was a feeling that pushed me
to uncover the grey areas. These areas are my strength
of writing which can be an inspiration for others. Now I
give purpose to my writings through contributing as a co-
author in our book named" An Inspiror World" . It's a big
step on a volunteer plateform known as "inspirerworld" .
At last what matter is that: " How much you do for others".
Get acknowledged & Be inspired
 Ronald Arakal
I am an aerospace engineer by qualification who enjoys
writing as a hobby. My writing was never top-tier despite
writing throughout my education. It has improved over
the years. But after graduating, I stopped writing except
for my cover letters and CVs during my job searching
phase. The variety in my writing was reduced to one style
of writing.
My employment phase did not start as it usually does for
people who graduate. During this unemployed phase,
I came across "Inspirer World" and their campaigns.
I began writing for them and gained recognition for
my content. Not only did this help me get through my
unemployment, but the supportive community also
helped me maintain a positive mindset when I needed it
the most. These campaigns also gave me the platform to
start writing again.
I hope to continue what I began on the "Inspirer World"
platform by writing this book. I wish to inspire myself
and others around me to maintain that positive mindset,
regardless of the situation they are in.
We are all running in our races. I am confident that we
can all get to where we belong by helping and supporting
each other.
PART I - Degree Vs Skill

Chapter 1: A Degree Page No.

1.1 What is a degree? 16
1.2 Degree - Tough Points 19
1.3 A confidence booster 22
1.4 A social status 35
1.5 An opportunity to discover passion 46
1.6 An authentic certification 60

Chapter 2: A Skill
2.1 What is a skill? 65
2.2 A ladder to climb 80
2.3 Passion a bootstrap for skill 90
2.4 A Secure key for holding a job 110
2.5 Shapes the future of an individual 115

Chapter 3: Who speaks more

a degree or a skill
3.1 The competitive rat race 126
3.2 The passion influencer 137
3.3 The Money Maker 141
3.4 The big giant's demand 147
3.5 The change creators of the world 154
3.6 The job guarantee 160
Part II - Become Extra-ordinary
Chapter 4: Sharpen your axe Page No.
4.1 Types of skills 165
4.2 Topmost desired skills 176
4.3 Cheatsheet for highly demanded 182
careers
4.4 Professional Skills 185
4.5 Niche Clarity 189
4.6 Time hacks for upgrading the skills 197

Part III - The spirits of inspiration

Chapter 5: Success Stories
5.1 Stories-Only with skills 204
5.2 Stories- Only with degree
5.3 Stories - Both
PART I Degree Vs Skill
Chapter 1: A Degree
 What is a degree?
Ronald Arakal

A certification or accreditation from a recognized educational

body is called a Degree. A student usually enrolls themselves
in such courses, which span anywhere from 3 years and above.
It starts as a two-year Associate degree or a 3 to 4 year
Bachelor's certification. Then depending on various factors,
the student might choose to study further and gain a Master's
degree. They can then continue to pursue further study in
their subject area to achieve a Doctorate, otherwise known
as a Ph.D. In a standard Bachelor's degree, a student spends
his time in theory-based lectures and practical sessions based
on his subject choice. The main aim here is to get the student
familiarized with concepts used in the real-world application
and hopefully prepare
them for a job in the
subject area.
Just like school education,
the student is then
assessed based on the
teachings during the year.
Earlier, students were mainly awarded degrees for prominent
job roles in the market. But in recent times, with development
in technology and research across various markets, degrees
studying these new topics have also been introduced.
A student can work on projects individually or in a team to
develop communication, organization, teamwork, and people
management skills. How has creating these skills become
dependent on the level of interaction by the students?
The rate of learning and level of understanding is also
dependent on the student. An introverted student might take
a while to develop these skills, whereas an extroverted one
would have no problem mastering these in no time. However,
to fulfill the purpose of getting the degree, the student has to
put in efforts to prepare themselves better.
These efforts include self-study and maintaining a positive
ideology and mindset. Also, extracurricular activities prevent
burnout out and self-doubt. While obtaining a degree, there
inevitably are bound to be obstacles and challenges of various
kinds, similar to life.
Post bachelor's, the student, now referred to as a "Graduate,"
steps out either into the job market to apply their knowledge
and skills and fulfill job responsibilities of varying levels or
pursue further learning.
Choosing the option for further studies, a graduate may
choose a specialization and research the concepts and their
application in detail. They may also conduct
research to learn about or optimize a current system. These
studies can last a year or take even longer. The award granted
for further studies is a Master's degree with subsequent
recognition of a Doctorate.
Degree: An authentic certification
Some jobs require a degree, such as physicians, doctors,
engineers, and lawyers. A degree serves to recognize that the
person has spent resources to gain knowledge and contribute
to the job role.
With the self-study option, one can become proficient
at performing a job. However, a degree or a professional
certification guarantees that the person is reliable and
capable of completing it.
For example, It is relatively easy to repair a leaking valve at
home. With the right tools and parts, it is a 5-minute job.
However, if I were to be fixing leaky valves as a regular job,
despite my experience, one would prefer the expertise of a
certified plumber over me. Not to discredit the knowledge
but the certification. It gives the plumber a sense of security
to do it efficiently and professionally if anything goes wrong
while fixing a leaky valve.
While it is easy to be self-taught in fixing small leaks and
fixes, being self-taught in engineering or medicine without
a registered and recognized certification would raise many
questions.
But how is the authenticity of a degree verified?
Visual cues, University databases, and attestation processes
demonstrate that the awarded degree is genuine and
authentic.
Degree - Tough Points
The process of gaining a degree starts when the student is still
in high school. Every student wishes to get into the highest-
ranked institution to earn an accredited and well-known
degree; however, they end up overworking themselves and
getting decided whether into the best. Striving to get that
one mark makes it or breaks it for them according to their
perception of things.
While having a degree from a renowned institution may have
its perks, the students must concentrate on studying well.
The institution would not matter if you can present yourself
well and have the right mindset to always perform to the best
of your abilities. To prove this point, in a company, you will
find employees with degrees from all kinds of institutions
working together under the same roof.
So think about it, is it okay to lose your sanity and health to
score that one mark?
The second factor when it comes to gaining a degree is
finances. Every educational establishment has its fee structure
which is not cheap. If the student were to move away from
his home or home country, accommodation and other living
costs get added to the overall amount.
To add to this cost, the student must also handle books and
equipment costs. Additional miscellaneous charges may get
added depending on where the student eventually decides to
pursue his degree.
With such high costs involved in this form of education, how
does one pursue a degree? The answer is "Financial planning
and management."
In the early stages, a student under the guidance of parents,
who based on the household income, marks attained in
school, can make a list of universities and colleges where it
is feasible to undertake a degree-level study. The student can
also look for sponsorship options in the form of scholarships.
Earlier the government awarded scholarships for high
performers. Nowadays, you have scholarships for various
categories due to the realization that each student is gifted
individually.
In some countries, special grants or bursaries are available
to help students enroll in a university program. To further
relieve the burden of educational costs, students also can take
up part-time employment or freelance work such as tuition.
Students can also be encouraged to budget their expenses so
that students can avoid unnecessary expenditures.
Getting a degree is expensive. However, with sound planning
and budgeting, it is possible to overcome this obstacle as well.
The next obstacle that a student might face while enrolled in
a course is performance. The student may find some topics
hard to understand during the period or fail a subject or two.
Due to this setback, there is a chance for negative thoughts
and self-doubt to the harbor in mind.
At that time, it is better to think about seeking professional
advice. Counselors help decide whether it is feasible to switch
courses, drop a module, or choose a different one two-year
instead.
When the student enrolls in a program, they usually aim to
seek employment then which is where having a degree has its
advantage and disadvantage.
The advantage is that having a degree makes you stand out
among the list of applicants who may or may not have a
degree. With experience, it makes it more accessible. But this
is also where it might be disadvantageous.
Given the number of students who graduate college and
university, there is no shortage of degree holders, including
degree holders with experience for the job. So how does one
stand out in the job market?
The skills come in now!
 A confidence booster
By Ioanna Petrochilou

The Greek philosopher Plato once said,

“The direction in which education starts a man will determine
his future in life”.
The meaning of this quote is your education can affect your
future. If you want to have a stable path, the first step is to
educate yourself. Not having a degree may not be essential
for success, but it sure makes it easier, helping you get the
career you want and a better life.
Earning a degree is the first step of your success in your
personal and professional life. Though, it’s not the final and
the only one but it’s the booster for your future success. It’s
the first key for opening opportunities.
Earning a degree prepares you for your future. It can give
you the direction for your career path but also the direction
for your life in general.
Market competition is hard, and a degree can help you win
the competition. Having a degree is your self-confidence
booster. It’s the first step for your future success!
But why?
Because earning a degree is followed by other benefits, such
as:
Open Doors
Competition is hard. Many people look for a career path,
and having a degree is the most common pathway to a
better career path. A better career path usually means better
employment conditions. For some people these conditions
are about, bigger salary, a good and big company leading
to the higher levels of management, faster. All these lead to
more satisfaction and happiness.
Satisfaction for you and your loved ones
Who doesn’t want higher income? Who doesn’t want to be
able to live a better life?In some cases, people dream to be a
doctor, a lawyer, an architect, or IT Specialist. All these jobs
require specific knowledge and education.
But even when you want to work in a different direction, not
requiring specific skills and knowledge, even when you , like
it or not most of the jobs require a degree before proceeding
to the next step of the interview.
A degree can open the door of a company for you and this
can be easily translated to more money, to more knowledge,
and to a better life.
But I’d like to mention here that, a degree can open the door
but it’s not the only one factor, which can keep it open.
Therefore, you need skills, your talents and more knowledge
which will be acquired either participating in training,
reading a lot, or gaining experience during the years.
However, having a degree can improve your chances to
have a better career and to have a successful life, it cannot
guarantee success itself. Success is working on your personal
development every and each day. But nobody can doubt
that it’s a start booster in order to achieve what you want to
achieve. A good education can always affect your job. It’s the
key to open the door for doing more during your life.
Sometimes a degree opens up more opportunities, even in
fields that you have no idea about. Fields that weren’t in your
initial plan. How many times you have seen people doing a
job that is completed differently from the one that they had
imagined or studied.
This is happening because having the education, opened a
different door, you saw your professional life from a different
perspective and you realized that you want to do something
different, something which is not relevant to your degree.
But still knowledge from your degree can be used somehow.
But I’d like to mention here that, a degree can open the
door but it’s not the only one factor, which can keep it open.
Therefore, you need skills, your talents and more knowledge
which will be acquired either participating in training,
reading a lot, or gaining experience during the years.
However, having a degree can improve your chances to
have a better career and to have a successful life, it cannot
guarantee success itself. Success is working on your personal
development every and each day. But nobody can doubt
that it’s a start booster in order to achieve what you want to
achieve.
A good education can always affect your job. It’s the key to
open the door for doing more during your life.
Sometimes a degree opens up more opportunities, even in
fields that you have no idea about. Fields that weren’t in your
initial plan. How many times you have seen people doing a
job that is completed differently from the one that they had
imagined or studied.
This is happening because having the education, opened a
different door, you saw your professional life from a different
perspective and you realized that you want to do something
different, something which is not relevant to your degree.
But still knowledge from your degree can be used somehow.
Building a Strong Character
In order to obtain a degree, you need strength and discipline.
You need to sacrifice in order to complete your education.
This could be something useful for your future. The years
you spent to complete your degree gave you discipline,
organization skills, willingness to learn more, and the passion
to succeed more. The willingness to gain more in your life.
Obtaining a degree can change the way you think, the way
you work, the way you respond to any obstacle. Obtaining a
degree can and will change your life.
As per Kendall Cotton Bronk, professor of psychology in the
Division of Behavioural & Social Sciences
“With more education, people are more likely to be able to
do the things that give their lives purpose”
We all know that people with purpose are the ones having
better mental and physical health. When people have a sense
of purpose in life, they are happier, stronger, and ready to
achieve even more.
A degree is the first step towards. It’s in your hand to fight
and achieve your target! Work hard to gain a degree and
work smart to optimize the way you will use it. A degree is not
the end of your knowledge journey, but is a small start, and is
your booster!It’s the daily booster of learning more. Life is a
big school and you have so many things to learn.
 “Wear your Passion and Hunt your Dreams”
-Ioanna Petrochilou

I am a strong believer in hunting dreams, regardless of

education,Whether you have a degree or not, with a good
degree, you have an added advantage.It will help you thrive,
achieve more, and haunt your dreams.But never forget that
in order to be successful in life what you really need is a
strong combination of your knowledge, skills, and talents.
The successful formula to discover your strength to hunt and
live your dreams.

Education is the most powerful

weapon which you can use
to change the world.
– APJ Abdul Kalam
 A confidence booster
By Samia Usmani

Higher education seems all glitters and gold from afar, but in
reality, this is not the case for most people. Not everyone can
bear the expenses of higher education, and therefore they
have to function in the world without any achievements. The
advent of technology has made the impossible seem possible.
With the introduction of online degrees, it has become more
accessible for people to pursue higher education. These
degrees are way more affordable as they cut down the expense
of traveling and living in dorms, etc. Hence completing these
online courses and having a degree gives a considerable boost
in one's self-esteem.
With the degree pursued, a person can look for careers
of individual choice and do whatever they intend to do.
Therefore, it gives a lot of confidence and a complete sense
of self-worth. Moreover, when a degree is completed, the
students get equipped with new skills and abilities. Thus, it
further strengthens their self-belief and raises self-confidence.
Building a Social Network While pursuing a degree, we
come across like-minded people we share and receive vast
knowledge and information. Therefore, it's easier to build
an extensive social network that helps in the future as well.
Moreover, we can connect with experienced professors in our
chosen field and also learn a lot from their insights.
Therefore, having a good network makes us more
knowledgeable, and it also helps shape our career and daily
life.
Additionally, it also makes us more social and not shy away
from community work. We gain a lot of confidence to lead
different types of organizations and parties.
Employment Opportunities
A degree opens many doors, doors that yield better earning
potential and a more significant list of career opportunities.
A person's skill can easily land a job irrespective of whether it
is related or unrelated to the degree. Skills give courage and
confidence that helps to excel in the related field and other
unrelated fields.
It serves as an opportunity to gain experience and try
something new if things do not work in favor. Most jobs prefer
people holding a degree as opposed to not holding one. They
know that completing a degree requires a lot of hard work
and dedication, and they want to make sure a person has that
sort of experience to easily adjust to the office environment.
Acceptance:
To complete a degree, one has to sit in exams that test the
abilities. Sometimes a person achieves an excellent score,
which makes them more confident in skills and abilities. They
start to realize their potential, and the mindset becomes
more positive when the effort has paid off, the motivation
level rises, which helps them perform better.
When you completed your degree and gone through the
roller coaster ride of your education journey, you have the
acceptance that failure is a part of life. Instead of giving up,
you are more inclined towards finding the solution.
A degree is an acceptance tool that helps you understand
that failure is the stepping stone to success.
 A confidence booster
By Asma Mukadam

Creating your life on your terms or being you is the only

way to cure low self-esteem. No one can help you to boost
your self-esteem, self-confidence, or self-image except you.
A college degree will help you to have that belief if you are
seeking that degree for yourself.
 "The degree is one of the well-known tickets
that will get you on the succession Just how
far you go on that path is based on your
knowledge and ability to finish tasks
from the beginning". -Asma Mukadam

A college degree has a lot of value as it gives us in-depth

knowledge, experience, the ability to explore events, and
practical learning from any place. One's knowledge and skill
create more deference. However, one must know about the
clear advantages of having a college degree- a steady job and
financial security.
Achieving a degree is a big task. Indeed, it's the well-earned
outcome of years of sacrifice and focus.
Nevertheless, one must be remarkably proud of their success,
particularly those who might not have thought that higher
education was possible.
One thing I learned while pursuing the college degree, is
the ability to believe in yourself and see that miracle happen.
Settling down to the hostel from my hometown, adjusting
to a diverse culture with an academic environment was a
difficult task. I felt like I would never achieve it as I had low
self-esteem due to a lack of communication skills.
Even though, having plenty of ideas in mind, I didn't have
a presentable personality to speak in class, as we hadn't
practiced those skills in higher secondary school. So, the
language barrier and the fear of criticism always used to
hold me back from producing my ideas because of my strong
narrow-belief that others are superior to me.
Considering all this, I began to lose belief when people
compared my accent to advanced communication
skills and made jokes with references to others.

But, after enrolling myself in a college to pursue a degree, my

hope to learn grew as I participated in projects, street plays,
and workshops in the first year. I learned different things
when I participated in projects, street plays, and workshops
with general and basic crafts in the first year.
It gave me real happiness. In the second year, after choosing
my field of interest, everything changed around me. I observed
a lot of gratitude and abundance around me. Also, I felt
lucky that despite being a single parent as a homemaker, my
mother could get me an education imagining my wellbeing,
sacrificing hers.
My interests were psychology and family resource
management. Swiftly, I thrived in those classes. I have gained
several experiences during that phase, and also I found my
passion for helping others come out from depression, stress,
anxiety, and fear in their work-life that exactly I went through.
Further, my communication barrier faded after practicing
and leading the projects accepting my country's accent and
cultural differences. Besides, fear of criticism and failures
ended with something that aided me more as I brought
another perspective into the classroom discussions.
All of a sudden, I felt empowered to sense that I was not a
simple-minded student. I am here in this life to make a
difference plus the degree is my accountable partner to keep
that confidence growing in my profession, community, and
decision making. Hence, believing in the concept further
completed my Master's Degree.
Presently I'm on the path of spreading awareness in youth on
the importance of getting an education at the right time to
grow, shine and earn in the spirit that they deserve.
Completing an education at a granted time can provide a
significant lift to one's self-esteem. And this boost in self-
confidence can often propel graduates to apply for a new
career, take on new responsibilities, start a new business, and
much more!
Hence, every young mind is necessary to learn that dropout
billionaires are the rarity, not the rule. We must respect highly
successful people. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs
are three college dropouts who famously grow billionaires,
but they are exceptions. How much dedication, time, and
energy they might have to put up facing challenges. Because
survey shows, they wrote a world-changing algorithm in their
college dorm room before dropping out and made it big.
Nonetheless, other highly successful billionaires refined their
natural talents at college and said they would not be where
they are today without the education and networks built up
in university. Few of them say completing a degree course
provided a significant lift to their self-esteem.
On the other hand, many billionaires studied for a university
degree. Among those who have two degrees, an MBA is the
most common post-grad degree. Most of the billionaires got
a bachelor's in arts and sciences, and nearly 150 received their
MBAs.
Bloomberg is among a bevy of billionaires with MBA degrees.
Currently, nine of the top 100 wealthiest people worldwide
have an MBA, the majority of the–five in all–from Harvard
Business School.
Also, the world's richest man Jeff Bezos, the founder of
Amazon and Blue Origin, holds a degree. Although, he was
not born into a wealthy family. His parents were 17 and 18
years old when he was born, and he worked on his maternal
grandparents' ranch in Cotulla, Texas, early in his life. He
graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University
in 1986 with electrical engineering and computer science
degrees.
To have a truly successful career, earning a college degree
gives you a clear advantage. University isn't for everyone,
and with the rise of digital technologies, young people can
take more responsibility for their learning and development.
Although, a degree with real-world skills is still one of the
best ways to develop confidence for personal and professional
success.
 A Social Status
Safaa Sahulhameed

The real-life Scenario

The neighbor's son is doing his professional computer
degree from so and so university. The favorite cousin from
hometown is studying an electrical engineering course at
XYZ university.
Only if you have a degree, you will get a job and a better
match for marriage”.
These are often the conversations between parents and kids,
especially among brown parents and the community. Is a
degree just for name and fame, rather than studying to gain
knowledge? The answer might be a partial yes. Even though
degrees are obtained for gaining better insights and securing
a job. But is also a status symbol now.
Parents are ready to fork out any amount of money to get
degrees that are either professional or that are in trend.
It becomes a compulsion for the parents to tell about the
qualifications of their children in any social gathering.
“Oh yes, my son is studying engineering.
Oh yes, my daughter is also studying engineering” are
common talks that are heard in get-togethers.
It is a moment of pride for uneducated parents to make their
children study and see them as degree holders. But what
happens when it goes overboard and the reason eventually
changes to show off the social status?
Purpose of obtaining a degree
The real purpose of obtaining a degree is forgotten.
Our society gives a lot of power to the parents of young
children and adults as well. They want to provide the best
for their children, and they know what would be the best for
them too. If a kid resists, it is because they don't have much
knowledge is a perceived notion of parents.
Why does a degree matter? And what's the purpose of a degree
lies in understanding what the subject is about and how it can
be of use in the future and whether it can help fetch a job. But,
sadly many do not have a deep understanding of what most
degrees entail or what their prospects are. Their knowledge
is generally anecdotal. They hear that so and so degrees have
better job security, can help earn enough money, and are well
respected in society.
Degree: A Society’s perspective Society thinks having a degree
is great. What is the challenge when you go against society?
Now let's imagine a situation.
You don't get a degree. You are least interested in a degree.
Even though your parents force you to get one. You start a
job hunt. Will you be lucky enough to grab an offer?
You are a sibling of 5 and your parents are getting older and
they want you to start a family on your own. You register on
a matrimonial website.
What's the scene there? Probably everyone is looking for a
person with a degree. You are disqualified by society and
disowned by your parents for not making them proud. You
will be thrown away and made to live a secluded life.
It is the human tendency to be generally averse to risk. How
many would let their children not get a degree and start a
business and become entrepreneurs?
Not many. Parents think having a degree is a safe bet and a
ticket to secure the future. Either you earn a degree or you
are a disgrace to the family
The two main factors that contribute to obtaining a degree
are Financial Stability’ and ‘Social Security’ which a person
wants in a job is easily acquired in obtaining a degree. Hence,
the journey begins. One who earns a degree in the science
field or engineering field is considered to be respected in
society. Even now, this tradition goes on.
Everyone desires their kid to go and earn a degree in these
fields. So, they can live a reputed life in society. By doing so,
their future family will luxuriate from their social standing.
They incept their kid’s brain from the beginning of their lives
by showing examples of a relative, acquaintance, or even
their own who study in engineering or doctorate and now
living a life of comfort.
The reason why even kids as young as three years say they
desire to become a doctor or an engineer rather than a
skillful business person or an entrepreneur.
Societal Pressure
More than 75% of the kids earn a degree because of societal
pressure and for social recognition. Even though there is
a multitude of career options for survival, they opt for the
degrees that are in trend or that are lucrative. It's only after
they reach a certain level of understanding as they mature,
they realize that degrees are earned for social status rather
than for knowledge.
The "What will people say " mentality that parents have is the
culprit that is responsible for the stress that is caused on the
children. As time, progresses this is also one of the significant
reasons why some people stay in dissatisfying jobs.
If a child wants to pursue his/her dream of earning a skill
rather than a degree, they face prejudices about their career.
The key to breaking the stereotypical notion of earning a
degree for societal pleasure and pressure needs to be done
immediately.
Skills such as drawing, writing, painting, gardening, acting,
designing are often underrated as hobbies and put under a
different category of time-pass. The parents have the idea
that a hobby can be pursued but along with a high-paying
job. But what they fail to understand is that the skill itself can
be turned into a high-paying job if done effectively.
Alphabet, which is Google’s parent company is one of the
companies that emphasize skills over degrees. In many of the
job searches, Alphabet’s employers require applicants to have
bachelor degrees "or any equivalent practical experience."
Founders of top companies like Apple, Uber, Dropbox,
Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter were dropouts who were highly
skilled to shine!
The Ultimate End: Focus on Skills
Rather than satisfying the fears of what others think and feel,
parents, need to understand more than being on trend and
making the relatives content, one needs to make the child
follow the dreams. If the child isn't able to decide, then guide
them. Rather than focusing on who has a degree and who
earns more, focus on the skills to develop for a better life.
 A Social Status
By Altaf Ahmed

"Degree is acquired by spending time & money;

Skill is acquired by spending time & thoughts"
- Altaf Ahmed
Degree and Skills are both required for a person to be
successful. However, without any Degree, a person is
termed as unqualified, whereas without any Skills, he is
inexperienced. So, both go hand-in-hand for a man to be
successful. An academic degree is a qualification awarded to
successful students upon completing a professional course
from a recognized university.
Before even getting a professional degree, it is a question
of social status for one and all. Many in this rat race can
afford to spend the money as required and get the degree
of their choice. However, quite a few can't even afford
the money but borrow and try to get the admissions to
get the degree based on their knowledge and wisdom.

Still, quite a few can't even afford the degree or pay for the
admissions. Still, based on their merit, they are selected in
prestigious institutions or government-aided colleges &
universities. They work hard, and over a period of time, they
are qualified and awarded with handsome degrees.
There is a social stigma attached. Many people acquire
degrees to show they are graduated and professionals in a
particular field. But we come across many people with degrees
without any knowledge and skills in their profession. Either
they acquire these degrees for personal reasons or to boast
around.
Some people are looked down upon if they are uneducated
or have not acquired any degrees. They are not given suitable
jobs, alliances, or responsibilities. They cannot apply for
loans and cannot start any businesses. They cannot present
their ideas and innovations. They cannot participate in any
vocational training or hobbies or take up any rofessional
courses or specialized degrees.
Due to this social stigma, many youths have been
lost around. Because of their inabilities and
difficulties in acquiring a degree, they cannot find
suitable jobs and are unemployed most of the time.

It causes stress and leads to the negativity that goes

beyond one's control and periphery. They take up
odd jobs to meet their personal requirements for
that moment. They keep changing jobs and cannot
stay at one workplace with total dedication and focus.

Because they are not regular employees, they will not get the
benefits and compensation from the employer, which leads
them to change employers very often in search of perks.
Since there is no job security, they will not be able to save for
the rainy days.
It is also to be noted that though the degree is just a piece of
paper qualifying our education, our values and character is
seen in our behavior. These values are inherited when we are
born and are carried throughout our lives from the cradle to
the grave. The mothers are the first teachers.
The family background, values, and cultures are instilled
upon the child and remain until his death and passed on to
generations. Therefore, a person can develop many skills and
pursue further professionally by obtaining a formal degree
and qualifications during his lifetime. The skills obtained by
experience, qualifications, and degrees acquired by formal
education and the values and behavior inherited from his
lineage make a man professional in every ground.

"Students know the Worth of Education only

when they are Professionals" –Altaf Ahmed.
Graduates and holders of professional degrees also enjoy a
social status in society. They enjoy everywhere all the benefits
and perks of being professionals. They can apply anywhere
for jobs and are considered, apply for higher studies and
doctorates in any prestigious institutions, and be honored.
They can apply for bank loans and start their businesses to
become entrepreneurs. They can join in civil services exams
and take up Administration Services and Police Services
with government agencies. They can work as legal and tax
consultants and advisors. People start respecting this kind of
professionals who are offering their services to society.
Social status is important because it influences how people
think and behave. There are two types of status achieved and
ascribed. In achieved status, a person's status reflects their
skills, abilities, and efforts. It is acquired based on merit.

Let's say, A doctor, lawyer, policeman, and sportsperson all

enjoy their social status in their respective fields of profession.
They set to enjoy all the perks and junkets which come their
way. They try to influence and motivate others to follow in
their footsteps to become successful as they are. They become
a source of inspiration for the younger generations to follow.
An ascribed status is beyond a person's control. Since it is
inherited, they have no control over it. His values, behavior
& qualities, customs, traditions and family background,
wealth, stature and clan, ethnicity, culture, and language
are all ascribed status that he carries throughout his life.

Their social status of power can have a big impact and

control over other person resources extensively. They can
also influence and motivate others to some extent, but rather
have full control over their weaknesses to enjoy the values of
power and prestige as a status symbol in the society.
Many people who are deprived of professional qualifications
and degrees are looked down upon as their social status does
not match the qualified personnel.
They are given lower grade jobs at workplaces based on their
vocational training and skills against a professional degree.
Their compensation and benefits also are not at par with the
qualified professionals.
Their growth in professional-level may go up to Supervisors,
and Foreman levels only and not higher.
They live a low to middle-class lifestyle throughout their life
span. They try to live happily in whatever social status they
create around themselves. Social status plays an important
role in our lives.
Based on our qualifications and skills, power and prestige,
financial position and stature, the relationships and dealings
with everyone varies.

It will have a big impact and affects morally and emotionally

on the deprived ones. But based on our values, character,
and behavior, we need to change our perspective of how we
look at things differently and act accordingly. Social status
may be engraved on our minds, but we need to show our
clean hearts to win other people!
 An opportunity to
discover passion
Ntsiki Ncoco
Natural Strengths:
Every human being is raised and nurtured through some kind
of education. But, from an early age, it is through informal
education at home by biological parents or a childminder that
could be a relative or a total stranger doing the duties. These
are the critical people who identify a child's development and
trends of cognitive behavior.

Cognitive Behaviour:
God-given natural gifts and talents show up. Some excel in
clear, indisputable facts, with the direction one will follow in
life.
At this stage of growing up, some behavioral patterns have
been identified from the daily actions of a child.
Taking cognizance of the informal activities a child would
mostly engage in even without abilities to master them.
It can be perceived as a passion that gradually develops into
further growth stages of a certain trend of actions to a certain
career.
Take, for instance, a child who loves reading due to imitating
a pattern of an adult. Some children could even look like
they have found their passion at an early age, yet not. Some
people can have multiple passions and need guidance to be
properly aligned. In this fashion, many parents have misled
their children into following their own pride covered in what
they portray as a child's passion.

Misleading Pattern:
In some cases, children focus on subjects they are good at,
following a specific curriculum by the government to be
followed from primary/early age to high school/grade
12/A level/O levels, etc. Thus, any subject matter a child has
mastered in primary to high school is mistakenly taken as
their passion.
This pattern has misplaced a lot of talent and caused much
discourse even in the workplace with Human Resources. But
unfortunately, they are in jobs for a salary rather than being
on their purpose and providing solutions to the organizations
they are serving.
Unhappiness at home because of not being satisfied with the
career choices and stuck with unsatisfactory results at the
end of each day.
To end this vicious cycle, we look at the service of education.
A Degree as an opportunity to discover passion:
Interests: Focus on What You Are Good At
Naturally, people gravitate towards things they are interested
in and are good at with a more mature mindset.
Hence a degree is an opportunity to zoom into a specialized
educational curriculum, to discover every little step to
your passion with proven support of a fully structured and
functional education system.
Human longing: The 'Why' Factor
Every responsible human being desire to find their purpose
on earth, why they are on earth, why they were created, and
what they were created for to serve humanity.
A certain father desired that his first-born son become a
medical doctor. He was exceptionally good at Mathematics
& Science and represented his country overseas. After
Matriculation, his father wanted him to register at a Medical
Institution. Against his father's will, be registered at the same
Institution, but for an Engineering course, he discovered his
passion through a degree he desired to obtain. He obtained
his degree with excellence as he followed his heart and
passion in a fairly new discipline that was not popular for his
ethnic group.
Against all odds, his discovery through a degree was a success
as it was his passion.

Career Guidance Process:

Before enrolling at any institution, you go through a career
guidance process. It assists you to discover more clarity and
guidance through the 'open day' about all the courses that
are being offered and could be a possibility of combination
to pursue and be beneficial in the process of discovering your
passion.
Do a Career Aptitude Tests; they differ in various institutions
to guide you into the right career path.
Coaching & Mentorship:
Passion can be found even at later stages in life. At a higher
level of education, you can still discover your passion.
Therefore, it is pertinent to have a Mentor at this tender
stage to help you identify the following steps to know which
degree to follow that aligns with your passion.
All Institutions have different faculties and divisions that give
full support to you as their student; they will channel you
through the right career path to help you find your passion.
A good life coach can help you gain perspective on your
current situation. They can also help you align your career
goals with your passion. Your lecturer, tutor, and supervisor
are your life coach and mentor who will help you discover
your degree. They have the skills to assist you in developing
a plan to start living your life to its full potential. They will
help you find out exactly how to identify your passion, what
makes you feel most excited and find yourself wishing you
could do more.
A good life coach can help you gain perspective on your
current situation. They can also help you align your career
goals with your passion.
Conclusion:
The most important thing to clarify to discover your passion
is to Know Yourself Well.
ASSESSMENT TEST
It is critical to answering all the questions with absolute
integrity and honesty to give the best results.
1. Identify your natural strengths:

• List of activities that you successfully do without

thinking
• Activities that do not demand mental nor your physical
energy
• Activities that make you feel good and satisfied after
performing them.

2. Do a concise personality type test on:

• Your character: A set of qualities that make you

• Your behavior: Your actions and reactions you give
others
• Your likes & dislikes: General preferences

3. Report:
You will go through these stages about yourself: -
• Accept some results • Deny some results
• Self-Discovery
Your strengths and personality type clearly identify your
interests which are your passion.
It is a journey of discovering your passion, embrace it, and
live it.
 "Passion is that inborn
greatness within you, small as a
mustard seed, water it with daily
love to grow and bless the world
around you." -Ntsiki Ncoco
 An opportunity to
discover passion
Safaa Sahulhameed
What is your passion? was a question asked by one of my
high-school teachers.
As an adolescent, I probably did not know what my passion
was. But I answered to become a doctor. The teacher asked
the same question to the girl beside me. And she answered
the same.
Maybe becoming a doctor was everyone's passion back then.
But did we follow what we claimed as our so-called passion?
As I grew older, I felt there was a connection between passion
and love. Does a mere attraction guarantee a long-lasting love
relationship? To make a love relationship work, one needs
patience and determination to succeed. The happily-ever-
after tagline does not apply to all couples, and the same holds
for discovering passion because passion is not an overnight
process.
Imagine doing an activity that you love and enjoy? A game of
chess, Perhaps Aquascaping or Baking? Would you instantly
fall in love with the action, or would you take time to master
the skill? To create a burning desire and to follow a passion,
time is essential.
The same concept applies when you choose a degree. You
discover your passion and your desire for the most wanted
skills. You choose a bachelor's degree, find your area of
expertise and pursue your master's degree in that area.
The passion of being a doctor slowly got carried when I chose
to study computers as my Undergraduate degree. However,
I was pushed to study Bachelor's in Computer Applications,
and the curiosity to know more about the subject led me to
pursue a Master's degree in the same area.
My bachelor's degree served as an opportunity to discover
my passion for coding and programming, and I desired to
pursue a Master's in Computers. I have also been rewarded a
gold medal and secured the top rank in the University.
But when I pursued my Masters, I no longer felt the desire to
learn about computers. It might be because I was pushed to
follow a passion. The three years of post-graduation paved
the way to rediscover what my desire was. It was a tough
decision to study something I was passionate about, only to
find out I wanted to do something different.
And as years passed, I met my school friend, who had the
same passion as mine. The passion that I wanted to follow
during my school days.The love of studying medicine and
being a doctor. After a small conversation with her, I learned
that she was a pediatrician and specialized in Child trauma.
The difference between both of us was that both of us followed
our passion. But in my case, I found out about my interest at
a different stage of life, and my computer degree made me
hone my skills in another area to rediscover my passion. In
contrast, she had the same intensity throughout all stages of
her life and pursued what she initially thought her passion
was. Our degrees served as a stepping stone to move forward
with the careers of our choice.
Once you discover what your passion is, the real challenge
begins. It is the time to decide whether your degree will serve
as an opportunity to help you grow better in what you study
or whether to take a step and rediscover your passion.
Whatever it is, you hold the responsibility to create the
masterpiece of your life.
 An opportunity to
discover passion
Nayyab Farooq Satti
Life happens every day or even in a minute. Few people have
set standards to call out their time to life, and the rest are
blindly settled for every opportunity which comes forward.
Here is a reality check: How do you define real opportunity?
"A lucky time for availability of chances, which are unique,
sometimes missed, and at the earliest situations to do
something that you have aimed to do."
With the relevancy of that tenure in any form is defined
opportunity. You have an Optimistic, to-do & daring mindset
with whom you see opportunity in every difficulty and where
you know the cost of missed opportunity is as expensive as
time.
Say YES to every opportunity :
You deliberately ignored or evaded the situations even though
your heart is confident enough to mold in every chance and
enjoy that success.
But what if you missed it?
Mark the word YES to every opportunity where you are out
of your COMFORT ZONE,
Where you are urged to learn, learn it in every possible way.
You are not measured your success only by your earnings.
And instead, you are concerned about investing your time in
the availability of any opportunity.
As Paulo Coelho says:
"How Much I Missed Because I Was Afraid Of Missing It."
Never miss any life as an opportunity, or skip it at your own risk.
Posthumously you would never have regression as an obstacle
on the way of self-growth. It's a self-explanatory scenario that
your will to do something in your mind beholds the power of
encouragement. Preparation, having the capability to seize
every helping element to grab the opportunity.
To practice it, you need to focus on being brave and have no
fear of failure or even getting success. You would take it or
not. The ball is in your pocket.
If you have barged in to take risks, your belief and faith will
play a role as Catalyst. Every new beginning might often
be disguised as a painful end, but you need to manifest the
purpose through this experience.
Excerpt of all this discussion, I am uttering in these words:
"Optimistic approach to get ready what's forthcoming or
just around the corner intending to use the time; against the
norms on your set goals with a firm belief in what we can
create opportunities to build a successful and rendition of
purpose in life.
Rise and shine on all your good and bad days. Even if you lose
a job or even if there is an opportunity to make discoveries
within yourself.
Pondering on what you have not expected is exceptionally
good here, like a blessing in disguise.
As John Adams says:
"Every problem is an opportunity in disguise."
Passion
When you are on the way to hunt for opportunities, there
is a zest element along with it. Here is a reinvigoration of a
process where the word passion would work. Let's get into it
with its meaning.
Passion is an energy that emits for any goal, ambition,
and purpose, but it is a booster to your failures and a
desire to achieve whatever they are marking themselves.

But we can't stick to the fact that passion is a fundamental and

leading attribute on achievements. It works like a medicine
that you have injected into your mind. The better part is
serving. Didn't get it?
It is serving in any genre, whether it is sentimental, functional,
or professional. It is a critical factor of relevance for every
field, whether you be a doctor, an engineer, an artist, or an
athlete. It works like magic.
Specifications of practicing passion
Taking a dose of Motivation that leads your enthusiasm to
the next level is what you need daily.
A Hope of change that looks impossible, yet you are trying
and willing to serve.
A Source of Rumination builds a chain to unlock all your
potentials.
Say Yes to Self Growth has fueled you with how you should
say No to your comfort zone.
It encompasses mindfulness to analyze what's right or wrong
and for where to set all passion.
It is an expensive attribute for being bossy and a leader at
the same time. Passion is the only way to get equilibrium in
work & daily lives.
A tool of consistency is as lethal or rare to follow as moral
values. Passion adheres to some set pattern to follow every
day, where you won't burn off your desire for a passionate
career or even your self-development.
Now, We can mark the words of Steve Jobs :
"You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a
wrong that you want to right. If you're not passionate enough
from the start, you'll never stick it out."
Like it shows that it's a whole process of developing yourself
in the rage of analyzing what's right & wrong, and you made
yourself passionate about it. Is Passion a Fashion?
We all love to tag ourselves with words like "I am passionate
and determinant." With time, this word is being used in
popularity as a trend, not by its natural means. It can be viral
#, but the dire need is to take action just the way out like it
should be a professional pursuit to achieve.
Your lifestyle should act upon that you adore passion as a
Fashion. You have to adopt the attitude of being a passionate
individual who is solely devoted to his/herself to their goals.
Always plan your personality to have those attributes that are
helping you to discover your passion in your everyday life.
Rather than all your plans without taking action and waiting
for time to let them happen. What's not the best thing that
you do every day is what you love to do.
As We read in Denis Waitley Tweet:
"Chase your passion, not your pension."
Make your passion Discovery a Hit opportunity.
Fewer people have realized the case studies of what
opportunity offers with the leisure of their passion. Most
of the time, people choose the chance with the markup of
earning money as being called "Successful."
Define your ways of analyzing capabilities and potentials with
a direct measurement that would be enough to get called for
society or your own when you have started digging yourself
deeper and deeper with the stages of growth, where you
discover a new version of yourself.
Let's create a magic of your own in a world of opportunities.
As Buddha enlightens us with the thought-provoking remark,
Let's create a magic of your own in a world of opportunities.
As Buddha enlightens us with the thought-provoking remark,

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your
heart to give yourself to it." – Buddha.
My favorite quote by Henry Ford:
Whether you think you can or think you can't. You are right.
 AN AUTHENTIC
CERTIFICATION:
By Shobana Karthik

A degree is a crown to a person who holds dignity.

A degree stands as evidence for all the highlights in previous
chapters, which is a confidence booster, the social status
upgradation of a person and paves the way for finding one’s
passion and inner potential.
A degree serves as an important credential to dive into the
space of opportunities. It unwraps one’s authenticity, which is
best portrayed in the form of a declaration. It acts as a medium
for one to connect the skills with utmost responsibility and
credibility. It is noticed that the employers believe that the
degree shapes a person with remarkable hard and soft skills.
Nowadays, the degree is reaching its new horizon in miniature
forms, the short-term certification courses.
It is the paper that highlights the weightage of a person, and
there is no room for disbelief. The degree is the key to open
the door of opportunity.
It shows the capability of a person to turn their potential into
success.
A degree makes a student stand out of the crowd and grab
career opportunities. Moreover, it is a privilege not only for
the degree holder but for the entire family.
The benefits of having a degree certificate are listed here:
1. Increased access to job opportunities.
2. Exposure to set a specialized career.
3. Awareness of the market availability.
4. Economic growth over survivability.
5. Mass networking opportunities
6. Build self-esteem.
7. Higher job satisfaction.
8. Return on investment.

1. Increased access to job opportunities:

The job listings are flooded online. The statistical report
shows that college graduates see 57% more job opportunities
than non-degree holders. Authentic credibility leads to new
connections, which in turn expands the job opportunities.
A degree is a refined job search where one can land a high-
quality job that adds the mark of pride.
2. Exposure to set a specialized career:
As the world changes faster, the degree of living also changes
a lot. The adaptability for the cutting edge technologies and
the trend-setting fields are explored with the guidance of the
degree. A degree plays an important role in throwing light
on the path of a specialized area.
3. Awareness of the market availability:
The change is not constant at all times. Therefore the market
availability is changing rapidly. The evolution of the market in a
specialized area is better understood with education.
4. Economic growth over survivability:
The first-level degree inspires others who are aspiring to reach
for the sky. Also, inspires and guides one to develop the necessary
qualities to increase the income level. The person is ready to go
the extra mile to create his legacy. A degree holder earns his right
to earn more income. Therefore there is economic stability.
5. Mass networking opportunities:
In today’s era, networking is a critical factor to be considered. A
degree helps to build a strong professional network which in turn
opens up more opportunities.
6. Build self-esteem:
Majority of the economically low line families dream of a degree
holder in their family. It is the source of self-esteem for them.
Their dream is fueled by the thirst to build their self-esteem by
earning a degree.
7. Higher job satisfaction:
When the degree leads to a quality job, the satisfaction one gets
is equal to the fulfillment of his purpose. Therefore, higher job
satisfaction is the inspiration to give more.
8. Return on investment:
Many believe that the degree is an asset. It adds value to a
person and is also considered the best investment in oneself
as lifelong security. A person pursuing a degree is rewarded,
recognized, and supported by the government, too, in
scholarships, internships, training, etc.
Thus the ins and outs of an authentic certification are
discussed in this chapter. Therefore, the degree of being a
degree holder always adds value to an individual.
 PART I
Degree Vs Skill

Chapter 2:
A Skill
 What is a skill ?
Nasir Ali

Skills will make you stand even when the degree is

against you. – Nasir Ali

Skills are a deliberate practice of doing something to get

the desired results and achieve competency.
A skill can be defined as:

S K I L L

Sustained Knowing Imagine, Leverage Learn &

and HOW to ideate & the power improve
continuous perform then of through
effort to the task. A implement. creativity my own
achieve solution to & experience.
competency a problem. innovation.
In other words, Skill is a sustained and continuous effort
where you know HOW to execute the task. With your own
experience and creativity, you bring the ideas that offer the
solution to a problem.
A skill is a practice that SPEAKS about the solution rather
than a problem.
A skill without competency is useless.
A Skill without passion is nothing.
A Skill without practice is lifeless.
A skill without creativity is monotonous.
A skill without innovation is repetition.
A skill without learning is stagnation.
A skill without implementation is a waste of talent.

What are the essential elements of Skills?

There are two essential elements of skills.
Elements of skills = Deliberate practice + Growth
Mindset

Deliberate practice
You can achieve mastery by only deliberate practice. There
is no other way that will help you to master your skills.

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks
once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick
10,000 times." -Bruce Lee.
Usually, we feel that knowing more things will help us out.
But the fact is that your brain doesn't store the information
for a long time until it is stored in the subconscious mind.
Let's understand it with a simple example.
When you start learning car driving, initially it takes time to
learn it, and at that time, you are very conscious about the
brakes, gears and accelerator, traffic and don't even use the
phone. When you become a master, you become liberal and
don't need to give attention to the gears and other things.
The reason is simple: you only need to give attention until
the items are not stored in your subconscious mind.
The question is, how can you feed that information
into your subconscious mind?
You feed that information by doing deliberate practice. When
you practice, again and again, your mind is being trained.
Hence, acquiring excellence in your skills is done by deliberate
practice.
Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is a practical approach to excellence in
your skills. When you reach a point, your ego surpasses your
intellect. You stop practicing and believe that you know
everything. It is a mentality of a fixed mindset.
But when you have a growth mindset, you are always in
learning mode. You know there are a lot of things to learn,
and you never stop learning. You experiment more. You
create more and achieve more. You are no longer the victim
of your comfort zone.
Your skills are your strength.
No one can take it from you.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
We usually feel that knowing so many skills lead to success.
But the reality is that excellence in one Skill is the Success
Formula.
Competency in one Skill is better than knowing ten skills.
Now, you might be thinking, let's say I am a content writer. It
means I don't need to achieve competency in sales. Yes, you
can. But you have to determine whether you are giving the
proper time to sharpen your skills or not?
Instead of focusing on content writing, your expertise, you
start to focus on sales skills. Now you think, If I don't focus on
sales, how can I get the customers. If I don't get the customer,
then for whom shall I write?
Yes, you are right. But take a deep breath and think, if you
appoint someone good in sales skills and focus on your skills.
Then, you will achieve the more desired result.
Skill is also the art of doing the things what is best for you.
The best are the ones who select the one and leave the rest.
 "The seeds of skills become plant and
blossom if you water it regularly".
-Nasir Ali.
One of my friends who is a software engineer called me and
said, Nasir, my company fired me. I have given my 15 years to
this company and see what I get in return. I am too worried
about what I can do next.
In a low voice, I said, don't worry, you will get the job soon.
Would you please share your resume as I have few friends in
this field? They might help you. He forwarded his resume,
and I sent it to my friends.
I had been continuously asking my friends if they found an
opportunity for him. One of my friends told me something
that shocked me.
He said- The resume you forwarded me was impressive when
I read the first line that said, "I have 15 years of profound
experience as a software engineer."
But after reading the resume, I have found that this person
sticks to one area and has done the same thing for 15 years
and never upgraded his skills.
That's the reason he got fired from the company. Due to
the deep penetration of technology, new things are being
introduced. When he became obsolete, the company didn't
need him anymore.
I was shocked initially and thought the company would not
have done it to him. But after my friend explained to me the
whole case, I realized it is essential to upgrade your skills.

"Practice is oxygen for Skill.

If you don't practice, it will die soon".
- Nasir Ali
 What is a skill?
Altaf ahmed

A skill can be defined as expertise or talent to perform a job

efficiently or a task to get the desired result with or without
any prior qualifications. Though there are many people
without any professional degrees, because of their skills, they
become successful. These skills are acquired by experience
and learning through peers and mentors, which makes them
successful.
Some people work hard, and some work-wise. Some people
with formal qualifications with specialized skills follow the
processes and procedures to achieve the task. Some people,
even without any traditional degrees, work smart using their
hard-earned skills.
Many people who attend world-class institutions to get their
specialized degrees under their belt are lucky to get plum
jobs in fancy offices and their careers jump-start. They start
a steady career with all the benefits & perks, buy their cars
and homes, get married, have children, go for vacations, plan
their retirement, and settle down early in their lives.
Moreover, they provide good education to their children in
the best schools and provide a decent living for their families.
In comparison, few people who could not get their hands on
decent jobs keep switching companies searching for better
jobs and placements. But still, on their way, trying to manage
their lives with whatever they get their hands on.
Skill measures the amount of worker's expertise and
specialization in a particular field and supervisory qualities.
Skilled workers are generally more trained, highly paid,
and have more responsibilities and values than unskilled
workers. One factor that increases the demand for qualified
professional workers is introducing computers in every field
for automation, efficiency, and higher productivity.
These workers must train and upgrade their human capital to
learn how the machinery works more efficiently. Technology
like robotics and artificial intelligence plays a critical role in
achieving higher productivity in utilizing their skills.
Technology is not the only factor. The emerging trends
and the effects of globalization also play an essential role in
creating demand for skilled workers. As the countries develop
further, there is also a demand for highly professional and
skilled workers. They create jobs to meet their requirements.
They educate and train their citizens to meet this demand.

However, people from underdeveloped countries also look for

opportunities to showcase their skills and move to developed
countries where their talent and abilities are recognized and
get highly paid jobs with all benefits. It will be a life-changing
moment for the people who can design and upgrade their
lifestyle and the countries that offer them employment.
Skills and talents are the expertise needed in a specific
field to do a job efficiently, precisely, and on time. It takes
determination and practice, but most of the skills can be
learned or improved over time. A person needs to set realistic
expectations and goals, get organized to learn more, and
keep updated accordingly to meet the requirements and the
trends. Special skills are the abilities that we possess make
us exceptionally qualified for the desired position. Moreover,
our skills or abilities could help recognize us as a professional,
craftsman, and trader.
People can acquire most skills either by spending time and
money or by experience, guidance, on-job training, and
working part-time or vocational training. Qualities are the
ones that we are born with and which reflect our character
and behavior.
But qualities describe our well-being and our nature.
For example, getting a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science
or an Engineering degree in Computer Science teaches us
programming in computers or technical skills in computer
services or programming skills. But hands-on experience in
both the fields and a specialized course in a particular area
makes a person a thorough professional: having a degree
as an academic qualification in the professional field and
mastering the art by getting hands-on skills will certify him
as an expert in his field. A skill also requires learning through
a specialist training institution.
Skills and talents are the abilities that give a noble reputation
and respectable life to an individual. He will be known as an
expert in that field. People trust him for his services as he can
understand them well and address their issues accordingly.
He will be able to grow his fan following and increase his
income multi-folds. His fame and popularity spread through
word-of-mouth, and his confidence grows abundantly.
This way, his skills, and professional degree are recognized
and make him an expert. He can pass on this knowledge and
wisdom to others, his teachings are widely accepted, and he
can do research and provide valuable benefits to the people.
Many people have inbuilt skills and talents hidden within
them. It all depends on how we use and how they exploit
them. If a person is given proper guidance and support at the
right time, he can channelize his talents in the right direction.
But unfortunately, many underprivileged people cannot find
the resources to help them showcase their talents.
To overcome this, good Samaritans and NGOs could come
forward and identify these individuals with hidden talents
and support them. In that case, these individuals will shine
bright in their careers with their inbuilt skills and talents. It
could be sport or any trade. But people need to believe in and
respect their abilities and talents.
An individual needs to think about his current situation,
experiences, and qualifications and improve them. Then, they
need to think about what other skills they can learn and include
in their portfolio, which can help them make a successful career.

They can discuss this with friends they know because only
an outer perspective can help them identify their skills and
improve them. They can list down their strengths, weaknesses,
and areas to improve on.
This way, an individual can add value to their professional
career. It will not only help him grow professionally but
become a more talented and highly skilled individual.

Each individual must get out of their comfort zone and

needs to learn a new skill or talent and upgrade themselves
time and again only if they believe in themselves and realize
that working towards skills up-gradation or knowledge
enhancement can help them reach greater heights.
They need to develop the current skill-sets as there may be
many strong skills that help a person succeed in life. Although
they may have graduated recently or years ago, it doesn't mean
they should stop learning. A true mentor can guide a person
in the right direction. There is no age limit for learning and
no limits to taking on additional responsibilities.
Hard skills and soft skills are essential because they increase
employee productivity, enhance their effectiveness in
performing a given task and result in employee satisfaction.
However, only hard skills alone cannot make any business
successful as an individual also needs to teach other soft skills
that contribute to customer satisfaction and a successful
career.
"Degree is acquired by spending time & money;
Skill is acquired by spending time & thoughts"
– Altaf Ahmed MBA, COA.
 What is a skill?
Ronald Arakal

The ability to perform an action or task with some degree

of expertise to produce good quality work is called Skills. A
person usually develops various skills throughout his lifetime,
some through everyday interactions such as communication
skills and some through training or trial and error such as
programming skills.
Skills also add value to a person’s degree. In the modern
world, where everyone has the ability to achieve the highest
degree in their education, skills are what make them stand
out in the crowd.
Think about it, what use is a Ph.D. degree if you do not have
the skills to manage a team, communicate effectively, or even
hold a technical conversation based on your research subject.
So don’t just go and attain the highest degree for the status
symbol; add value to it by developing various skills needed
for the job role or position in which you wish to work.
People can achieve great heights even with “just” a Bachelor’s
degree if they have put in the time and effort to work on
themselves and develop the right skill set.
The process of developing skills is never straightforward.
Taking communication skills as an example: - Remember the
first time you were required to speak in public or in front of a
group of people. How did you feel?
Or how does that thought make you feel? Do you feel a bit
uneasy? That is because you tried something out of your
comfort zone.
In the process of skill development, anything new should
always be seen as a learning opportunity. As a newbie, the
path is always going to be riddled with mistakes and failures.
This form of learning is called trial and error.
So, back to our example of public speaking for the first
time, there is a possibility to mess up in front of a live
audience despite the hours of practice. The nerves might set
in, and you end up speaking in a low volume or even said
incomplete sentences. You might not even make sense and
feel embarrassed at that time and decide never to do it again.
But stop that thought. Before you think so harshly of yourself,
look at the positives that came off that experience. You
probably spoke for the first time in front of a group.
You may have spoken in a language that may not be your first
language. Whether an embarrassing outcome or not, you
would have also captured the attention of a few.
So start small, and eventually, you will be able to speak
confidently over time. It is a type of skill development, and
practicing this mindset will help achieve growth throughout
life.
There will also come the point when everything seems to
have “plateaued” or become stagnant. You feel like you
perform the same tasks as a routine without actually gaining
or developing new skills.
In such cases, it is possible to enter a negative thought process.
The best way to solve this is either through self-assessment or
employing the skills of a professionally registered counsellor.
By doing so, you identify areas where you can improve and
develop. You might also end up finding a certification or
activity that helps you gain a new skill or refine an already
attained skill.
With recognized skills, not only have you added value to your
degree, you stand a higher chance for a better paying job or
to move up the corporate ladder.
Although my examples mostly focus on a corporate-level
job, skills are also beneficial in other forms of employment
such as freelancing or entrepreneurship. In these forms of
employment, the learning curve is steeper.
Mostly you would spend more time self-learning and applying
them to your skillset. It can result in an iterative trial and
error cycle, which can also be a reason to self-doubt and
cultivate the feeling of quitting.
But no matter how hard it may seem to get, you have to be
focused and have the “I must do it” and “I can do it “ attitude.
By updating the essential skills, you can compete with the
ever-changing market and still stand out from the crowd.
With skills, you add value to your profile regardless of being
a degree holder or not. With a degree and a developed skill
set, you would trump over a person with just a degree. But as
previously mentioned, work on your profile as a whole and
don’t stack degrees or skill recognition just for namesake.
 The Career Ladder
Safaa Sahulhameed

Sara was feeling her career has come to a stagnant point. She
had been working for a multinational company ever since
she graduated. It's been over five years. Yet, she still owns the
same desk at her office. She felt her professional career isn't
unfolding the way she planned. She is a hard worker, addicted
to work. Yet, she is depressed. What might be the reason?
Slogging for hours in the office day and night may not possibly
bring a miracle and change her world. Instead, there are other
essential factors like vision, attitude, and creativity. So why do
some succeed in their career while others struggle to exist?
Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer to that question.

The Symbolism of Ladder

Now, let's look at the reason a ladder is so symbolic. Firstly,
why is a ladder made for vertical and not horizontal use?
We use a ladder for climbing in the upward direction. Also,
we can't safely climb a ladder except by using one rung at
a time. Just like people don't get prosperous overnight, but
they grow into it. A ladder offers only a progressive means
of travel.
Each rung in a ladder symbolizes a foundation to reach
greater heights. If a rung is skipped, a disaster may strike.
The consequence: We fall.
Significantly, the similarity between a career and a ladder is
that both require effort to climb.
What does a career ladder mean?
A career ladder enables the employees to grow and advance
their careers to a higher level of responsibility or authority.
Advancing or progressing in a career is a crucial part of
success. Understanding the potential path for progression in
a particular profession can help one plan ahead and know
the future. This path for progression is known as the career
ladder.
Sara and Ahmed were both co-workers of the same
organization. While Ahmed had progressed to being a Team
leader, Sara sat on the same desk despite her hard work. What
could be the reason? Sara did not efficiently climb the career
ladder, as she could not develop her skills to progress further.
To advance in a career and reach the dream position, one
needs to progress professionally, climbing up through what
is known as the skill ladder. Developing a career requires
planning, negotiating, building networks, learning from
experiences, and understanding the current position. It's also
essential to develop the ability to recognize opportunities
and threats.
How to climb the skill ladder?
Just imagine how many things you want to learn? What's
on your bucket list? And what's stopping you from getting
started?
Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new
skill to mastery. In this nonstop world, who has the time to
learn? There are a few basic skills that help to make a career
progression.
Upskilling
Expanding one's skillset in a career will set up new
opportunities. The world is evolving with new in-demand
skill sets that crop up regularly. There's a wide range of soft
skills and hard skills one can pick up to stand out from the
crowd. These can include things like strategies, problem-
solving, and analytical reasoning. Upskilling can be broadly
classified into the following categories.
Operative skills
Operative skills are essential to know how one works, most
importantly, how people are seen to work. It is the expertise
that underlies how employees work and interact with others.
It's how they naturally work. It affects how they are.
Seen at work.
• They meet others successfully.
• They can coordinate in teams.
• Able to negotiate and resolve conflict.
Communicative Skills
Without effective communication, there is no practical
work done. The interactions with others are how one builds
reputation and relationships – and gets the job done.

Communicative skills enable to

Choose Speak Present Be a Adapt

what to through better. good and ask
speak. actions. listener. questions
if
needed.

Though there seems to be an enormous number of skills one

needs to have a successful career, there are specific careers
because they meet skills that a person must possess for a job!
As the saying goes, "The best way to eat an elephant is one
bite at a time." And the best way to climb a career ladder is to
develop one idea, one area at a time.
Brainstorm ideas, find ways to work for you and implement
the skills in your career. And when they work, integrate them
into what you do. Viola! You have a new career skill!
Some advance through their career because they succeed
in meeting the challenges by syncing the skills with the
constantly changing work environment.
Because although it's the best option to hire skilled
workers, it's equally paramount to invest time and energy
in upgrading the current workforce.
Since the career roles are changing faster than ever,
making skill gaps more apparent across companies
and industries. According to a recent study, many H.R.
professionals believe there's a significant skills gap in
their organizations. Moreover, 75% quote that their
organization's skills gap is moderate to severe.
It increases the need for growth and development
opportunities to keep one's capabilities up to date as,
in the future, the skills that we learn today may become
obsolete in the next 3-5 years. Since climbing the skill
ladder can also help employees learn future-forward
skills, companies can fill open positions while retaining
the present workforce by creating learning opportunities.
Nine out of 10 employees say that improving skills
have made them more productive.
This way, the employees can contribute more to their
team's successes. And the companies mutually benefit.
More than ninety-one percent of them have seen
an increase in their overall productivity because of
upskilling employees. Greater productivity, better the
results. And better results mean higher employee and
employer happiness.
Why is it essential to climb a skill ladder?
Several steps can be taken to advance in a career - either
at the current employment or open up new opportunities
to start a new job. An individual's skills act as a climbing
ladder to move further in the career, which can be a
stepping stone for the next phase of career and personal
life. Even though a person may be well-qualified and
a dedicated workaholic, the career progression can
stagnate if appropriate skills are not developed over time.

Career progression is an integral part of a person's

career. Developing skills or upskilling should improve the
professional life, enhancing the overall happiness and making
him a better person.
 The Career Ladder
Shobana Karthik.

Though a degree is a gateway to land a good job, one cannot

push forward without a skill
“Degree doesn't matter if there are no skills”
- Shobana Karthik.

There are different kinds of job positions with some job

responsibilities and requirements for a particular degree.
The skills that one possesses, in the beginning, can serve only
to an extent. There is a necessity for the up-gradation of skills
and adaptability to fit in the job market.

“The world has come around to the view that

democracy is essential for full human development.
And only education and skill development can make
this possible.” Subramanian Swamy

A skill update is essential for one to groom himself and build

a strong professional career. A skill makes one outstand the
crowd and plays a vital role in performance appraisal. A skill
adds value to a person as well as his service.
The more skilled you are, the expert you become. The expert
you become, the more the quality of service.
Learning a new skill should be done consciously, and the
competency level has to be measured from time to time.
A skill acquired if done with full awareness and mastered, one
can climb the career ladder quickly. The different competency
levels of a person can be measured using the combination of
the two factors:
• Skill
• Consciousness
The combinations are as follows:
1. Unskilled unconsciously
2. Unskilled consciously
3. Skilled consciously
4. Skilled unconsciously

1. Unskilled unconsciously:
If you are not aware that you don’t have the required skill, you
become unskilled unconsciously. Being aware of what skill is
required and what skill you possess are the key elements to
climb up the ladder.
2. Unskilled consciously:
At this stage, you are aware that you don’t possess a particular
skill. Once you are aware, you will start looking for ways to
improve.
3. Skilled consciously:
It is the stage where you start learning the skill and start
applying it. You see the improvement in your work, and it
makes you feel more confident.
4. Skilled unconsciously:
It is the level of mastery over the skill. You are in a complete
flow state where the skill is applied more efficiently.
The advancement in career, adaptability to the new change,
and self-improvement are achieved by developing a skill.
A constant update of skill helps you discover your inner
potential and paves the way to finding diversified jobs.
The stronger the skill is, the Stronger is the knowledge.
Stronger the knowledge is, Expertise is the attitude. Each one
has a leader icon within. The skills will boost the confidence
level and awaken the leader inside you. The skill is strongly
associated with habits.
Habits frame the path to future success. The awareness of
the value which is hidden within brings out the fuel to add
value to others. This awareness is the key to sharpen your
skill and brings clarity, and helps one do the job consciously.
It will improve productivity and discover new strategies to
overcome the problem.
With skill awareness, one can frame his definite plan and
become stronger and stronger every day. One can look at the
situation from a different perspective filled with a positive
attitude.
 Passion a bootstrap
for the skill
Nasir Ali

Skill without passion is like a flower without fragrance.

Skill without passion is like a vehicle without fuel.
Skill without passion is like a river without water.Skill
without passion is like a life without happiness.
Ignite your passion

Passion is to find your authentic self that

brings real joy and satisfaction in your life.
-Nasir Ali.
If you want to live a fulfilling life, find your passion.
One of Aditya's cousins suggested him, and he also asked him-
What do you want to become in your life? Aditya was blank
and did not say anything. His cousin also said you should start
searching for your passion. If you don't find your passion, you
have nothing. In his 20's, most of the people asked him the
same question. He was unable to answer the question.
Did you notice that everyone came to Aditya and talked about
passion?
But no one came and suggested to him how to find the
passion. It is the reality that the younger generation is not
getting support and help from their surroundings. So, they
become directionless and don't know where to go. The irony
is that everyone is talking about the problem, and no one
talks about the solution.
It is the primary reason they don't know how to make the best
use of them despite having the skills. No one is there to guide
them; indirectly, everyone confuses them.
People give solutions without understanding the problem,
and even if they understand the problem, they don't offer
the right solution. If everyone, before giving any suggestion,
deeply understands the problem and gives the solutions. The
world will automatically become a thriving place.
We have to understand that passion starts with self and ends
with self. In this process, there is no YOU. Hence, seeking
the solution from the outside never gives the appropriate
solution. Always ask what your self wants from yourself.

How to ignite your passion.

Find your WHY

W H Y
Who How do I Yes, I am
am I? reach my ready
purpose?
W- Who I am
To achieve the great win in your life, you have to identify
what you want from yourself? For example, what are your
interests, hobbies, and strengths?
H- How do I reach my purpose?
After determining all the things, you can align what you
want to do in your life. For deep understanding, give yourself
some time to learn new things; it will help you understand
which option is best. It will also help you to unleash your
expertise or the innate skills that you never explore.

We only understand from our experiences. The more you

explore, the more you experience, and the more you get in
touch with your skills. In other words, you can reach your
purpose by exploring new things. Your exploration phase
will give you clarity about your passion. You can identify what
things make you happy and align with yourself.
Y- Yes, I am ready
Did you know most people aren't able to do whatever
they want to do? Because they are dreamers and thinkers.
Whatever calculations and analytics you do, it doesn't matter
until you apply it. So, whatever you feel you want to do, give
it a try without thinking about the outcome.
Become an action-taker, become unstoppable and transform
your life.
Bootstrapper.
When passion and skill go together
Shivani started her career in digital marketing, but she was
not enjoying her job. She didn't find any spark in her life; her
work became monotonous, and her productivity dropped
to a certain extent. Finally, her boss called her and said, you
were doing a great job, but what happened now? For a few
days, you were not concentrating on your work and also not
performing well. She said- Sorry, I will try my best. Then, she
again started with a boost and did her work.
After five days, her colleague came into her cabin and saw
that she was lost somewhere. So, she asked- what happened,
Shivani? She said I am not able to give my best as I am not
involved in my work. So, when I do my work, I feel bored. Her
colleague said that you are great at your job. Shivani said-
Being good at something doesn't mean you are enjoying it.
Shivani took a break for a few days and visited her cousin's
place. She was shocked to see her cousin obsessed with work
and enjoying it thoroughly. So, she asked her cousin, how are
you happy with your work? Her cousin said, I enjoy doing it,
and I don't feel bored.
She returned home and searched for the answer- why I don't
enjoy my work even though I am good at it. My cousin enjoys
her work and doesn't feel bored. She resumed her office
again and went back to her same life. Her mother was worried
about her and called her friend to stay with her for a day to
elevate her mood. Her friend came, and Shivani felt relaxed
and became happy.
Meanwhile, her friend got a call from the office, and her
manager said, I have an urgent task for you, and you need to
complete it by today. Shivani helped her in completing her
task, and it took almost 5 hours. After completing the work,
Shivani realized that she enjoyed the work without even
being tired for a while.
She finally understood why her cousin is enjoying her work,
and she doesn't because she does the work she loves. So, she
immediately left her job and looked for another job that
resonated with her interest and purpose.
This story tells that when skills and passion meet, magic
happens. At this point, your work becomes no more hustle for
you; and you start enjoying it and become your best version.

skills skills + Passion

Passion
Default Thriving Growth
zone zone zone

There are three zones based on skills and passion

default zone, growth zone, and thriving zone.
Default zone:
The default zone is where a person is good at a skill but
doesn't enjoy their work. You can relate the default zone with
the above story. Shivani was in the default zone and searched
for the work that she would enjoy doing.
Growth zone:
It is a zone of passion, where one has a passion for some work
but doesn't have skills. It is called a growth zone because, in
this zone, a person is willing to learn new things that align
with his passion. He has the urge to explore, learn and grow.
Skills can be learned and developed by practice, but passion
can't.
Thriving zone:
It is a breakthrough zone where you do what you love and are
also good at that skill. At the end of the story, it happened to
Shivani. Initially, she was in the default zone, and in the end,
she was ready to thrive.

When life's journey goes from the default

zone to the thriving zone, you become
your best version. - Nasir Ali

Passion- A rapid motive power

When passion becomes your work, you are no longer the

victim of the work. Instead, you start to dive deeper and
understand the things, and you want to explore every aspect
of what you are doing.
 Your passion is the driving force that
leads you to the epitome of success.

I realized several times that if I am passionate about anything

and don't know how to do that work, my passion helps me
set my foot in and reach my destination. I am a graphic
designer by profession and founder of LinkedIn It to WIN
it community. I have explored both areas because of my
intense passion. If I hadn't been passionate about learning
and exploring new things, I would never achieve things in the
way I have achieved today.
Most of the time, if you don't have a skill but have a passion
for learning it, you can climb the mountains and reach the
apex.

"My passion is my skill and

my skill is my passion."- Nasir Ali.

The flipside of the passion

Nowadays, people are so fascinated and obsessed with the

word passion. They leave everything, take a torch and walk
in the searching path to look for passion. It is not a hidden
treasure that you get at any place. It is not some goldmine
that you need to dig and take it out. They almost waste their
golden time and tend to believe that some miracle happens,
and they find their passion.
People often use passion as an excuse for not doing work. When
someone asks them why they are not working-they casually say
that this job doesn't align with my passion, and I am waiting for
the aha moment to unleash my passion.
Passion is not the hope that people use as a tool to hide their
failures and shortcomings. On the contrary, it is an action that
helps you to go towards your dreams. Suppose you are unable to
find your passion instead of sitting and waiting for the right time.
Discover your life by exploring and learning new things.
While learning and exploring new things, you will sooner or later
understand what your true authentic self wants from life, and
eventually, you will get the purpose of life.

Your life will become beautiful when your

skills get the right flavor of passion.
- Nasir Ali
 PASSION a bootstrap
for Skill
Shakeel Mulla

Most people struggle to achieve what they expect despite

putting in strenuous efforts day in and day out, leading
to disappointment, anxiety, stress, etc. And this has been
experienced by many of us who have respective hands-on
skills.
So does it mean that having skills is of no use? No, it's not like
that. Struggling to achieve the desired outcome is because we
put effort without knowing about it most of the time.
• What is one's actual Skill?
• If the skills are as per the task's requirement?
• If the efforts put in are backed by passion?
Nowadays, it's good to see that we realize the significance of
skills in terms of professional and personal growth. We focus
on the development of skills in almost all fields.
But the concerned area is even if the skills have been learned
or developed to a certain level, we find it challenging to
acquire the desired position or status. Why?
Let's first understand what actual Skill is.
Skill is our ability to work on any given task, activity. It's an
action performed with a certain quality and expert. Skills are
strengths, some are inbuilt and natural, and we develop some.
To get an expert on something, we ought to know what skills
we are naturally good at and what skills we need to learn.

Here I am saying we need to learn because if we are targeting

to grow in a particular field, we need to know what it requires
and what skills can lead or help achieve it. Once we find out
what skills we need to work on, then comes the role of our
'passion' towards it.
Passion has to be merged with skills to gain more strength.
Passion reflects your intent to succeed. Skills can help you
start and carry on the tasks, but skills with passion lead to
successful completion of the tasks.

"Working on skills without passion is like

trying to pull water from the dry well."
-Shakeel.Mulla

Now let's understand the passion.

Unlike other emotions and inner feelings, passion cannot be
time-bound or influenced by outer actions. It's a powerful
inner feeling towards something that we are eager to achieve,
and its strength depends on how intense our eagerness is.
It needs to be constant all through the task, activity till we
reach the desired results.
So for any skill to perform to its best, it needs to be backed
up by passion.
Passion pushes our skills to their optimum level and ensures
the execution is on the right track.
There will be times when we find that we fail to get the task
done even after putting all the required efforts and energy
along with skills. And that's because somewhere, we lack to
back up our efforts, energy, skills (EES) with the required
amount of passion.
It's believed that success results from patience and persistence,
very accurate - but along with these, passion has a vital role.
Passion though an inner feeling but has its impact on your
outer world. Any task to be completed successfully demands
a specific & related skill with the power of passion.
No doubt, we need to learn from failures and start again with
identified loopholes, but the first thing we need to check and
ensure is that if our EES (efforts, energy, skills) were backed
up with passion.
Role and responsibilities performed with exact skills, well
supported by passion, certainly get highlighted. We cannot
find success stories without passion.
A skilled person utilizing skills can perform well until things
are going in their way, and when it comes to tough challenges,
they tend to lose hope after trying hard. Even loses trust in
their skills. But a skill backed up by passion never lets its
owner down.
Passion sharpens skills to adapt & develop changes, improvise
and move on. Passion adds real value to skill and enhances to
grow.
Passion makes your belief in your Skill more strong. Skills
represent your ability to learn and develop, and passion
represents your intent to deliver the results. And results are
the final thing that everyone looks for.
Passion keeps you active and in the practice of your skills.
All the great inventions result from intense and continuous
efforts, and this intensity is nothing but passion.

As rightly quoted, "Winners don't do different

things, but they do things differently."

The difference is the amount of passion they carry to succeed.

No matter what, winners don't stop. It's the passion that drives
them to deliver the best and do unexpected things.

"Leaders are known for their passion for succeeding

rather known by their skills" - Shakeel Mulla.

To make it more transparent and understandable, here is a

small story.
There was an artist. He was famous for his excellent skills
in carving stones into fine sculptures. He had visitors from
nearby villages and the countryside,and they paid him
handsome money for his sculptures.Later he trained his son
with the same skills, and after having a thought that now he
has made enough name and fame, his son will get benefits of
it, he asked his son to manage the business on his own.
After few years, the father noticed that the business had
drastically gone down. The number of visitors was deficient,
and there was some dissatisfaction among his customers. He
didn't find any fault in the performing skills of his son. He
was worried and started to get more deeply into it, where he
discovered that his son was using the same Skill of carving
and using proper tools but what his son was missing was to
add designs, new ideas, themes to the sculptures, which he
(father) used to do. This lack of art in sculptures made it lose
the visitors' attraction, impacting the business.
The reason, son, could not do it was his low interest and
zero passion for performing. Son had the misconception
that his Skill is the source of business, so he kept utilizing
the same skills he learned from his father and never thought
of developing his ideas because he lacked the passion for
doing it. Father was not only proud of his Skill but equally
was passionate to do better than prior art. This passion led
the father to deliver the best and fascinating sculptures every
time visitors/tourists visited him.
So having any kind of Skill is good and can sustain to some
extent but adding passion makes that Skill develop into a
long-term asset.

HOW to nurture your PASSION.

As I have highlighted above - Skill assisted by passion leads to
satisfying results.
So what it takes to grow a passion?
Practice these simple L3 habits in your actions.
1) Listen to yourself - be your best advisor.
Getting engaged in activities that didn't excite you is the
worst thing you can do with yourself. There's one significant
factor that we are gifted with, and that is our inner voice.
For anything we think, we see, we hear, we plan, or we start,
there's a voice that asks us.
Do we want to do it!
Most of the time, we ignore this voice and thus we commit
the mistake of selecting the right choice. When you have
such an inner voice, stop & listen, understand, you'll get
genuine advice, which will be your first step to sow the seeds
of passion.
2) Learn to gain - knowledge is the key.
Be an expert outward but learner within. Develop a flair to
get in details of your activity.No, matter how good are your
skills, and there are some of the other things you will find a
new item to learn. This keenness takes your interest level to
grow, and you will be more confident when you are aligned
with the ongoing updates. This increased knowledge and
interest are forms of passion.
3) Lean on your Skills - hit the bull's eye
In growing, along with small wins, you will also face the
hurdles, challenges, and obstacles. In that sitution, you
need to be calm, assess the situation and seek the solution,
Most importantly, these difficult times are critical wherein
your skills play a vital role. Use them to their optimum,
effectively apply all your learnings. Keep upgrading your
Skills to be competitive against current needs.
Next time when performing responsibility, make sure that
you have applied the power of passion to your skills because
"Passion is bootstrap for your Skills."

P ower

A pplied to

S trengthen
PASSION.

S kill's that

I mpact to final

O utcome, making it

N oteworthy

By Shakeel Mulla.
 PASSION a bootstrap
for Skill
Nayyab Farooq Satti

Have you ever wondered how a person can disfigure his career
at the cost of his aims & dreams?
Or even no acceptance of change he wants in his life anymore.
Do you know why?
If not, don't worry; let me elaborate here.
A child born right now has started feeling hunger, pain, senses
of discomfort, and adjusting to it. Whatever he has been
through, it is impacting his choices to adapt to the change.
But, when a time comes where he needs to be determined
enough to make his intention clear, what he has chosen is
"veiling up" from his own identity.
Yes, identity! Do we rarely understand the fact that what's
real in you is left? If you have been hiding your substantiality
from yourself. There we go; the problem lies within you. Later,
that child who is no longer an infant and an individual has no
courage to accept, face, and shred the fears inside himself.
Here the remarks of J.P Morgan reminded me that:
"Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you
will be able to see farther."
What's next?
With the poor behavior of low self-esteem, no one can fulfill
his dreams; even that individual stuck with his mindsets. So,
elevating the move-on process is not as easy as it looks. The
N.E.X.T approach of dealing with it could be a belief system.
We have to see this.

new existence

X
E
N
axe transmit

The Axe version of your own. This sterilization series needs to

be in transition to a new you. By highlighting the underlined
meaning of words to clarify the "Next move," you have to
build your existence from scratch by nullifying the old traits
of being you. No rocket science makes you able to take action.
An action is acquired by the desired person to get performed.
Conveyance is a new form of action that you need to take
to make new beliefs for growth. It's the Human psyche that
changes in nature by default. If they won't let this happen.
They have started lacking in everything. So then, pessimists
reverse engineer their character meet specific careers and
start demolishing them for not doing anything or even
wasting time building complexes, and they have no courage
to help.
As the author & speaker Sinek Simon said:
"People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And,
what you do simply proves what you do."
Change is a bootstrap belief towards passion.
Nurturing a mindset with time is quite an impeccable virtue
to have. However, it needs patience with passion for attaining
your goal. Otherwise, the infant child would snatch away
everything that you have struggled till now hidden in yourself.
Passion is what derives from the maturity you have shown
towards your growth.
We can assimilate the gel in the formula towards accelerated
passion which boosts us to try, try, and try again.
Few elements are conventionally accountable for
bootstrapping passion into action:
Those are:
Routine for health: Whether it's your physical, mental, or
spiritual health. It needs to be catered to every day. If you
don't feel good, your passion will be drained no matter what
you aim for.
No Life heck for a lifestyle: Keep on digging inside, which
won't make you a sloth. Suppose you have started desiring
the shortcuts for what you have dreamt. Then, you are
announcing your complexities to take over.
Self-growth is a muse: Set an alarm triggering the same
pattern you follow to get along if you aren't able to rejuvenate
the passion for your self-growth. But, then, everybody who
struggles looks the same to you.
Bootstrapping the zeal in you: Often heard the term that
your dreams should be bootstrapped your passion every day.
Never miss any chance in prioritizing your interests which
keep the zeal in you.
Design your schedule: Successful people are pretty skeptical
about wasting their time. That doesn't mean they don't get
breaks and relaxation. They are pretty savvy about how to
spend their time with the best possible. Set your day-to-day
task to keep up the passion.
Passionate to new bees: That sounds cliche with the word new
bees; it covers an essential & the best trait. An eagerness to
shape your skill sets with the latest trends is quite amiable
behavior. This attitude is that you can take yourself to the
heights of success using materialism and your spiritual
pursuit.
Fake it till you make it: This is not only a gesture. It requires
a whole mood and language to practice if you won't visualize
your goals in daydreaming. Then. How would you perform
if something is not triggering you? It might be you have a
million-dollar wish job but are you serving it with your heart
interest or just money interest? Every gesture matters every
day.
Be wise in choosing options for your professional and
personal life and decide that you are serving what you have
once to become. Never settle for less while making any target
or in terms of wishes. Those wishes are directly responsible
for your emotional collapse and would affect your day-to-day
tasks if you can't be wise at that time.
Above few pointers are the elements of building the passion
and earning the skill which highlights passion, hard work,
dedication with the moral virtues of generosity, humbleness,
patience & desire to be the best in whatever you do all.
Keep calm & be the light of your darkness which is just letting
up every night to get brighter.
Do not plan a path of roses. Instead, build aims to achieve in
front of your dream and chase it until you can make it.
 A secure key for
holding a job
Safaa Sahulhameed
Have you ever wondered how to leg up your career after you
graduate? The neighbor's son next door has completed his
graduation, and it has been two long years. Blame the Covid-
lockdown as he does. He hasn't yet found a job that meets his
qualification. Is it the lockdown, or is it because he could not
utilize the lockdown to upskill himself?
A man in his 40's is struggling to get a promotion. He probably
must be working with a mid-life crisis and not able to advance
to the next level. What would be the reason for the struggle?
The reason is his failure to accelerate his career.
With the evolution of the job market, there is a constant threat
to the employees and the jobs they hold. Most companies
look for a skilled workforce rather than an unskilled one.
Moreover, it becomes easier for employers to upskill their
employees than hire a new one and provide training.
He worked in one job all his life!
She served in the same company for 50 years.
This would probably be the best joke for the year. Moving
aside with jokes, sticking to one career for a lifetime is no
longer an option now.
People choose their careers and keep pushing through various
job options and employment sectors throughout their lives.
In the digitized modern era, it is quintessential to be flexible
in choosing careers. We need to select jobs and move to a
different career, provided it offers better opportunities.
But how do we ace a new career or job opportunity?
The answer lies in the skills that we possess. These skills are
not confined to one job but the universal skills that help
across different career options. Skills are the building blocks
of any career.
What is your qualification? What have you studied?
What degree do you hold? It might be the questions that are
often asked. But, unfortunately, a qualification is not a free
ticket to a successful long-term or short-term job. And even
if you are successful in getting a job, there is no guarantee of
securing the job.
So what are the skills that make a person employable?
Some skills will be job-specific, but a vast majority will be so-
called "skills" that can be used in that are often the Universal
skills applicable to any job. These skills are "employment
skills,": which enable to secure a job.
Skill Monopolization
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on
employment, with layoffs and people losing their jobs. With
monopolizing a skill and developing a deep knowledge of the
subject in demand, an employer can become an expert in his
field of expertise and can stand.
At times of uncertainly, the company's technical advisor is
less likely to be fired than one of many sales executives.
So, if you are a sales executive and do not want to be fired,
learn that extra skill that the other sales executives do not
know. Become an expert in sales and notice that your value
increases manifold. If you are a graphic designer and fear
losing the job, as many freelance graphic designers are
competitive, attend training to enhance your skill.
BE the only person to rely upon when a task comes up and
stand out from the rest!
And the key lies in skills being a solution and an inspiration.
But, how is that even possible?
Skills: Being a solution
Have you ever wondered how having skills provide a solution?
A person can choose to create a problem, find a problem,
or solve a problem for a team. Falling in the latter category
means approaching every situation with a can-can attitude.
This kind of skill is what we call interpersonal skills. Having
good interpersonal skills enables a person to
• Effectively communicate with the team
• Meet the expectations of customers
• Negotiate with clients
• Make decisions and
• Solve problems with others.
• Cooperate effectively with other employees.
Not every job requires developing skills in all these areas.
However, you can be reasonably sure that you may need them
at some point in your career, but you need many of them
every day.
Skills: Being an inspiration
Ever thought of why your co-worker has been promoted
to a higher position? Does the success inspire you? When
others inspire you, you need to inspire others, and how is
that inspiration created? When you are an expert in your
work, mentoring the team and observing their success can
inspire. You will be the first choice for advice, guidance, and
solutions with a reputation for sharing knowledge. With this,
you can not only motivate yourself but also inspire others
around you. The employer needs to build a reputation for
reliability and honesty. But, being reliable also means being
trustworthy. For example, You want to take that extra one-
day leave because the work pressure is hitting you.
At the same time, your manager trusts you to complete a
project to dispatch within two days. What would you do? Take
that extra day off and sit back to relax?
Or would you sacrifice some of your time to finish the project
and be an inspiration to others?
Would you leave work when things need to be done?
Committing to work means you are self-organized and
self-disciplined. Employers would trust you for your work
and count on you, an essential emotional intelligence skill.
Trustworthy and reliable employers are responsible for their
actions and make sure they live up to their values. They chase
deadlines and promptly deliver to them without the need to
pursue them.
The last element of reliable skill is to use an initiative to
determine where work needs to be done and continue to
do it. The more you inspire the people in your team and
organization, the more is your responsibility.
Even if you don't know the actual application of a degree, that
will not pose a problem. But you realize that in the learning
years, you will grow as a person. You will become mature,
independent and learn how to manage yourself. Moreover,
you will also gain many valuable skills that help you secure
your job and future! Inevitably, having skills may be helpful
to employers and can secure a job. Each of us has our own
set of personal skills, and each of us can make a unique
contribution to any organization. It is essential to learn to
recognize and use the skills correctly.
Having skills can not only secure a job but also enhance the
career to progress further.
 A Skill Shapes the
Future of an Individual
Ntsiki Ncoco

From Health to Wealth:

"Become the master of your basic skill,

your future will be guaranteed."
- Ntsiki Ncoco

A skill is the ability to do something well and even be an

expert in your area, and it shapes the future of an individual.
It needs to be nurtured and enhanced very well for one to
leverage in its future profits.
A skill shapes an individual's future because of the ability and
capability of using one's knowledge effectively and efficiently,
and even ready to execute and perform confidently in that
area of skillfulness.
The principles and rules are the same in all industries.
The key is the ability to grow one's skills through formal or
informal education. The desire to grow and the ability with
an individual's enthusiasm is the stairway to one's success in
any skill to be developed with a brighter future. It is a learned
power of doing something perfectly well and competently.
Skills Development:
Skills can be developed through formal and informal
education. Training on the job is also one crucial tool that is
being used to develop the skills of individuals.
In the Face of the Historic Shock:
Research reports from many countries suggested that
countries and companies should invest in skills and the
digital economy to bolster the recovery from the pandemic.
It proves that an individual's skill can exceed a career position
and save the country and its future.
The indisputable key Areas of skills in demand:
Digital and Technology industries with all front line support
services:
Everybody needs basic digital and technical knowledge skills,
which have become the keyway to communicating, especially
during the pandemic. The world has become one through
online operations.
These kinds of skills will always be necessary for everyone
to shape the future; the fourth industrial revolution is here.
Having highlighted these essential skills, let us look at the
topic and focus on a skill shaping an individual's future in any
industry.
Other skills highlights with practical examples:
Let us zoom into one perfect example of a skill that shapes
the future of an individual. An eloquent speaker, a person
gifted with speech, a good storyteller, a person with a great
sense of humor in their presentation skills.
These individuals are diverse, but the common factor with
them is the art in their speech. They shape their skill to
become prominent figures in the workplace, society, up to
governmental executive positions, members of parliaments,
and they can go up to be country and global leaders.
The skill in all these areas is nurtured by empowering oneself
with knowledge on how to present this ability that you have
learned or gifted with.
A person with a great sense of humor becomes a well-known
comedian. It is a career followed by individuals who have the
art of speech, and putting their jokes together and present
them in a manner that people can book and pay in a theatre
just to seat and laugh in a positive sphere, and relax from
their work, family duties and any other situations of life and
be refreshed. It can also just be pure entertainment for others
to go out with friends. The world needs all our different skills
to work hand in hand.
This skill shaped to perfection and performed with absolute
expertise can cause people to laugh, and laughter is known
as the healer.
"Laughter is the best medicine." - Anonymous.
Profits from a skill that is nurtured to become expertise: Let
us focus on one area of service with all its different types. It is
one of the most significant focuses of individuals, companies,
communities, and government areas of needs, and the service
is vital in the whole wide world today.
Public speaking:
Motivational speaking, inspirational speaking, coaching,
mentoring, lecturing, teaching, tutoring, acting, presenting,
radio/TV/Podcast presenters, journalists, article
voice-over readers, orators, etc. All these experts have
to master at least the art of presenting and speaking.
Professionalism at All Areas of Operations:

The Content Presentation:

The content one would be presenting should be up to the
expected standard of the recipients.
When this skill is shaped well through all the steps and levels
of education, knowledge, coaching, and crafting it needs, it is
one of the best paying professions ever, with the freedom of
working schedules, when one is well-positioned to be booked
for speaking engagements/gigs. This career path can be
online or in person.
In this era, most services moved to join those who were doing
their business online.
A skill shaping the future of an individual practical
example:
Crating the art of public speaking - motivational &
inspirational speaking You will always hear this question
from the gurus of this industry; "do you have a story to tell
the world"?
This question is aligned with coaching to enhance the ability
to be a prominent and a specialist in one's area of speaking,
motivating, and inspiring others as a career and a profession.
Most experts will advise coaches on the assessment stage to
take a career to the next level that you need to have a story
to share that will motivate and inspire the world. This type of
skill can shape one's future to be a sort after Public Speaker:
Motivational or Inspirational Speaker.
The story to tell art:
This one area shaped perfectly well is one of the critical keys
to open the door to receive funding. When one needs access
to funders, you will be advised to tell the story about how you
started your cause or business and what made you develop
your product or services.
Tell Us Your Story:
With a great story behind your product, it will gain more
access to funding. It will also gain more access to your right
clientele. It is the art of good storytelling that will shape your
future as a professional or a business owner.
The Content of your Presentation:
This is work that requires a lot of skill. Showcasing one's
artistry shapes a better and brighter future for an individual
in all areas where one operates.
Critical seeding of skill to reap a brighter future:
The art of presenting a compelling story in front of a decision-
maker is one's tool to close the deal. In the art of storytelling,
let the art do the work, unleash the power of presenting an
unforgettable story.
Master it, even put it down in a book to become a story that
sticks to everyone's mind when you present it or whoever is
at your event or reading your book.
Conclusion:
A Skill is a Pathfinder:
The beauty of a skill that can shape an individual's future goes
beyond that individual's space of operations and affects other
people positively too. It is the vehicle to be used to make the
difference we want to see in the world. People become the
difference makers because of perfecting their skills to become
a solution to their clients and relieve the client's pain so they
can succeed to achieve their goals.

Skilled Individuals Are Solution Givers:

To be skilled is for the benefit of the individual, the sphere
when one is operating, and the country/countries that are
buying and using the skills offered by the individuals to grow
their economy/economies.
 A Skill Shapes the
Future of an Individual
Asma Mukadam

Skill is today's requirement similar to food and shelter. So if

you are skillful, you can;

S K I L L F U L
Uninterruptedly &
Knowledge and

Luxurious Life
Long-lasting
Innovate

Lovingly
Fully
Sale

I must say, it is an effective pattern that can shape the future of

the individual. Why some of the world's known personalities
achieved what they desired? Only because of skills? I believe
no. After researching closely, I found that their passion
filled with ideas, emotions, and beliefs made them and their
product unique. To shape one's future, all he needs is the
qualities, behavior, habits, and traits that help him make
his character. Your inborn skills help you achieve your best
throughout your academic journey.
How precisely do we grow who we are now?
You do need a bridge to start developing skills. You may ask,
what is the connection between the bridge and skills when
shaping the future. I think, despite questioning, you may
have to sit down and create the bridge.
Let me share one story of a girl how she built her future
strong using the skills. Veronica (changed name due to
confidentiality agreement), my student, was looking for a job
in the reputed MNC. She also aimed to set up her own digital
business. She was fresher, needed money to pay her bills as
she had no support from her parents. She had a history of
peer pressure.
Veronica is like most fresh graduates, pick at her career. She
was also in question on how to get a job as every employer
needed an experienced employee. So Veronica was depressed
thinking her degree and skills were of no use.
So what do you all think? Why Veronica needed that bridge
to shape her career. She lacked something that enabled her
to cross over the door of experience – without truly owning
it yet.
Here, she doesn't need a physical bridge – she needs to
prove her skills to the employer that she's worth catching
an opportunity on. She needs proof of fitting a quick
learner. Hence she successfully convinced the employer to
demonstrate her abilities and grabbed that seat from intern
to the digital media manager. Now she is also preparing to
have her own digital start-up.
I was curious to know her success journey as Veronica studied
engineering, she was least interested in it, she had to choose
under the influence of her close ones. Yet, her interest has
always been in making animations and art. Further, her dream
was to have her own digital media platform. So she was bound
to be well-versed in crafting things. She took advantage of
building her bridge and crossed it with courage, hard work,
patience, and perseverance to shape her character.
I was curious to know what skills she would be able to signal?
What type of role did she present to convince the employer?
What software did the job involve that she could learn and
use in his projects?
Her one-sentence reply was mesmerizing. She stated all she
needs is a blueprint of small things, opportunities, rewards,
and milestones that she collected and built a bridge, walked
harder, and searched the path that shaped her outlook.
We all face these types of issues. We all need to change habits
or achieve something or even to succeed in our goal. And
despite knowing our capabilities and skills that can shape our
future.
For example, Every student know how to pass with distinction?
All know how to be rich. But still, people fail to succeed.
Do you know why?
Because;
We all think that change happens with innovation and
experience.
Yes, it happens, but not always. To innovate something in our
life, to become the best version of life, working on skills can
shape your great character. Besides, it will change your entire
future.
And for that, always remember, you can not achieve all your
skills in one day. But if you are consistently learning, polishing,
upgrading your skills, and step by step action to achieve your
goals, then one day, you can become a great leader beyond
your imagination.

Our thoughts play an

important role in shaping
our future the way we
desire. Nevertheless,
skills are the hidden
factor of fortune.
-Asma Mukadam
 PART I
Degree Vs Skill

Chapter 3:
Who speaks more,
a degree or a skill
 A competitive rat race
Ronald Arakal

A rat race is a term given to a meaningless pursuit for an

objective. In this case, everyone is, in a race, competing for a
job, money, or recognition.
After education, securing a job role is the standard step for
most students. They then enter a “rat race.”
But is it meaningless? Are material things the reward we
chase? How do we bring or add value to the degree and skill
set that we have mastered?
Let us address the first question by answering it cautiously
-“it depends.”
We must first decide why we choose to enter this “rat race.”
Does a routine 9 to 5 job that might stagnate all you want
from this race after a while? If yes, then that’s your choice to
have a life of what you think brings you happiness. It should
not matter what others think of your choice as long as you
are happy to have a 9 to 5 job, living pay-check to pay-check,
and fulfilling any personal responsibilities you have.
If this is not something you want, then write it down. Plan
your path and action. Decide what you wish to gain from this
employment and career. After doing this, think about how
you can have a more competitive edge in this race.
Here degrees and skills come into play. It is crucial to
consider up-skilling to move further up the ladder where
the remuneration is good with great learning opportunities
and challenging responsibilities. Upskilling is a technique of
gaining new certifications and skills that prepare us for the
unique challenges and gives us a chance to stand out from
the crowd. Upskilling does not necessarily have to be for the
job that they employ.
Some folks pursue a hobby-turned business while still working
full-time, which is called a side business or side hustle. The
upskilling process can also be for this side hustle, where they
gain certification and recognition to advance their business.
And can also lead to the possibility that skills gained in one
profession may apply to the other, bringing added benefits.
Sometimes we like to spend on materialistic items. It is
a ‘reward’ that we think we deserve for the daily effort we
put in. But rewards of this rat race also come in various
forms like great bosses, beautiful colleagues, exciting
learning, and travel opportunities. And this leaves us with an
excellent insight into the world, knowledge, the guidance of
experienced personnel, and great memories of friends.
As previously stated, the job market is a rat race where people
chase various objectives to achieve a personal goal or result.
As a participant in this race, our course should always involve
what makes us happy to pursue. We can choose to look at this
negatively, but that will only be detrimental to us.
As a person with extraordinary decision-making skills, you
need to look inwards at times to see if you are happy where
you are.
Are you satisfied with the people or job you are? How can you
improve and work towards being a better you?
Remember experience is a great teacher, good or bad will
always have a lesson for you. It will help you define what
you seek from this rat race. Remember to always believe in
yourself. Failures and obstacles are there to be a stepping
stone, so with a positive mindset, add value to yourself through
degrees, certifications, and skills. Stand out in the crowd and
remember to cherish the memories and experiences this
brings.
There will come a time when you would have submitted that
very last report knowingly or unknowingly. Regret of missing
out on life is not what you should leave but the memories and
experiences. You can add that meaning to yourself through
regular introspection and acting to change negative behavior.
Practice a positive mindset and have patience because some
good things take time. And always be kind to yourself and
everyone, because a bit of kindness can sometimes go a long
way without your knowledge.
 A competitive rat race
Shakeel Mulla

"To compete" has been in practice since the existence of life

on earth.
Every living being tends to compete with each other.
It might be to prove superior to the other, take over the
charge, get the command or authority, impress someone, or
compete for survival.
And we humans have been brought up in an environment
where we believe that "If you want to win, be in the race and
if you are in a race run very hard, very fast." This thought
process has made us more aggressive competitors, and
we compete in every aspect of our life. It has now become
a natural tendency, with which we try to go out of the way
to win. This approach is one of the essential nature in this
changing world. So the world is known as a "Competitive
World."
To compete - is not a one-time event now, and it has become
a continuous process, where one needs to keep on competing
to win or sustain. The rat race is not only limited to work,
jobs, business, but almost to all activities of life.
May it be comparing our children with others, maybe owning
an expensive car, a big house, even we resemble each other
with the clothing brand we wear. Most of us put ourselves in
trouble by attempting to be the best, be superior to others,
and be in a rat race. But all attempts are in vain.
What makes this rat race creepy?
"The trouble with the rat race is that even
if you win, you are still a rat" - Lily Tomlin.
In simple terms, it's the race without any track. It's a hectic
race where you find only suffering, mental illness.
Everyone runs without knowing which way to proceed, where
to stop, whom to follow, what exactly needs to be done.
The rat race is good for nothing. We get into it by expecting
MORE in less period, for which we need to strive MORE. We
try to enforce our minds, not to accept less, and not to remain
behind. We struggle to do whatever it takes to accomplish all
that leads to a better life than others.
We have developed a fear that we might not achieve all our
desires if we don't put in our most challenging efforts. This
thought process gets us involved in a high level of stress, thus
inviting miseries. Most of us even do not care what we are
interested in doing, what makes us happy and satisfied. This
leads to disruption in our lives. We have created an illusion
in our mind that we have to be the best no matter on earth
what it takes to be.
Unfortunately, this is being taught to our children as well.
Regarding admission in a best educational institute, may it
be pushing our choice of subjects without bothering their
interest, pressuring to get the top rank, participation in
sports & social gatherings, etc.
Busy word is buzzing.
In tempting to achieve everything, we got ourselves trapped
in the 'Busy' notion. We have no time for our friends, family,
and even for self-care. In the process, we have lost the beauty
of real life. We have changed the actual significance of
competition. The way competition is shaping up in terms of
the rat race is alarming and needs to be taken seriously.
Here everyone is trying to rule on one another. It's a race to
ensure not to fall under and remain on top. Our mindsets are
becoming more rigid in not accepting anything less.
Primarily many of us try hard and tend to be perfect. We tend
to have all the knowledge in all the fields, making ourselves
aligned with the quote "jack of all but master of none."
The current competition approach creates an excellent
level of dissatisfaction, creating a feeling of low self-esteem,
unacceptance, social anxiety, and fear of inferiority,

"Expecting unreal is awesome and exciting, and

its reality is equally unexpected & hurting. It gives
pleasure for a shorter time, but its consequences
create a longer impact" - Shakeel Mulla.

It's imperative to understand what it means "to compete."

There's a need to promote awareness of the healthy
competition.
How to avoid or get out of this race and enjoy healthy
competition?
If we are talking about the RAT race, I would like to share my
theory or tip to avoid RATs around you - Be a CAT.
Every living being has its qualities and as well as limitations.
We need to identify our interests, ability, and strengths and
work or act accordingly.
Below are some qualities that relate to cat behavior.
1) Be attentive and cautious.
Cats do sense the minute movement around, and it watches
closely; it focuses and acts smartly. So before getting into some
action, we should be aware of what we are actioning upon,
know all the ifs and buts and confirm if it is worth putting
effort on. Study & understand the minute details. Ensure that
there's something good after the task.
2) Right or Wrong.
Cats rarely fail to select the right, whether their taste, their
resting place, or may it be the time to impress the owner in
the family. So same we can, making a choice is totally in our
hands. We have control over what to chose. We are mature
enough to understand what's wrong and right, what we need,
whom we need to follow, what needs to be done, etc. So take
your time to choose the proper competition with the right
people and act at the right time.
3) Be clear on directions.
Cats are always clear on their prey and are focused on it,
and they don't care about other things around when moving
towards their target. The same can be applied to our behavior.
Many unfruitful, unproductive, negative factors move us away
from our direction towards our goals, and we get attracted to
more easiest ways which later put us on track for the rat race.
So have a clear path and avoid distractions, keep an eye &
focus on the ultimate goal.
4) Display Energy
May it be a kitten or an adult, irrespective of gender, you'll
always find energy in cats. You are being energetic means
being positive in your approach. Do not waste your efforts on
unimportant desires. Carry positive energy even in failures.
Show enthusiasm and love what you are doing.
5) Be flexible
Cats are experts in making adjustments while catching their
prey, sleeping in bed, climbing high, etc. Being flexible
means adjusting to change, showing acceptance, and moving
forward: Adaptive positivity. Courage to jump high and get
up instantly when fell as if there was no fall.
6) Keep clean
You never find any cat dirty or unclean. They enjoy keeping
themselves tidy. Cats have immense love and care for
themselves. So we should be doing the same with ourselves.
We should take care of ourselves physically & mentally. It's
necessary to be disciplined, and it keeps negative thoughts
and people away. No matter what, trust yourself; that's how
you show respect to yourself.
7) Wait for the right time
Cats once come across any prey they chase till they succeed.
Sometimes it hunts its game for a more extended period. It
keeps a regular eye on its target and, when it gets a chance,
attacks. As humans, we lack this quality of patience, and we
fail to identify the opportunity. If there's a delay in getting
your desired goals, have patience, wait for the right time, the
right opportunity, and act immediately.
Apart from the above tips, the other most important aspects
of working around are.
Make yourself happy.
You are blessed with being a 'human.' You have feelings,
emotions, and you need to enjoy life not to impress the world
but to satisfy yourself. And real happiness is not in being
materialistic but in being intellectual, spiritual, and most
importantly, in well-being.
Find leisure time
It's your family, friends, well-wishers who care for you. They
enjoy you being with them. They are your energy sources.
They understand you and never expect or force you to do
more than your abilities. Have a habit of spending time with
them. Discuss your challenges, your plans. You never know
you can get the solution you are looking for.
Limit your limitations
Another most essential thing to know is your limitations. It
would help if you always have clarity on what you need to do
and up to what extent you can do it, whether it's related to
your health, abilities, or your income and expenses.

"Plan your limitations before

you plan your extensions"
-Shakeel Mulla.
Be wise with the wise.
Get engaged with intelligent people. You will learn how to
achieve your goals and aspirations by being content. Wise
always carry an attitude of self-respect rather than behaving
as per the expectations of others. They value their direction
but also have a humbleness to accept the good from others.
Give a meaning.
Have a deep think over your ambitions before you start to do
it. Understand what you are planning for and how important
it is. Is it worth investing your time & efforts? What it takes to
get there and what you need to adjust and compromise etc.
This adds meaning to your journey towards your goal.
Be inspired and not expired.
Accomplishing anything is not easy, and achievements
demand a high level of patience and persistence. You don't
need to find a win-win situation all the time. You might
face issues, hurdles on your way, and that’s the time when
you need to display courage, stand firm and move on. Carry
enough positive Energy that never lets you down.
All said and done, but the results are in following the rules.
The most extensive success formula is having a life of clear
rules that keep you physically fit and mentally strong. No one
in this world can be delighted with not being satisfied with
whatever we have.
Conclusion
Competition is healthy. It encourages the use of skills to
their full potential, but competition, as in the rat race, is like
putting efforts into unproductive tasks. It leads you nowhere
but unhappiness in your professional and personal life.
Sometimes it's ok not to be in the race or competition, and
there is always a better chance. Competition is temporary,
but life exists all through, so taking care of it should be the
priority.
To live a comfortable and happy life, ensure you are competing
in healthy competition.
 The passion Influencer
By Ioanna Petrochilou
"Influencers are dreamers.
If you have the passion, don't wait! Follow your passion and
influence the world."

Do you know what Bill Gates, Steve Jobs,

and Mark Zuckerberg have in common?

Yes, you are right; they are successful and billionaires! But
other than that, they are all college drop-outs. They are three
people that they are dreamers. First, they dreamed, and then
they decided to make their dreams come true. They focused
on it, and even though they did not have a college degree,
they became successful!
Most people look at them and admire them for their success,
determination, and hard work. Yet, they are the true example
showing that we don't always need degrees to succeed in life.
We really need our passion, dedication, discipline, and
determination to hunt our dreams and make them part of
our life.
Of course, I don't want to say that all the people who do not
have a degree will become billionaires, and for sure, you don't
need to do what they did to be considered successful.
However, I strongly believe that degrees are not always
necessary for success.
Success is to do what you love to do! Success is to dream, and
when you wake up in the morning to start working on it. To
be passionate about what you love and determined to achieve
it.
Be an influencer, come with your own ideas, work for them,
plan for them and make them real.

"You can influence others only if you can

have the passion to influence yourself."
- Ioanna Petrochilou.
To be a passionate influencer and succeed in your life, and
most importantly, to be the sparkle of influencing others,
then you have to:
Find your passion!
Figure out your passion, think what's the one thing which
makes you talk or think about it twenty-four hours per day!
Think about what you love the most, what is the one thing
that makes you feel happy, satisfied.
Which is the one thing which makes you a dreamer?
Create your plan
Dreams come true only if you have a plan. So if you dedicate
yourself to make them real- create a plan, list all the things
you have to do, and plan your actions, your steps.
Be a passionate influencer.
Be the one who is passionate enough to start building the
ladder of success. Your own ladder. Start making your
dreams come true and influence your life and the life of
others.
Be the Passionate Influencer, and change the way that people
think, act, and create. Be the innovator of your life and
consequently the one who changes the lives of others.
Don't think that you do not have a degree. Instead, think
about your talents and work on them. Work on improving
your skills. Read, listen to others, learn, unlearn, and design
your future.
Dedicate yourself to be a master of what you love and focus
on this.
Then, work to make it real!
Success is not about your degrees! Success is about your
passion.
The influencer you are not because you have a pompous title,
thousands of followers, or qualified degrees.
You are an influencer because you work hard, your title is
your work and your legacy, and you are not focused on how
many followers you have but how you can make your dreams
come true and inspire others to do the same.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg are not influencers
because they have millions of followers on social media, even
they do or because they have billions of dollars.
We think about them as influencers because they have built a
legacy, and they decided to change the world somehow.
They are influencers because one day, they decided to work
on their dreams and make them true.
They are passionate influencers; and successful because even
if they do not have a college degree, they have the courage to
work and earn a life degree.
And we all know that the biggest school is LIFE!
We learn every day, every moment, and we give tests to see
what we need to change before moving forward.
The time you decide to be a Passionate Influencer, you will be
the inspiration for others.
Your degree might never be an inspiration, but your passion
could be.

"Setting an example is not the main means

of influencing others. Is the only means"
- Albert Einstein.

"The world needs passionate influencers.

Be one of them."- Ioanna Petrochilou.
 The Money Makers
Shakeel Mulla

The Almighty added more beauty to the planet earth by

creating humans. The existence of humans is said to be older
more than 300,000 years. Since then, there is always a battle
of survival & dominance. The weak fight for survival, and the
strong dominate the weak. So what factors differentiate the
weak & strong.
• Was is it a Physical strength?
• Was it fortune?
OR
• Was it Intellectual mind!?
Initially, it was more or less physically strong who led the
tribe.
Moving forth, facing the challenges to fulfill the needs of
man, intelligence took over the strength. The ones with the
ability to find new ways to survive were the most respected,
giving them the authority to dominate.
The race of survival became the race of dominance, leading
to developing new skills & ideas. Since then, there was no
looking back for humans.
With the evolution in human nature, thinking, behavior,
there was the incredible transformation of acquiring skills
and related knowledge.
In this race in the 21st century, the most crucial role is played
by fortune, and it has different perspectives with different
persons. For some future might be to live a luxurious life,
and for some, it's the matter of having enough to satisfy the
basic needs.
Whatever may be the philosophy of looking at life, the main
requirement is having money per your living style.
What attracts money!!
Earning money is known to be art. It looks easy, but making
money is not a simple thing to do, and it demands a lot of
hard work, patience, and awareness.
#Hard work applies both physical & mental.
# Patience is the key when it comes to continuous efforts.
# Awareness leads to the exact action required.
To make it more straightforward and clear, we can speculate
that two significant aspects create a path to reaping money.
One is your Skill, and the other is your knowledge.
Without proficiency in either of the two, there is no secure
way to make you potent to deserve money.
Skill supported with adequate knowledge through academic
institutions can take you to the level well deserved.
"You and your skills are valued only if you and
your skill match the contemporary demands"
- Shakeel Mulla
Role of skills in your financial growth:
There is a famous story about an old man and a hammer
which is as below -
In a production factory, one of the machines fails, and the
production stops. The management of the factory calls up
its several mechanical engineers who are well educated and
degree holders, but none of them succeeds in repairing the
machine.
Later, one of the employees suggested the old man's name,
who had extensive experience fixing such issues but was not
a qualified degree holder. As production was stopped and
management desperately looked for it to resolve, agreed to
call the older man.
After having a deep check for a while, the old man dragged
a hammer out of his bag of tools and took an accurate
look, adjusted to a specific point, and gently tapped on it.
Immediately the engine vaulted back into life.
Everyone was happy, and when asked about the charges, the
old man quoted Rs.10000/-. Management & accountant were
amazed to know this as they felt it was pretty high for just
hitting a hammer. They asked the old man.
He submitted his invoice stating -
Tapping with a hammer.
: Rs - 02.00
Knowing the Skill where to tap. : Rs - 9,998.00
___________________________________________
___________
Total amount payable.
: Rs - 10,000.00
This story reflects the many morals itself with different
perspectives. But what I pull out is the result where the "skill
of the old man gets his earning."
A skill is a mastery to operate an action towards the desired
outcome. It involves both your physical ability as well as mental
reasoning. Skill is a form of art and has always been admired
since ancient times, and the skilled one has dominated the
unskilled.
As mentioned above, right from discovering the fire,
exploring the use of animal skin in different ways, the
invention of musical instruments, a form of paintings, etc.
to the modern-day innovation in the field of agriculture,
science, and technology, all are the result of continuous
efforts in sharpening the skills.
As time changed and new methods of businesses and jobs were
introduced, the development skills became equally essential
to fulfill the need and requirements. There was a significant
shift in approach towards recognizing the significance of
Skill. An end number of skill development options came into
existence in both technical and non-technical categories.
By mastering a particular skill, you can utilize it while working
as an employee in any organization or establish a business of
your own. With applicable skills displayed at the appropriate
place, it can make you stabilize a decent position. Promoting
your "Skill" as a specialty, you can make your Skill a potential
earning tool, but the initial condition is to keep your skills
updated with changing times.
Nowadays, there are many opportunities & accessible sources
to learn the desired skills, and spending time gaining skills
and improvising is equivalent to accumulating wealth.
Let your Degree be Decree of your faster growth:
There were two perfect friends John and Sameer. They were
equally brilliant in their studies. When they reached their
teenage years, John had maintained his interest in gaining
knowledge, but Sameer lost his aptitude in studies. He just
enjoyed being worry-free & spent most of his time doing
useless things. But John invested his time in gathering more
information on changes in surroundings, reading books.
This made him more and more curious about learning new
things. He developed his intellect to a high level which opened
him several opportunities to grow. John decided to do a job
and acquire more proficiency, and with more experience,
he planned to open his academic institute with a vision to
educate curious people like him. Through this institute, he
earned great respect in society and was also an adequate
source of high income. John didn't forget his friend Sameer,
who worked in a small factory struggling to meet his family's
needs. John assigned Sameer with the responsibility to look
after his accounts.
With appropriate use of his time in developing his wisdom,
John attained great personal and professional success, which
made him financially sound. He was able to help others as
well.
So knowledge is an absolute wealth you can earn only
with great passion and eagerness. The degree is proof of
your maturity to understand the process to be carried out.
Your degree is the most influential representative of your
knowledge, your learning ability.
To achieve any Degree requires a lot of patience and
intellectual aptitude, so degree holders are greatly respected.

"Sharpen your sword of skills with

Whetstone of your degree and win
the battle at your career field"
- Shakeel Mulla

Degree holders, irrespective of passing grades, are appreciated

as compared to the ones without a degree. Organizations
usually run for any requirement at a higher level, giving
preference to their existing employees, and the most looked
in criteria is the applicant's certification degree. Of course,
the one with a higher degree and a sound performance track
is shortlisted for the post required to fill. Incorporate, a
Degree always pushes you to the next level of growth, giving
you a professional and financial promotion.
To sum up, Skill and degree both have their role and impact
on growth, and a combination of both acts as an ignition to
rocket your career growth.
A degree indicates your vision to succeed, and skills illustrate
your ability to perform.
A degree opens the doors of opportunity, and skills help
sustain it.
 Big giant’s demand
Shakeel Mulla

DREAMS are mostly beautiful and are awesome when they

turn to reality.
You must have heard many times that making any dream
happen requires lots of persistence, effort, patience, etc., and
it's a factual truth. Along with this, the other major factor
that needs to be looked into is to learn and get prepared for
what works for making your dream come true. Getting a job
in a reputed MNC is a dream of any job seeker and getting
the title " Leader/ Supervisor/ Manager/ Boss" is a dream
of any employee in MNC.
Earlier the educational degree was the most important and
generally the only requirement to get a job. Gradually there
was a continuous up-gradation in job roles & responsibilities,
which added more to the requirements & expectations of the
companies. The parameters of getting eligible for any job got
more stringent, which led to the competitiveness among the
candidates.
What's in demand!
As there was immense competition in the market, the
expectation bar was raised both for educational degrees and
mastery of the candidate.
But the major focus was to assess the skill set of the job
applicant. Just holding a higher qualification, degree, grade,
or percentage to land the dream job is not enough, but the
skills and abilities play a crucial role.
It is how a candidate stands out with their skill from the crowd
looking for the same opportunity. It is the robust approach
that puts the applicant on the topper's list.
To choose the most suitable candidate against their
requirement, companies/Industries started to look for that
"X" factor in candidates.
Your overall aptitude for the job requirement creates
a chance of getting shortlisted. First of all, you need to
understand that Larger the organization, the higher
the expectation. For any organization to be great, its
employees must inculcate with its core values and vision.
No doubt, to get entry to any big company, an educational
degree is a must. But the value of that degree is only when
it is used in a relevant field, assisted with practical skill, and
supported by additional factors above the academic teachings.
Along with a decent relevant degree, technical knowledge,
certain qualities act as your "X" factor that raises you to the
top list of eligible candidates for the job.
Aspects that create "X" factor.
Below are some of the attributes that any giant looks within
candidates applied for the job.
Job consciousness - For whatever role you are applying, be
well prepared with its job role. Companies prefer candidates
with decent knowledge of the responsibility to be performed.
Approach - To manage any form of challenges or pressure at
the workplace, your approach has a lot to do with it. A positive
attitude shows your confidence and readiness to tackle any
problem. Positiveness reflects the ability to maintain a good
relationship with colleagues, stakeholders, and clients. This
attitude gets figured out through interactions in several
rounds of job interviews.
Self-dependant - The ability to perform job responsibilities
individually is a highly desired quality that companies look
for in candidates. It gives confidence to the company that you
are capable of taking the entire charge of any given task.
Ambitious - Applicant's aspirations define their will to learn
and grow. Companies respect such candidates with great
ambition and will- power. It allows the company to entrust
the candidate with a critical role or responsibility. Discussing
dreams has a chance of getting highlighted in interviews.
Workable - Candidates with more adaptability and flexibility
towards change are more likely to be shortlisted for the
job. This characteristic plays a crucial role in a challenging
environment at large organizations.
Honesty - All good qualities carry a value only if assisted
by an honest attitude. Every company honors honesty. Be
specific and truthful in presenting yourself. Sincerity opens
the door to your professional career and the growth ahead
in your job.
Decorate your personality. After having all the above
attributes in your character that showcase your personality,
you need to have certain hard & soft skills, which are essential
to ensure you qualify for a job. Soft skills are part of inbuilt
natural caliber, and hard skills are acquired through academic
studies.
Considering the nature of the business of the company, these
skills carry their importance.
Below is the listing of few core skills for your understanding.
Cross verify with yourself what you already have, what you
need to enhance, and what new you need to develop.
Technical skills - ( Hard skills ) Mostly these are job-specific
skills, and demand is mostly relative to the company's
product/process. Below are common and must-have skills for
any candidate that can be applied to any sector or industry.

• Computer handling ( Microsoft office application ).

• Data Management.
• Basic cloud services.
• Digital Marketing basics.
• Social networking.
• Performance analytics.
• CRM/HRM-based tools.
These are the academic skills that can be studied
through various educational institutes but practice to
gain the expertise. These can only be proved by the
certificates, with practical implementation and execution.

Non- Technical skills - ( Soft skills )

• Interpersonal Skills.
• Collaborative attitude.
• Pressure handling skills.
• Solution-based thinking ability.
• Presentation skills.
• Sales & Service skills.
• Customer/ Client management.
All these Non-technical skills are completely linked with the
candidate's personal development and can only be proven
with actions, approach, and attitude.
Before jumping into your dream for the job, you need
to explore the types of sectors available in the corporate
industry. It will help you to work on the closest chance of
grasping the job.
Companies are classified in different sectors considering
the product and service they provide. Below are the various
industry types and their sub-categories.

These industries get involved in different sub-categories

related to their respective nature of business. Though
different in nature and activity, more or less they have
a dependency on one another. To a larger extent, these
industries are tagged as big giants considering their market
share, employee strength, spread all over the locations, etc.
As per their need and requirements in different departments,
these companies have expectations, demands that match
their respective job role, and same they search for candidates
applying for the role.
Due to significant evolution in technology, there was immense
growth speed in all these sectors. Simultaneously there was
an increase in the need for most eligible candidates with
technical & non-technical skills for respective job roles. It was
expected not only from new candidates/job seekers
but also from existing employees.
There the race of competition began, which changed the
approach of candidates in acquiring new skills and focused
on improving inbuilt skills was taken on a serious note.
You need to set your career goal to know what abilities/skills
you have, which sector these can fit, and what additional
requirements to prepare for it. Thus it would be best to build
proper synchronization between all these, making you fully
prepared for healthy competition in the corporate race.
"Just knowing what needs to be done is of
no use till it's acted upon."- Shakeel Mulla.

Keep in mind that everyone out there is equally trying and

putting hard efforts to qualify for the job, so having prepared
once will not promote you. It's your persistence in improving
your skills, learning continuously that adds to your ability to
compete.
The same way any Industry/company/organization, no
matter how big, has to compete in the market. This strength
is provided by its employees, which is why it is said that
great employees make a great organization. It ensures its
sustainability, and organizations tend to have a versatile
candidate enough to match the requirements of hiring and
as a prospect for future needs. Developing all the above-
highlighted characteristics, requirements are not only in
terms of fulfilling a big giant's big demand, but also it's equally
meaningful for your personal & professional growth.
Though these demands look tough to embrace, you can feel
the magic when you start working on adding these to your
attitude. The whole perception of you seeing
challenges in meeting up the demands of the company of
your dream will turn around. You will start yielding the
benefits of gaining recognition as the most eligible candidate
in an interview and the most recommended employee in the
organization going ahead.
So consistent addition to your knowledge of the surrounding
environment, changing demands, and improving through
self-assessment has to be inculcated as a habit. It is very
much necessary to invest in yourself and take your level up to
beat the competition. It's an effective way to prosper in this
changing world of expectations.
Here's a story you must have read a lot of time but presented
in a different interpretation
The thirsty crow and the water pot.
A crow felt very thirsty, and in search, it found a pot containing
very little water. The crow struggled to reach it. After several
attempts the crow was tired, and its thirst also increased.
Crow felt like dying. In the anxiety of a death-like feeling,
the crow struck upon an idea to drop pebbles into the pot.
Crow immediately started to act on the idea, and it worked.
The water level rose to the pot's neck, and the crow was able
to drink it.
Learning: Consider pot as the company's demand, water as
your stand against demand, pebbles are your skills to develop.
The only big thing is to take action.
 The Change Creators
of the World
By Ntsiki Ncoco

"Everyone is created for a specific purpose,

and to fit in the puzzle of the beautiful
picture of the globe" - Ntsiki Ncoco

All the global "Who Is Who" are different according to the

areas they serve. In a team, all positions are very critical, as
each team member plays an important specific role.
It is in this area where principles and values of respect for each
other are earned. The value of integrity of understanding that
people will never be the same, nor be in the same professions
and industries but are all in their respective roles of serving
humanity and their industries for economic growth of our
countries and their sustenance.
What Is A Degree:
Merriam Webster definition of a degree: Education: a title
conferred on students by a college, university, or professional
school on completion of a program of study."
"An academic title conferred to honor
distinguished achievement or service".
We are also aware that other degrees are conferred as
honorary degrees because of the excellent performance and
a certain level of an individual to the extent of being noticed
by a specific institution and be awarded an honorary degree
at any level up to a doctorate level.
There is a preference when hiring for certain positions
from the managerial positions up to the CEO level in the
workplace. The requirements when creating job specifications
would emphasize a degree qualification, sometimes with
a postgraduate degree a must or as an added advantage.

When studying for a degree, the acquired theory is the

added advantage in certain positions in the workplace, where
one would be hired because you have the qualification the
organization is making a requirement to qualify for even an
interview before getting the job. Most areas of employment
and especially at the executive level make this requirement
though there are still a few Executives who are leading the
organizations without a degree, and others only received
their degrees whilst on the job.
Leaders at the executive level make a change in their respect
as they act as inspirers by leading their organizations.
What Is A Skill:
Merriam Webster definition of a skill:
"The ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in
execution or performance."
"To make a difference" Some skilled individuals perform
to a high degree of being noticed in the workplace and are
given a chance to lead and be counted as the 'Change Creators
of the World.'
It happens when the skilled individuals without a degree are
high performers or have been with the organizations for
a longer period, and they have acquired the relevant and
qualifying practical accolades in an organization to fit the
profiles of the managers/leaders/executives, etc. without a
degree.
It is another level of empowerment and sponsorship that the
organizations acknowledge and honor the services of their
loyal and diligent employees.
Learning on the Job: The longer you serve within an
organization, the greater the rewards when performing well,
and the organization conducts programs to transfer skills to
the younger managers & leaders too.
Degrees and Skills are essential as they are trained differently;
they are both about acquiring education and knowledge
though they are on different levels of educational evaluations.
The Key Difference: A Degree is a theoretical evaluation,
whereas a Skill is a practical evaluation.
The degree is always known for its importance, as a person
would take several years studying theory and rarely gets to
do the practicals, especially in the workplace. One has to
graduate and then do the internship or get a job to start
at the entry-level of his learned degree in that particular
department in an organization.
Students who register for a degree through a university do
not engage in practicals like the students who study through
a Technikon, who would take 6 months on attending lectures
and the other 6 months they will do practicals of the skills
they are learning in the actual workplace.
The universities prepare students to be highly skilled with
a degree level of theoretical knowledge vs Technikons that
prepare students to be highly skilled in both theoretical
knowledge and practical work.
A degree is rated higher on an education evaluation than a
diploma obtained from a Technikon because of the difference
in the levels and ratings of their educational programs
and modules. A degree is evaluated higher than skill with
a diploma or a certificate. They are both 'The Change
Creators of the World.' They are both important as they are
trained differently; both are about acquiring education and
knowledge though they are on different levels of educational
evaluations.
Respect & Acknowledgement of Different Levels of
Education:
I once read a story on a Reader's Digest, I will summarise it.
Female friends last saw each other after high school. One
day they met after 30 years of long separation. With all the
incredible excitement, they shared what happened in their
lives in the past 30 years. The other one shared that she got
married and had 3 sons. They all studied and finished their
higher education. The 1st born is a qualified lawyer, the
2nd born is a Medical Doctor, and the 3rd born is a qualified
Plumber.
She shared about an experience of how they were once
financially challenged, but she thanked her lastborn for
taking care of the family. Whilst his eldest brothers had no
jobs after finishing their degrees, he (the Plumber) would
get jobs every day and sustain the family till his brothers were
also employed.
 How A Skill and A Degree Complement Each Other:
Needs Are The Key Indicator:
As both a degree and a skill speaks more in their different
industries. Some countries are employing more individuals
with degrees, and other countries employ more skilled
individuals. It is all based on the needs of the organization or
the government.
The countries need to focus on what is beneficial for their
economic growth and their sustenance.
Currently, in many countries, the research results or reports
show that skill will speak more to revive the country's economy
during and after the pandemic.

Current Reality: Many professionals with degrees lost their

jobs and are still struggling to find jobs online. Some had to
be innovative and adjust to learning new skills like digital and
technical or support services, which need skilled employees
to survive during this time, whilst a lot are still home with no
jobs.
Take note, even the degrees differ. It has been
researched that the quality of education in most
developing countries is significantly compromised,
and most educational institutions are only producing
graduates with a degree who lack the required skills.

On the other hand, the exciting thing is that the employers on

the job market need skills, hence the current focus on skills
by Google, as it has waived the requirement for a degree or
a diploma.
The focus then should be implementing the skills as they
globally speak more during this time.
Development Economists are speaking in one voice that
the countries who experienced significant loss during the
pandemic should focus on skills development to revive their
economies.
Conclusion:
Some skills are not learned from a degree program, such
as accountability, integrity, assertiveness, determination,
resilience, etc., and practical skills that are performed by
hand.
There are leaders with degrees who lack great values and
principles of leadership; on the other hand, leaders without a
degree led/lead by the high values and the culture to create
the change in the world.
I would also like to highlight another crucial level of greatness
of a skill. Some of the leaders who left great legacies never
obtained any formal degrees, but they led their communities,
governments, and countries with their leadership skills to
the extent of being 'The Change Creators of the World,' and
some were honored with 'Honorary Degrees' because of their
earned respect and social reputation.
Hence, my conclusion is that a degree is evaluated higher
than skill, a diploma, and a certificate.
They are both 'The Change Creators of the World,'
from different levels of education with their different
responsibilities and accountabilities to make a difference to
the world.
 The job Guarantee
By Asma Mukadam

In my experience, they are both considered for employment.

The degree can shape our character and our sense of
responsibility towards society. Skills are connected to our daily
lives, which is a requisite if someone wants to be independent
or start their own business.
In my opinion, the degree is more precious because it gives
you a job guarantee and skills that help you stay in the job
and move forward if you are hardworking and consistently
achieve your goals.
Degrees and skills also play an essential role globally. To get a
genuine job in the United States, you need a marketable skill
and a credential.
For example, to hold an engineer or a teacher position, you
may need the credentials—an appropriate bachelor's degree.
Yet parents and students have been influenced into thinking,
"The only valid credential is a bachelor's degree to get a
guaranteed job."
This agenda is more complicated than in our current
marketplace.
Most students who enroll in a four-year degree are just
wasting their time and their parents' money. Only one in four
gets a good job after finishing college. Students are entering
a competition for a few good jobs, and most of them don't
understand this. Data shows that only twenty-five percent
of the lowest-paying employment is secured by college
graduates today.
There are lots of other credentials besides a bachelor's
degree that can lead to monetary success. Considering this
fact, parents and students must choose their interests by
communicating and agreeing with each other. Nowadays,
students are more responsible and know their directions
due to market exposure and online resources. If parents and
students are confused about the guaranteed job-related future
program, they can always get help from career coaches. The
coach will assess the eligibility and interest of the students and
help them find their niche. It will help parents and students
to consider their post-secondary choices carefully.
There are still people who say degrees don't matter and skills
are all that it takes. Well, what if you don't get an opportunity
to showcase those skills?
The term 'SKILL' has become so popular nowadays as
everyone talks about it. But in reality, the choice of figuring
out which is more vital between skill and degree is just like
the question of which is more important: daytime or night?
Of course, holding a degree widens your job possibilities,
but it's not the only career benefit gained by attending the
academy.
A skill is an inborn gift that we recognize during the academic
period from school to college. Even if a person is highly
talented and experienced, they need authentication that they
are so, and it's the degree that provides that authenticity
and ignites the spirit of others to rely on and believe in their
skills. Hence, it is vital to maintain a balance between skill
and degree. Never achieve that degree that fails to add extra
value to your personality and doesn't polish your skills. It
is essential to keep our skills in mind before planning out
any course or degree. Both skills and degrees complement
each other, and neither can exist without the existence and
support of the other.
The Job Guarantee:
A degree does not always guarantee you will get a job, but
it does boost your resume. Some jobs still require college.
However, other determinants affect jobs, such as skills,
experience, and job search techniques in addition to the
degree.
The degree is a foundation for establishing an occupational
journey. However, skills play a crucial role in taking the
degree to the subsequent level. Also, skills can realize
excellence without possessing a degree that will be utilized
in any profession.
However, in my opinion, in today's competitive world, getting
a degree on time means getting an inborn skill set that can
flow in different directions as per interest or requirement.
One must complete a minimum of an associate or bachelor's
degree, which will help in any unexpected situations and
while employed. Further masters and doctoral degrees
depend entirely on one's capability to pay time and money as
per their goals.
On the other hand, skill is an asset similar to money. Moreover,
in this digitalized world, skills are becoming more
and debatable in every sector. So each parent must understand
the importance of their children's passions, which must be
attained, and provide education accordingly, rather than
force them to do what society needs.
A recent example of a Skills Vs. Degree:
One of my students recently faced this. She wanted to pursue
a diploma in digital marketing as she has amazing skills.
However, due to her parents' demand that she complete a
degree in their interest, she completed a degree in another
subject. So now, this student is pursuing another degree
according to her passion. Of course, it's good to have both
degrees in hand, as education never goes to waste. But my
point here is, she will again invest her time, energy, and
efforts that she could have easily used before completing her
choice degree and by now started earning money using her
skills happily.
As per the current data, I strongly feel that high schools and
degree colleges or universities should keep one skills session
every week in which they prepare students to explore their
abilities and make them. Ready for an organizational journey
using their expertise more than just the theory part. It will
help every hardworking or struggling student to widen the
network. Also, the debate on the degree and skills that have
the same value as one can not be ignored.
 Part II
Become Extra-ordinary

Chapter 4:
Sharpen your axe
 Types of skills
Nasir Ali

“When your skills are right,

your future will be bright.”
-Nasir Ali

Some skills are innate, natural, and God-gifted. However, by

doing deliberate practice, you can learn and develop them.
On the other hand, there are some skills that you can be
taught and trained.

Let’s discuss the types of skills.

Types of skills

Soft Skills Hard Skills SH skills

Soft skills
Soft skills are the precious gift of the universe. Because
they are the skills that show your strength, excellence, and
brilliance, you can practice and develop them. But there are
no fixed rules and formulas that will help you develop the art
of soft skills. It requires deliberate practice and takes time to
master them.
It works on a simple concept.
The more you practice, the more you imagine.
The more imagine, the more you ideate.
The more you ideate, the more you create.
The more you create, the more you invent.
The more you invent, the more you inspire.
The more you inspire, the more you impact.
Invent to Inspire. Inspire to Impact.

The types of soft skills include.

• Creativity Communication • Decision Making
• Adaptability • Innovation
• Collaboration • Flexibility
• Persuasion • Social Skills
• Listening • Patience
• Time Management • Conflict resolution
• Problem-solving • Confidence

Hard Skills
These are technical abilities that you learn in your school,
college, or in a job. They can be learned and acquire. These
skills are measurable and quantifiable. You can learn them
with the help of training material or through books.
Hard Skills include.
• Technical skills • Presentation skills
• Computer skills • Project Management skills
• Presentation skills • Analytical skills
• Microsoft office skills

SH skills or a combination of both

SH skills are the combination of soft and hard skills. Let’s say-
you are good at managing people and also have good computer
skills. Then you can make an excellent income. It is beneficial for
high-paying jobs, where soft and hard skills both play a vital role.

Soft skills are self-management skills, while

hard skills are technology implementation skills.
-Nasir Ali

Soft skills V/S Hard skills

There is always a debate about which skills are most important.
Some people are in favour of soft skills, and some are in
favour of hard skills. No doubt, if you master the soft skills,
then for you- SKY is the limit. If you master hard skills, you
can get an excellent job and position and also you become
Unstoppable. Let’s look at the statistics so that it will not be
the topic of debate anymore.
According to the Stanford Research center, Harvard
University, and Dale Carnegie Foundation.

85% of the job success comes from soft skills.

15% from technical skills.
 91% of organizations want more soft skills.
81% of companies find it difficult and more challenging
to hire talent with excellent soft skills.
30-40% of future jobs will depend on socio-economic skills.

In which area hard and soft skills are needed?

Both the skills have their own advantages. Soft skills are more
inclined towards people and self-management skills. If you
want to influence, manage and impact others, soft skills play
a crucial role. When you want to solve a complex technical
problem, delegate your work, and analyze the figures,
technical skills play a vital role.

Here you will get to know in which areas you need soft
and hard skills.

Soft Skills Hard Skills

Impact Monotonous task

Inspire Work efficiency

Work delegation (Verbally) Work delegation (Automated)

Motivate Data Security

Lead Drafting

Influence Calculating
statistics
Build relationships Company Reports and proposal

Communicate A/ B testing

Management Software development

What are the advantages of soft skills?
If you master the soft skills, you will experience the
following advantages.
• You can effectively manage yourself and the people
around you.
• You will be able to solve your problems at a deeper level
and bring a prominent solution.
• Your productivity reaches the next level because you
know how to manage yourself and people.
• A good team is the strong backbone of any foundation.
Your soft skills help you to create a synergic team that
inclines towards growth.
• You become more adaptable towards learning new
things and situations.
• Emotional Management- When emotions are in place,
your life is at peace.
• You can handle the work pressure effectively.

What are the advantages of hard skills?

• When you become proficient in hard skills, you will reap
the following benefits.
• You can save a lot of time because you don’t need tedious
manual work. Machines can perform your task on your
behalf.
• Hard skills help to create advanced technological
systems. With the help of systems, any organization will
grow. Your hard skills can help in money and growth
Multiplication.
 • With your hard skills proficiency, you can design a
system that does your work on your behalf. Tools and
techniques help in effective duplication.
• When you have more work to do and an unstructured
format, your mind gets confused and unable to give its
100%. With the help of technical skills, you can delegate,
create systems and automate things
So that you only need to concentrate on the most important
things and rest can be handled by others. Hence, it will help
to boost work efficiency.
Soft V/S Hard skills Matrix
• Skills help you to climb the success ladder. Hard and soft
skills are important in different areas. It’s entirely your
choice, in which area you want to succeed.
• Soft v/s hard skills matrix will give you a clear
perspective, which area requires hard skills, soft skills, or
both.
Less Soft skills More Soft skills
Less Hard skills Low-paying job Leaders
More Hard skills Employees High-paying job
 Types of skills
Altaf Ahmed

Skills and talents are in-built and also can be acquired over a
period of time. Some of the soft skills one can develop over
time are effective communication, outstanding creativity,
problem-solving, leadership, and people management skills.
Many people we see around have these skills under their
persona, making them stand out amongst others. We see
charismatic leaders with extraordinary skills without proper
qualifications or formal education and have a big fan-
following.
They are mentors and inspirers having profound control over
the masses.
They are known to possess the Midas touch. They are born
leaders, and for some people, they are believed to be their
Gods!
Few other skills are acquired over a period of time. Getting
professional qualifications and being certified in a particular
trade, and being honored and awarded a degree.
Some fields like arts, commerce, science & technology,
engineering, medical, and research fields, chartered
accountancy, financial advisors & consultants, computer
technology, languages and programming skills, law and
political science require specialized hard skills.
By learning some of these skills, too, one can become very
successful with little effort. Since the lady-luck smiles on the
few, the others have to manage their cup of tea without sugar
and icing!
Skills are of different types – soft Skills and hard Skills. These
skills help us succeed in every aspect of our life, whether at
school, college, work, or even sports or hobbies. Skills make
us confident and independent. Every person has a hidden
talent within.
They can use these talents to brand themselves and produce
outstanding results. They can polish their skills to make
use of their talent to generate income and become self-
independent.
Many skills are job-oriented, recognized, and appreciated and
provide healthy competition for each individual to succeed
professionally in career growth. They take up their skills as
their means of livelihood.
Hard skills are mostly the technical skills relating to a
particular task. It requires understanding and proficiency in
a particular activity that involves all the methods, processes,
procedures, and techniques. They are supported by facts and
findings and proven by great philosophers and intellectuals.
These skills can be measured by the amount of time and
the size of the particular job it carries. By following these
processes professionally, one can accomplish a task most
efficiently.
The final product is much more advanced, technically active,
and result-oriented.
Interpersonal skills, persuasive skills, and communication
skills are called people skills. These skills are mostly found
in teachers, mentors, inspirers, and leaders. These skills
are used to instill teachings, ideas, and motivations into the
minds of the masses to follow or lead a certain lifestyle. For
example, teachers use these skills on their students to spread
the awareness of truth and reality through education.
Political leaders use these skills to make a huge fan-following
for vote-banks in elections and political affairs. The spiritual
leaders use these skills to spread awareness of the Creator and
its Creations, to spread the word of peace and brotherhood
amongst their followers.
Communication skills, computer skills, administrative skills,
and customer service skills are some qualities that make a
person successful at the workplace. He can be a certified
professional in office administration with these qualities and
add value to the position by working efficiently. He learns all
the tricks of the trade-in office administration and secretarial
tasks to provide efficient support to the manager and his
bosses.
Customer care executives can handle the customer's queries
efficiently by addressing their issues or escalating the matter
appropriately to the higher authorities. Many people with
good typing skills too can work efficiently in data-entry
positions where they are required to enter large amounts of
data in a shorter specified duration.
A person can possess some other specific abilities to
demonstrate the action in a specified and measured way,
and these are called hard skills. One can learn through some
professional courses or experience on the job by working
part-time or full-time.
With these skills, a person can perform a specific task
efficiently as per the required conditions. These skills are
essential because they increase productivity and efficiency
in the trade. Moreover, these skills are abilities that can be
learned and trained by others to carry forward this profession
to younger generations ahead.
Some skilled workers with a profession as family-business
which is carried as a legacy in the family traditions.
They are masons, electricians, plumbers, drivers, weavers,
carpenters, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, bakers, brewers,
farmers, and other economically productive occupations
that continue from generation to generation.
They are specialized in their fields, without any basic or
professional training, no mentors or peers, but the skill is
learned and forwarded by working and learning within their
households. Thus, they become the masters of their art!
Life skills in a person are the ability to a positive behavior
that enables them to deal effectively with life's challenges.
These skills that function for well-being and aid individuals
to develop into active and productive members of their
communities are considered life skills. Some examples of
these skills are decision-making, problem-solving, creative
thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, self-
awareness, counseling and advice, healing and stress relieving,
etc. They add value to society as they help the citizens re-
shape their lives, otherwise in their turmoil.
People skills are behavioral interactions among people. These
are the abilities like personal effectiveness and interaction
skills. It shows how a person behaves and how they are
perceived irrespective of their thinking abilities.
Many people can communicate effectively with people
in a friendly way, especially in business where they make
connections among the business community to achieve more
leads to generate business. They work in the marketing & sales
fields as executives to speak directly to the end consumers
and generate positive leads, which turns the business into an
organization.
Social skills combine interpersonal people skills,
communication skills, and emotional intelligence quotient,
among others. It is used to create a fan following like teachers,
leaders, and celebrities.
These skills are used to communicate and interact verbally and
non-verbally through gestures, body language, and personal
appearance. Humans are known as friendly creatures who
have developed several ways to communicate our messages,
thoughts, and feelings with others.
The process of learning these skills is called socialization and
helps us to grow personally and professionally.
 Topmost desired
skills Skill Era
By Megha Chhabra

A way back degree spoke louder than skills. That was the
degree era.
Shreya passed her 10th class, and a time came when she decided
to choose a career option two decades ago. Her parents gave
her three options based on degree- Engineering, Medical,
and CA. Finally, she selected engineering. When she entered
college, everyone was talking about grades, marks, merit,
and backlogs. After listening to those words for four years,
she also became obsessed with such a degree environment.
She also started asking the same thing with other students
and siblings, how many marks did you score in your exams?
In how many subjects did you get A+? Her focus was on the
degree and score. It was apparent and happened everywhere.
It is a story of every individual who graduated in the degree
era.
But now the time has changed, and the wheel has turned out.
We have entered into a new decade of digital evolution and
automation. It has become a skill era.
Now the world is more inclined towards the skill.
If you don't have a degree, you can survive. But if you
don't have skills, you don't get anything.
Also, a decade ago, people only talked about technical or
complex skills. Soft skills were underrated and underlying
in the technological cocoon. Now, the emphasis has
shifted. Companies are looking for more soft skills along
with essential technical competencies. Even most of the
reputed companies like Google, Apple, and IBM hire people
based on skills.
The primary difference between hard and soft skills is that
hard skills can be learned by training in a quick time. On the
other hand, soft skills are innate and can only be developed
with diligent practice.
What is the difference between degree and skill era?
The degree era focuses more on traditional learning, while
the skill era on experiential learning. Now people talk more
about creativity, innovation, uniqueness, credibility, and
personal branding. The skill era has given you the freedom
to follow your passion because you are not restricted to a
degree. You can make your career in any field; there is no
limitation. The skill era has opened new possibilities and
opportunities.

"If degree is the queen,

skill is the king".
- Megha Chhabra
Trending soft skills
Soft skills have won the trophy and prove that the god's
creature is supreme. Even machines can't challenge the
universe. Many studies confirm that, during an interview,
companies look more for soft skills. 92% of the managers
said that soft skills are more valuable than hard skills.
In-demand soft skills of the digital era.
Time Management
Time management is one of the skills that can help you
skyrocket your success. People often confuse that time
management is about managing time, but it is constant. Time
management is about managing yourself. Let's say if you
want to wake up early in the morning, you have to convince
yourself to sleep early at night, automatically next morning,
you will wake up. Here you don't manage your time; you only
control your habits.
Negotiation skills
The art of negotiation is that you can convince your customers
without making them feel convinced. It is a trending skill,
and every business revolves around it. Whether you are a
client or business owner, having good negotiation skills will
help save money without impacting the relationship between
both the parties.
Creativity
Creativity is an inbound talent that gives shape to any idea
or business. You can use creativity everywhere, regardless of
the job title. Creativity is the factor that helps your business
eclipse the competition.
Ethics & Integrity
It is one of the essential skills that are the foremost choice of
the big companies. They believe that they can teach technical
skills to their employees, but they can't teach ethics and
integrity.
We look for three things when we hire people. We look for
intelligence, we look for initiative or energy, and we look for
integrity. And if they don't have the latter, the first two will
kill you. - Warren Buffett
Decision Making
Most businesses fail because of a lack of decision-making.
When an idea comes into the mind, instead of executing it,
they think for years and lose the golden opportunity. In the
digital era, execution is the key to become successful because
of the vast exposure. Never put yourself in the thinking mode
for a long duration. If you are unable to make a decision, take
the help of the experts and implement it.
Collaboration
Leaders remain the leaders because they understand the
power of collaboration. It is such a powerful tool that can
create history. An individual can think of a star, but a collective
mind thinks of the sky.
Emotional Intelligence
It is about managing, understanding, and positively accepting
your emotions. Research shows that a person with a low
IQ and high EQ (emotional quotient) becomes successful
in life. A person with high EQ can even climb mountains.
Unfortunately, everybody talks about IQ, but no one teaches
us to become emotionally resilient.We need to teach our
children about the emotional intelligence that can help them
to clear the roadblocks coming in their way towards success.

Adaptability
A person with a comfortable mindset never does something
extraordinary in their life. They always stick to their old
patterns and beliefs. If you want to survive in the fast-paced
world, adaptability is crucial. Today, the only change is
constant. Break your comfort zone, learn new things, and
thrive in your life.
Persuasion
It is an umbrella term for influence and convincing others
without going into the arguments. Moreover, it is a business
strategy to persuade customers to buy a particular product
or service.
Trending Hard skills
The hard skills are the ladder for making a successful
corporate career. If you have achieved competency in any
technical skills, you can accomplish a triumph and live a life
without worrying about money. In today's world, to make
money, you don't need a degree.

You can make a successful career in any of the fields

of your choice. Some of the in-demand hard skills are.

• Coding ability • Computer skills

• Analytical skills • Presentation skills
• Technical skills • Accounting
• Web analytics • Data research
• Testing skills • Data engineering
• Data visualization • Microsoft office skills
• Projectmanagement skills

Golden tip: Do certification courses, training, and join some

internships related to your niche to get hands-on experience.
Empower yourself with learning new and trending
skills.
 Cheatsheet for highly
demanded careers
By Megha Chhabra

Opportunities always knock at your door;

you only need to recognize them
- Megha Chhabra

The technological age has opened new ways and provides us

with many options to build a successful career. As a result,
you don't need to think much about career options and
opportunities. You don't need to worry about the degrees
and long-duration certifications. Instead, you have to identify
your interests and align them with the present opportunities.
It is an age of doing, not thinking. If you beat the dead horse
or overthink and don't take immediate action, soon you will
become obsolete. The reason is simple if you delay too much
and after that, you kickstart your career.
Meanwhile, the profession will get burdened with the
competition, so stepping your foot there requires effort.
Leverage the power of the technological age and skyrocket
your success to the apex. The highly demanded career
requires 4P's.
Productive & learning mindset.
Precise clarity.
Proficiency in one or two skills.
Passion for innovation.
Cheatsheet for highly demanded careers
• Blockchain Technology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Cloud Computing
• Big Data Specialists
• Strategy Specialist
• IOT Specialist
• UX Design
• Video Scripting
• Video Production
• Video Editing
• Web Development
• App Development
• Cloud Engineer
• Copywriting
• Editing & Proofreading
• Sales Coach
• Digital Coach
• Quality Assurance Analyst
• Technical Content Writing
• Creative Content Writing
• Information Security Analyst
• Ruby On Rails Developer
• System Integration Engineer
• Translation Specialist
• Cyber Security Specialist
• DevOps Engineer
• Life Coach
• Meme Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Programmer Analyst
• Photography
• Data Scientist
• Software Developer
• Graphic Designer
• Robotics Engineer
• Medical Technologists
• Biotechnology
• Front-end Development
• Back-end Development
• Full-stack Engineer
• Professional Nutritionist
• Medical Imaging
• Database Analyst
• Network Engineering
• IT Project Manager
• SEO Specialist
• SAS Programmer
• SAS Developer
Don't wait for the right time; make the
time right and become unstoppable.
- Megha Chhabra.
 Professional Skills
By Ntsiki Ncoco

"Experts are the manifestation of assertiveness

by individuals who want to excel and change the
narrative by advancing their professional skills."
- Ntsiki Ncoco
One of the salient ways to become an expert in professional
skill is to sharpen your axe in your career regularly. It is
as essential as drinking lots of water every day, the same
as watering your vegetable garden for the plants to grow.
My Mathematics teacher emphasized the importance of
practicing our Math exercises at the end of each chapter
every day.
My Accounting lecturer shared the secret to master
Accounting, "practice it every day." I am reminded of a
professor who is a superintendent of a bustling hospital. He
is a gynecologist specialist and holds so many other degrees.
He shared his secret and daily practice on how he managed
to collect so many degrees whilst in a busy career, "Every day,
I make sure I read a book before I go to sleep."
You have to play an active role in fully engaging your
assertive thinking to do a significant part in sharpening your
professional skills.
A self-assertive individual's first step is to do an Assessment
Aptitude Test; many are free and accessible online, and it
is in aid of expressing oneself confidently and forcefully. I
like these kinds of evaluations because they help assess one's
attitudes or performance, intentions, and actions of why you
do the things you do and why you are following a specific
profession. They help to improve your performance and
increase productivity on your professional skills.
Career and Professional Development:
The magic question again is "Why," hence called "Your Why,"
do you sharpen your axe in your professional skills?
For a career or a professional skill to be developed, one has
to make a conscious decision that will be honored to achieve
the best results. It is why it is vital to start by taking a free self-
assessment online. It can help one learn more about their
underlying work needs and motivations and decide what is
crucial for you in a job.
This exercise and evaluation help individuals know themselves
better and know where and how to sharpen the axe the most
in one's professional skills. It also assists in identifying the
right go-to experts that can be a solution to your needs.
Development to advancement: personal to corporate or
business owner: Sharpening the axe is scaling up from
development to advancement. Professionals attend training
and development. It is an excellent strategy for organizations
to train their employees; the key step is to advance after
training and development by implementing the strategies
learned with responsibility and accountability to propel
themselves, the organization, or the business to the next
level.
Coaching & mentoring: Everyone needs a coach and a
mentor. It is crucial to be coached in your career path to
excel confidently in the tools to use as a professional. Best
coaches have their coaches, and the chain goes on as the
information is shared on how best to coach your teams from
coach to coachee; the great legacy with leadership integrity
is being passed on from one level of professionals to the
next generation. Just imagine the wheel that is rolling down
without a stop. Every professional can be a difference-maker
in this kind of information sharing.
Becoming an authority: Sharpening the skills can take one
to the level of being an authority in your industry, and it can
supersede even one professional offering. Take, for instance,
a Radio / TV Presenter who does the job very well. Within
no time, they will be from time to time seen on events as an
MC and sometimes as a Keynote Speaker.
In the workplace, when a skill is sharpened perfectly well.
Sometimes you will notice organizations would headhunt
for those kinds of experts in the marketplace. Internally the
professionals would be approached to apply or get promoted
to key positions to lead the organization.
Sharpening the skills in writing can make one excel in
content creation and writing skills. One can start by
writing a paragraph, then grow from a presentation skill
of writing to creating articles, journals, and writing a book.
That is a signature of being an authority by publishing
starting from a Passion Book to a Commercial Book.

It is the area where one can break the skies and sharpen the
axe in one area of a profession and advance according to skills
and abilities. It is called a versatile professional when one has
sharpened the axe to the extent of being an all-rounder.
Conclusion: Did you know that experts frequently sharpen
their professional skills?
Every expert, for instance, Presenters, Trainers, and
Facilitators, consistently sharpens their axes as they serve
different clientele.
Before every presentation, you sharpen your axe to excel
than the last presentation you made.
From preparation of a presentation, rehearsals, using more
advanced tools for every session.
The scope of work for different clients compels the professional
to research about their clients and their operations, which
requires one to learn and use different new ways of approach
and presentations for every client.
Importance of Research: To be relevant and accurate as
the go-to expert, be well informed with updated knowledge
and the latest information. Researchers are well respected in
their industries, and others can make a confident reference
to their work too.
Solution givers:To be on the cutting edge, you need
to upskill your level of knowledge with design thinking
strategies to serve even the client in a most challenging
situation and assist them in getting out of the red on their
business operations. Sharpening your axe is refreshing and
rejuvenating with the positive energy to level up the power of
the mind. Every professional can be that mini mobile library.
 Niche clarity
By Ioanna Petrochilou

"Set the direction of your life! Start designing your

future with the colors you love the most."
-Ioanna Petrochilou.
Have you ever heard the phrase "Find your niche"?
I am sure you did!
But do you know what it means when someone asks, "Find
your niche"?
First of all, do you know what niche is?
Searching on Google, you can see that the meaning of the
"niche" is…
"a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment."
If you struggle to decide the best for you, don't panic; just
stay cool and take a breath. Think better, think twice, try to
find out what things or activities you enjoy while doing them,
and start creating your list.
Deep dive and imagine yourself doing these specific things,
and then when you can see yourself happy with one of them
or when you recognize your passion or when you feel the
energy of jumping in and do more than make the decision
and follow this road.
Many people decide to follow what they love, and they study
it. Then, they got their degree, and they started working on
this, and they are successful. Why?
Because they decided to do what they love to do, that is the
reason for their happiness.
Some people decided to follow something not because they
were passionate about it, but because it seemed an excellent
opportunity for more money and glory! But eventually, they
felt stressed, demotivated, and tired.
The biggest mistake that someone can make is to believe that
his niche is a synonym to his wallet. It's not!
If you do something you are passionate about, you can have
your peace and clarity to make more, achieve more, and
sometimes make more money.
However, there are times when you study something for which
you were happy and full of energy, but during the years of
gaining experience, you just realize that it is not your niche.
You realize that what you do right now is not the one you
meant to be. So you start to realize that you want to do
something different.
It's not bad, and it's completely healthy.
People change, the world changes, so our desires, our passions
are changing as well. So, one day you may decide to pursue a
different career, a different path!
Don't think twice, do it! Because this is the one thing you
can do exceptionally, the one thing for which you spend time
to be even better, the only thing with which you will be able
to influence people. It is your niche!
This is You!
The moment you realize what you want to be or do is when
you have clarified your niche.
The moment you meet your new you!
So, the next step is to work on it, be even better, learn more,
improve your skills relative to your niche, and build your
future. Then, finally, to build and sign your success.
Remember, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and many others decided
to fall in love with what they want to do.
They worked on it, and they did it. Today they are who they
are because successful people do what resonates with their
passion, and that's why they perform their best and influence
others.
Tomorrow you can be the one who will influence people.
Imagine yourself, find out one thing you love, clarify your
niche, and prepare yourself for the future!
Your niche, in reality, is your unique talent, the one who can
do it with close eyes and with extra passion.
Therefore, clarifying your niche is the best step to your
success.
Either having a degree or just improving your skills, the
moment you follow what you love is the stepping stone to
your successful future!
"When you find your niche, you just have to continue to be
confident and thrive in it. There is a niche for everyone!" You
only need to discover it.
 Niche clarity
By Megha Chhabra

Why did you do engineering if you want to become a content

writer?
One of my friends asked me this question. Initially, I smiled
and paused for a moment. Then, I replied- Yes, I have done
engineering, but I am a content writer by profession. When I
opted for engineering, no one asked me why I wanted to become
an engineer? I didn't even ask myself this question. I decided
to become an engineer because engineering was in trend.

At the age of 28, I realized engineering was not my cup of tea.

So, I started searching for job options that would align with
my expertise. But, unfortunately, I was clueless and didn't
know what I wanted from my life. Somewhere I heard of this
word known as Niche clarity. I was fascinated and excited to
know about this trending word.
From videos and articles, I came to know about it. First, I
thought about how simple it is to find my niche. But when I
dug deeper, I realized it's the hardest thing to find out. Even
searching for my mobile once it gets lost is more accessible
than finding my niche. Finally, after months of struggle,
I found my area of interest, writing, and my journey as a
content writer commenced. It happens to almost 90% of the
people. Maybe you are one of them.
What is Niche Clarity?
Niche clarity is to find the area of your interest or your
passion or the domain which excites you or the things you
like the most.
It is a broader picture of understanding the niche. You have
to align your niche with the trending technology or skills to
monetize it for the narrower concept.

Niche Clarity = Area of Interest + Expertise + ways to

Monetize it.
Passion doesn't matter. Only money matters.

Niche clarity is a combination of passion and financial

freedom. You can live your passion completely, till you get
money from it. It is one of the simplest ways to live a life on
your terms and conditions. Because you do what you like and
your soul is happy to do it without any stress.
Often people leave their passion because of financial
crises. It is a straightforward way of living your life without
compromising it.
Let's say, If you have an interest in painting and you are not
able to monetize it, then that skill would not sustain for
longer. It might be suitable as a hobby but not considered as
your niche.
Don't get confused between niche and hobby. Niche is a
specific domain that helps you do what you like, are good at,
and achieve your financial freedom. A hobby you do in your
leisure time that relaxes your mind and brings happiness.
Hit the jackpot and win the game.
To achieve a big win in your life, you have to hit the jackpot.
The way that leads to your jackpot is niche clarity.
Finding your niche helps to get a clear understanding of what
you are passionate about, and also, you can become your boss.
Three profound steps to find your niche
Step 1: Explore like a child.
If you are clueless about your niche and it becomes difficult
for you to select your niche. Don't push the panic button,
instead give yourself some time to learn and explore new
things.
Step 2: Brainstorming
After exploring and learning new things, find out what
activities you have done that excite you and align yourself
with that niche.
Give your answers to the following questions to find
the YOUR treasure

1. What are the things you are passionate about?

2. What are the things you like doing the most?
3. What are the things that you don't like doing?
4. What are the things that excite you?
5. What are the things you are good at?

To get the niche clarity- align and combine two things.Align

your interest and strength to pick up the perfect niche.
Finding niche= YOUR (Interest + strength)
Step 3: Step into professional Avatar.
While selecting your niche, don't get caught up in your
emotions and surpass your critical thinking. Be practical and
understand why you want to choose this niche. Don't select
something because you like it; always determine the future
of your niche. Put aside your emotions and step into your
professional Avatar to choose the right niche for you.
Let's understand it with the help of an example.
Suppose you is passionate about photography and also has
good photography skills. If you look at the trending market,
photography has become one of the demanding markets
due to digital transformation. Therefore, you can build a
successful career by picking up photography as your niche.
Hence, choosing photography as your niche is a great option.
Macro-niche or micro-niche
Macro-niche comprises a broader domain, while micro-niche
is to zoom in on your niche.
For example, if you choose yoga, it is a macro-niche. While if
you do narrow down positioning, you will get the sub-topics
of yoga-like yoga for mothers, yoga for old-age people, yoga
for weight loss, yoga for diabetes, and so on. The sub-topics
are known as micro-niches.
The more you narrow down your niche, you will be able
to attract the right market. If you are a beginner, always
choose the micro-niche because the more specific you are,
the more specific audience you will get after understanding
and researching your micro-niche. You can explore more and
more while penetrating other micro-niches. Let's talk about
Amazon- The king of e-commerce. When Amazon entered
the e-commerce market, it started with micro-niche.
They only sold online books, and that was their micro-niche.
After that, they have expanded their periphery and started
to sell different products. Sticking to one niche is important
while expanding your reach by working on different micro-
niches.
What are the key benefits of Niche clarity?
There are multiple benefits of niche clarity that help you
to laser-focus on your work and minimize distractions.
• You don't get confused with the multiple niches.
• You can save a lot of time on working in one niche.
• You achieve competency in your niche.
• You can attract the right audience and market.
• You can skyrocket your success in less time.
Confused. Confused. Confused.
There might be some instances where you get confused and
unable to find the niche. You might think that you don't have
any specific skill that helps you to build your successful career.
Or you might be confused that you are good at too many
skills. At that time, two things will help you to find your niche.
When confusion happens, hold the two strings- Patience and
exploration. The only way to find your niche is to explore
new and unique things. But during the exploration, you get
irritated and annoyed. Finally, you start to think that nothing
is happening, and you want to quit it. That's the crucial point,
and at that time, patience will help you save your ship from
drowning. If still, you don't want to hold your patience, take
the help of a mentor. He will handhold you and bring you to
your destination.
Find your niche and kickstart your freedom.
- Megha Chhabra.
 Time hacks for
upgrading the skills
By Megha Chhabra

Time management is not about managing time.

It's about managing YOURSELF. Because time is
constant and the same for everyone. It depends
on YOU, how you make the best use of it.
- Megha Chhabra

You might be thinking, what is a correlation between skills

and time hacks?
But there is a deep correlation between time and skills. Let's
understand it with the help of this real example.
When you watch a movie, suddenly your best friend calls you,
you pick up the call, and after talking to him for minutes.
When you cut the phone and go back to the movie, you realize
that you have missed out on some scenes, and you start to
feel disconnected. To pick up the movie and understand it
takes some time. Suppose the movie is your skill, and a phone
call is a distraction.
To avoid distraction and achieve competency, you need time
hacks.
Let's dive deeper, for a designer, if he is designing something on
a laptop. At that time, a pop-up comes, and he leaves his work
in between and looks at it. In that situation, he is completely
distracted. Even by looking at one pop-up, multiple thoughts
come into his mind. When he again comes back to his design,
he again has to concentrate, and his mental energy will drain
away. It takes some time for him to again come to the same
pace. Also, it will diminish his creativity. The reason is simple.
It might be possible he missed a creative idea that his brain is
going to generate if he would have been continuing to work.

When distraction is zero,

creativity is at its peak. When
distraction increases, your
creativity diminishes.

A distracted mind is a wandering mind.

A wandering mind is a feeble mind.
A feeble mind is an uncreative mind.
An uncreative mind is a dead mind.
What will happen if your mind is distracted?
• Your mental energy will drain off.
• Your concentration level will decrease.
• You might lose an amazingly creative idea.
• You will not think outside the box.
• You will not get the solution to your problem.
• It also has negative emotional effects.
• It also leads to higher stress and lowers your prductivity.

Do you know what a distraction will do?

Once you become distracted, it takes 23 minutes and 15
seconds to regain full focus. Therefore, while learning a skill,
if you have distractions, it will increase your time duration for
learning any skill, and in the end, even you will not achieve
that level of competency.
Now you understand, while learning any skill, your focus is
extensively necessary.

Time Hacks To sharpen your axe.

If you are distracted multiple times in a day, slowly, you are

hampering your creativity. That's why people have more
stress and less productivity.
When digital distraction kills your creativity, then these time
hacks make you win.

7 Time Hacks that helps you to achieve

competency in your skills in quick time.
Hack 1: Say No to ping, ding, or ring.
We live in the digital age where we are flooded with a plethora
of information, and distraction has become very common.
When you are working on your skills, say no to a phone call,
message or notification. At that time, allow your creativity to
explore.
Hack 2: Authentic brain dumping
Multiple thoughts are one of the main reasons for a
distracted mind. So, write down all your thoughts that come
to your mind. So that when you are exploring, learning, or
experimenting. Your mind is in the proper place. Even for
brain dumping, you can use voice typing. It is a simple hack
to dump your thoughts in no time.

Hack 3: Laser focus formula- Divide Break-Relax.

Divide- First of all, divide your work into smaller chunks. It
will help your brain to understand things well. Don't burden
your mind by presenting a lot of work in front of it. Do you
know it decreases your willpower? Instead of that, divide your
work, and do it.
Break- After some time, your brain gets tired and unable
to produce magical results. Hence, when you feel that your
productivity goes down or you are unable to concentrate.
Instead of forcing you to work, take a break.
Relax- In that break, you can go for a walk, take a short nap,
read a book, do breathing exercises, or meditate.
But don't fall into the trap of social media.
Hack 4: unplug yourself completely.
Spend some time in solitude. Unplug yourself completly from
the outer world. It is the time when you are with yourself. Also,
it gives your mind some relaxation. Then, when you return
and start working, you will have enough mental energy and
willpower to accomplish your task effectively.
Hack 5: Consume less. Act more
It is a golden hack to learn any skill efficiently. Did you observe
when you watch youtube videos for an hour or two? After
that, if you ask yourself, what did you learn? You remember
very few things or maybe nothing; that's the drawback of
scrolling social media mindlessly. Now you might be thinking,
what's the way out? Instead of watching a train of videos,
watch 2-3 videos and write down important points. After
that, implement that knowledge. Implementation is the key
to sharpen your axe or skills.
Hack 6: first things first.
While learning anything, don't fall into the trap of learning
all the things at one time. Instead, follow the structure or
pattern so that you know you are heading in the right
direction. For example, let's say children first learn to crawl,
not to run. Everything takes time.
Hack 7: Time blocking
Time blocking is a powerful tool for not distracting from
your original task. For example, you can block your time
to upgrade your skill, social media surfing, work, etc. It will
give you the clarity that this time is for work, so I only have
to work. The other things aren't necessary at this time. It's a
way to guide your mind to do one thing at a time and not be
entangled in multiple tasks.
Implement these time hacks and experience the difference in
your creativity and productivity.
Happy Learning!
Thrive in your skills.
 Part III
The spirits of inspiration

Chapter 5:
Success Stories
 Stories with skill
By Nasir Ali

Aspire to Inspire-A bookbinder to a graphic

designer to failed start-up
The inner YOU is more powerful than the
outer circumstances.
-Nasir Ali

In 1999, at the age of 8, I

started my small career as
a bookbinder. My father
was more inclined towards
a learning mindset,
knowledge, and growth.
He requested his friend to
send my brother and me
to his shop to learn about
bookbinding. He agreed,
and we started to go to his
shop. Initially, he was unable
to offer the money because
of his financial problems.
But, after seeing our hard
workand determination, he
decided to pay 5 Pkr/day
to my brother and me.
After receiving my first salary, I was on cloud nine, and when
I gave it to my mother, she got happy, and seeing her happy,
I started to cry. Before that, I never experienced the two
emotions at the same time. But, that day, I realized that there
is something more than money.
I earned 5 Pkr/day; I was delighted.
It was the happiest moment.
I was flooded with a lot of emotions.
That was the time for profound realization.
I achieved competency in bookbinding in almost a year.
At the age of 9, I was doing my studies and bookbinding.
I worked there for four years, and after that, I worked at
a medical pharmacy for one year. In 2006, we purchased
the bookbinding shop that we worked in before.
Also, I had purchased a computer system that year and was
very excited about it because it was the first computer in
our area. My friends and cousins came to my home to watch
movies. But I was dedicated to my learning to a great extent
because of my father's inclination towards learning. Instead
of watching movies, I started to learn Photoshop 8.0. But,
due to the lack of money, one of my cousins taught me the
basics of photoshop. I found it interesting because during
my school time I was good at drawing. My family was happy,
and they felt that I would settle into this career. But I had
something else in my mind. I had big dreams, and I wanted
to push myself ahead and stretch my limits.
In 2009, I sold that bookbinding shop, and my family didn't
like my decision. But today, when I look at my past, it was one
of the good decisions I made in my life. If I hadn't sold that
bookbinding shop, I would have become a bookbinder.
In 2010, I started to work in the photo studio for free because
I aimed to learn and became brilliant in designing. After that,
I switched to another job, and again, I worked there with the
same mindset. It was a flex designing company, and it helped
me enhance my skills.
After that, in 2011, I decided to leave my native place and
move to the capital of Pakistan. When I told my family
about discontinuing my job and shifting to Islamabad, they
were shocked, and I still remembered their non-accepting
reactions. I told them that I had everything here, but I was
missing myself. I want to do something great, and I want to
achieve my dreams. After listening to my words, they didn't
say anything and showered their immense blessing and love.
When I reached Islamabad, I found that my world turned
upside down. In the beginning, I searched for a job, and
within 2-3 days, I got a labor job. Then, my two minds started
to fight-One told me to go back and live a comfortable life.
Another told me to stay here, face the challenge and achieve
my big dreams. Finally, the second one won the life-changing
battle. I told myself that I wanted to work for my dreams. So, I
decided to leave that job and searched for a graphic designer
job.
The unknown place is weird for me, and initially, I
even feared it.
But my determination helped me not to be scared
anymore.
I told myself why to think small and worried about the
dried nights,
If I can dare to dream big and reach the heights.
You know life is not as easy as we think. Initially, I fought
with myself. Next, I had to fight with the outer world. When
I applied for a graphic designing job, I wascriticized at every
level for not having an academic degree. At one point, I felt
that if you don't have a degree, it means others have the right
to disrespect you. The people who disrespected my dreams
were the degree holders. If anyone has the degree, then
can anyone use it as a tool to offend others? Who gives the
degree holders this right to insult others who don't have a
degree due to their family situations? But I didn't lose hope
and moved ahead and chased my dreams.

The right to a job is the only right of a degree holder.

If you don't have a degree, no one will treat you even
as a person.
No matter what qualities you have, your value is only
determined by a degree.
What kind of duality it is, and I strongly disagree.
After some days, finally, my hard work paid off. One of the
companies in Islamabad recognized my skills, appreciated
them, and offered me a job in their company. But my destiny
wanted to test my passion and determination to the next
level. I was unwell for 2-3 days when I mailed them about the
same, and they said that you don't need to come. I again lost
that flickering hope.
I had seen the ups and downs,
I recognized hope and despair.
I felt appreciation and criticism.
I realized life was not fair but worth living it.
I had reached the same place where I started, but I got the job
soon, and from here, I started my career. After 2-3 months
of my job, they handled all the primary responsibilities, and
I worked there as senior design manager. It was one of the
biggest design companies in Islamabad, and I had acquired
in-depth practical learning about the design. They even
supported me a lot during my struggling phase.
But after working for a year, I realized that I had stepped into
my comfort zone. So, I felt that it was the right time to achieve
something more. So, I started looking for new opportunities.
Meanwhile, In Jan 2012, my brother invited me to visit the
UAE. I was on a visiting visa, and I spent one month there.
I went for two to three interviews, my skills again helped
me shine there, and I joined one of the design companies.
I worked for one week after that my visa expired, and the
company told me that they would send me the work visa soon.
Unfortunately, I didn't receive a work visa, I got disheartened,
but one thing, I found that it is the place where my dreams
get the wings.
After returning to Pakistan, I didn't lose hope and tried
to reach my dream country. After a few days, suddenly, my
friend told me about a vacancy in the UAE; I applied for it,
they took my online interview, and I got hired by one of the
production houses based on my skills. On that day,
I realized that you would get what you desire if you believe
in yourself. So again, my inclination and belief towards skills
became stronger.
Skills help you to believe in yourself and the supreme.
It boosts your confidence to achieve your big dreams.
No matter who you are and where you want to walk, If
you have a suitable skill set, no one can stop your path.
In June 2012, I joined my new job in the new country. But
that was a hard time because everything was new. So, I stayed
there for two years. After that, I got a golden opportunity to
work in one of the reputed companies as a graphic designer.
It was a time of extensive learning and global exposure and
helped me enhance my design thinking. So, I worked in the
company for one year and left that job.
In June 2015, my business mindset pushed me to discover
the journey of a start-up. Having three years of international
market exposure, I had started a digital agency with a team
of 7 members. Most of them talked about the profit, and they
wanted the instant result. After three months, one person
had quit the company. At the end of the year, I left with one of
my friends. But he also left me after walking a few miles, and
I was alone at the end of the day. I tried, and finally, I failed
in my start-up. But it taught me many transformative lessons
and explained the power of collaboration. So, I accepted all
my failures and moved on.

Nothing more. Nothing less. Only Acceptance.

The real struggle came after my failed start-up, as I had hefty

debts, and it was the time when I didn't know how I was going
to survive. I had lost almost all my savings, and even one of
my friends told me to go back to Pakistan as my career would
finish. But I trusted my skills and went in search of a new job.
In a short time, I got an offer from one of the esteemed
companies, and within a year, I paid my hefty debts. It was a
life-changing moment for me because I had experienced the
real essence of the struggle. At that time, I learned how to
maintain a balance when life is not in your favor. It made me
realize that struggles and failures are your best teacher.
I Lived in the unknown with the debts.
I could see no ray of hope.
Only dark nights and painful struggles.
Finally, I survived and thrived.
With my graphic designing job in 2017, I have also started
taking freelancing projects. I think life is more than what we
believe. We are sometimes stuck in our comfort zone, and
it doesn't allow us to dream and achieve big things. I had
tasted all the experiences, from breaking my comfort zone
to the intense struggles to the achievements. What I am
today because of my skills and learning attitude. My learning
attitude always pushed me to break my comfort zone and
reach the heights of success.

Make your dream that much bigger so your

comfort zone will not interfere and restrict
you from thinking big.
-Nasir Ali

Believe in your skills and thrive for success.

 Success Story
Only with Skills
Ioanna Petrochilou

When I was young, people used to ask me, "What do you want
to do when you grow up" I had many answers.
I started with the common one, especially for young girls. "I
want to be a ballerina," but after that, I was so much convinced
with the idea to become an army pilot.
You would ask me why an army pilot. Honestly, I do not have
any idea. Then I decided, with the help of my sister, of course,
that I wanted to be a journalist.
I always love to talk with people, hear them, share my opinion,
and write about them.
Oh my God!
And this takes me back to my childhood when I wrote short
stories about my school days, describing and expressing my
feelings.
So, when people used to ask me, "What do you want to study
further and become in life" with complete confidence, I was
answering, "A Journalist."
But then life happened!
After high school, I was impressed by the beautiful and
complex world of Business. So, I decided that this was for me,
and I graduated and became a business person.
I studied Business Administration, and I focused on learning
and being certified in Project Management. It made me so
excited to work with different people, big teams and think for
improvements, implementations, etc.
I started working, and I am lucky enough to have worked
in Fortune 100 companies in various domains, gaining
considerable experience in different positions.
As a person, I like to do different things, learn more, and
have comprehensive knowledge. I always loved to read a lot,
and I never felt afraid or shame to ask for help if I didn't know
something.
Business Administration Degree helped me a lot to have
an outstanding performance, and it opened an excellent
position in big companies and corporations. As I said, I was
lucky enough! My choice made me feel thrilled. After all, it
seems that was the job that I wanted to do.
A few years later, I had gained experience, mastering Project
Management. I improved my performance every day, and
soon, I climbed the ladder of management levels gaining
experience in leadership and people managing.
Promotion came, I took over new responsibilities, and my
eyes opened to a new world, a new group of people, and as a
result, too many new opportunities for me. I was the "wizard"
of the projects, with a specialty in Proposal Management.
The big projects from the public and private sectors require
a lot of effort, resources management, and discipline to meet
demanding deadlines.
I loved my job, but most of all, I loved that I was spending
the most significant part of my day with my team, leading
them, coaching them, listening to them, and helping them to
achieve their goals.
However, there was always a question mark on my mind! I
couldn't understand the "what" and "why." Thus, I continued
to do what I knew to do, hoping that I would get the answer
one day.
And it happened.
After many years, almost 20 years of various projects delivery,
my manager came to me and said, "My lady, it's time to do
something different. It's time to do something that I feel you
love so much."
I remember that I looked her into her eyes, and I was thinking.
How can she know about me? How can she know what I want
and why she came to me saying that it's time to change? I
am good. I am an excellent performer, so why do I have to
change?
To make a long story short, I took over the responsibility of
the People Development Management for a significant region,
and I was responsible for the development and growth of all
people stuffing the area. People were coming from different
levels in the company hierarchy.
A huge responsibility, mainly because it was entirely new
for me. I never studied about people, and I never got an HR
degree or Psychologist or something that will lead to a job
about mindset, about strength discovery and management,
about people and their desires. I was never involved in
training designs, and most importantly, I had no idea how I
could do all these.
I was so much afraid! I closed my eyes, and I saw the upcoming
disaster. At least, those were my thoughts at the specific
moment.
I shared this with my manager, and she told me.
"You have the talent, you love people, you care about them,
and you have a passion for them. I observe you, and I see you
spending time to figure out their needs and support them.
You are a great listener, and great advisor, and a discipline
coach for them. So, I do not doubt that you can, and you will
do it with great success!
Just leave your passion for leading you and start reading,
start learning more about it, begin to do your research, and
let your talents grow and become your unique skills."
I left her office. I sat on my desk, took a deep breath, and
listened to the voice of my heart. I started thinking about my
next steps.
It was a new era for me! But I like to try new things and try to
keep growing. I love to take risks and challenge myself.
After all,
"Life is a journey, and it's about growing and
changing and coming to terms with who and what you
are and loving who and what you are" -Anonymous

So, I let the desire that burns in my heart lead me, and I
started the journey up the ladder of a new adventure.

My degree was not related to these new responsibilities. It

was a completely fresh start and adventure.
The only that I had, was my passion, my love for anything
new, and my commitment to do my best.
There were many things that I had no idea, something that I
never learned during my studies. I had to spend time reading
a lot, searching a lot, and learning new things.
I was reading like crazy; I spent half of my day searching and
trying to understand what I could do to help my organization
and me. I met different people, and I asked them to explain
everything that I couldn't understand.
It was like going to school again! As if I was starting from the
beginning. A new start for me and my future career.
I worked hard and, I did it!
I designed the entire program, created the processes,
the training under this program, learned and delivered
workshops, and did something that If you were asking me
months ago, I would say that you are just crazy.
Success came, recognitions received, acknowledge given, but
the most important thing is what happened to me!
Working for this program, working to make it real, was a
shock for me. I was great at doing my previous job, and I was
happy doing it every day.
At least, this is what I believed.
But working for this program from scratch, I realized that my
first career was not my dream job.
It doesn't matter how good I was; it wasn't the job for me.
This way, my career changed.
It simply means that I am working in a different career field.
Because I realize that my passion for people is what makes me
happy, it's what makes me feel full of energy.
I do not hate Mondays anymore; I do not feel sad when the
weekend is ending. I feel ready to work more and to make a
difference!
I feel that my abilities and talents with the knowledge gained
from my degree can significantly impact others. And this is
what I want to do, is the answer to the extensive questionnaire
that I had in my mind.
Therefore, I took the big step.
I decided to improve my skills further, discover my strengths,
and focus on what I want to do. It doesn't matter that my
degree is in a different industry. I have the knowledge and
the experience to transition without any problem.
And I am close enough to say that I succeeded.
At least, this is what my friends and family say any time they
see me try new things and take ownership of my life.
Some people ask, Degree or Skills? Which is better?
Some people believe that without a degree you are lost, and
you cannot advance in your career.
But not me!
A degree can help you, but it's not the one thing that will
make you succeed in your career. What makes you successful
is your passion for what you want to do and your willingness
to learn more!
Optimize your degree, feel your abilities and talents, improve
your skills, and not fear changing your career. Do not fear to
do anything.
A degree is not everything, but skills are! A degree is your
basic knowledge, but from the day of your graduate, or even
a few years later, the world has changed, so your skills are the
ones keeping the door of opportunities open.

"Your degree will knock the door, and the door will
wide open. But it is your skills and your passion which
will keep the door open forever."
-Ioanna Petrochilou

I am an excellent example of a person who has built a new

career on skills, optimizing what I learned in the past, the
knowledge from my degree and focusing on learning more
in the future.

My passion for people always drives me to be the better

version of myself!

Do the same!
 Success Story
Only with Skills
By Altaf Ahmed

"Degree is acquired by spending time & money;

Skill is acquired by spending time & thoughts"
– Altaf Ahmed MBA, COA.

A degree teaches us the concept of skill, whereas skills lead

us to do it perfectly with desired results. Degree and Skills
are both required for a person to be successful. Without any
Degree, he is termed as unqualified, whereas without any
Skills, he is termed inexperienced. So both go hand-in-hand
for a person to be successful.
Skills are one of the competencies that a person should
develop to carry out any work professionally. Skills play
an essential role in his career. Furthermore, his academic
qualifications add value to any organization as a professional
and a skilled worker. Having a degree, he is known for his
professionalism. Having skillsets will consider him for
promotions by companies.
Many people with academic qualifications are successful, and
some without any kind of degree, but thier skills make them
successful. Still, many skillful people without any proper
education are successful, and some are struggling in life to
sustain themselves.
Lady luck, adequate timing, the right approach, and a target
in mind guide a man to succeed beyond any means or Degrees.
My story:
From Sales Executive to a Personal Assistant. Then from
an Office Administrator to a Content Writer, Inspirer and
Entrepreneur. I have learned many things across this beautiful
journey that I had from many facets of life with learnings,
mistakes, losses, rejections, and acceptances, only to become
a more mature person.
As a young boy, I dreamt of becoming an Electronics Engineer
because I had developed a passion for electronics and started
assembling many DIY kits.
Moreover, I even got a certification in making a two-band
transistor radio. Later on, I created my stereo system with an
old Walkman, built an amplifier and a two-way stereo speaker
system embedded with LED lights!
My journey kicked off when I had just finished schooling and
joined college to pursue my pharmaceutical
studies, which was boring as I couldn't even understand and
remember the chemical formulas! After a year, I dropped out
as my father's retail footwear business
attracted me. I joined our family business to look after and
manage the retail industry, procuring stocks from local
and outstation distributors and manufacturers and other
resellers.
I learned the selling techniques and skills by working in
other shops to gain experience and understand the type of
footwear, different brands and size ranges for different age
groups, etc.
After this tremendous exercise, it was fun learning to talk to
other people in different languages.
It was a good start having our own family business. Own rules
and own conditions! Our timings and our holidays! I put in all
the lessons learned earlier and applied them to my business,
and everything was perfect as planned in meeting our targets
and goals. We were able to manage both the Company and
the family affairs smoothly. Later, we felt a need to grow and
expand, but we lacked funds because we worked on running
on the fixed investments minus all the expenses.
I had to think of other options of generating income and
supporting my family, and the thought of migrating to a
gulf country in search of a livelihood came to my mind.
After many visits to the placement consultancies and several
interview sessions, I was lucky. I got selected to go abroad for
the first time in my life, leaving behind my parents. I joined
a technical division in Saudi Airlines as a personal assistant.
After toiling there with home-sickness for five years happily
as a 'bachelor,' I supported my family and helped myself get
married to the most beautiful person in the world. The year
Y2K! was the best thing to happen as I changed from the
'most eligible bachelor' to 'Mr.'!
I took a break from working abroad and thought again of
continuing our family business staying close to my parents
and family. Initially, it was going great guns! We had good
business. We managed to supply footwear for schools &
small offices, had regular Sales & Promotions during all the
festivals and seasons, and offered significant discounts & gifts
for every walk-in customer to attract and generate more sales.

In between, there was hell-neck competition, as many

businesses cropped up in the vicinity and had a different
range to cater to the customers. Customers opted for different
fancy designs over quality and durability. Although cheaper
than the fancy products, we failed to attract the customers.
We tried our best, but we were beaten in all directions! Cash-
flow stopped, sales dropped, suppliers stopped, credit facility
stopped, stocks diminished, and footfall disappeared! We
were hit as sales dropped.
It was a challenge to sustain and manage our family with
our first three-year-old, my parents, and our business. So, I
started working part-time and tried selling Sun Life & Allianz
insurance products and financial products from Standard
Chartered. Still, this stage of my life exposed me to the
financial markets as I developed sales skills in Banking and
Insurance sectors. This situation made me more matured as
an individual, more skilled, and confident as a professional.
Finally, I started looking for the greener pastures on the other
side! With only my soft skills in Sales in the Retail, Banking &
Insurance sectors, I landed in Dubai in 2004.
I took up my first job in Business Development in a new
start-up IT Company by marketing Software and Hardware
technologies, which was a good turning point in my career
and the Company's perspective since we grew from a start-
up to a well-established entity in the region. We got all the
necessary certifications in Sales,
Technical, and Pre-Sales. We did well for three years, and
later, everyone in the organization parted ways for better
prospects! The Company pulled down its shutters. I got a job
as an Assistant to the CEO in a Government organization. I
was again using my Office
Administration skills to showcase my talents and managing
the CEO office.
At this time, I felt something significant was missing in my
life. A graduation degree! I researched and applied for the
distance learning program and acquired my Bachelor's
Degree in English Literature. Then I did my post-graduation
as an Executive MBA in Operations Management.

Further, I did my Certification in Office Administration

from American Certification Institute. I applied all my
academic learnings and skills in my job to take it further to
the next level as an Administrator and honed my skills in
Document Management. I was instrumental in developing
all the Processes and Procedures, Manuals, and Policies for
Document Control and implemented them in my
organization. I gained the trust and was responsible for
successfully carrying out the Document Control projects
in our organization's HR & Real Estate departments.
Then came COVID-19. The pandemic disturbed the peace
and made life into pieces. People lost their lives, jobs, and
businesses. Also, the whole world was restricted: avoiding
close contacts, no hand-shakes, and hugs when meeting
or saying good-byes, sanitizing our hands after literally
touching everything on the surfaces, and to forget keeping
our mouths shut, read as: 'wearing masks at all times! People
were displaced, lock-downs shut down the cities and towns
altogether, no travel, no eating out, no shopping, schools,
and offices were closed, leading to the 'Work from Home'
culture.
But as they say, everything happens for good. My situation,
too, in this pandemic came as a blessing in disguise! Fate
tested my skills, expertise & knowledge, qualifications &
interpersonal capabilities as the red hot iron turned out into
a more robust and sturdier shape!
Later this year, I joined hands with my mentor, a more
experienced professional, to start our start-up IT Company,
and I transformed myself from 'Mr.' to 'Mr. Entrepreneur'.
I believe an academic degree is a must for everyone to be
rightly called a graduate. Like me, there are many professionals
across who have developed their careers only on their abilities.
They also need to develop their skills in education to make
them more confident and skilled professionals.
A degree teaches us the concept of the skill, whereas Skills
teach us to do it perfectly with desired results. Lady luck,
proper timing, the right approach, and a target in mind guide
a man to succeed beyond any means or Degrees.
I felt the same before acquiring my Master's degree, but I
could not succeed in life with a handful of skills. My degree
and certifications have improved my thought process over
Positive Attitude & Knowledge, along with my Right Skillsets
have helped me grow both over personal and professional
fronts.
In three words, I can sum up everything: I'm still learning!
 Success Story
Only with Skills
By Ronald Arakal

During the pandemic and unemployment phase, I had the

opportunity to work for a teacher with 34 years of experience.
During a conversation, she recounted how the education
sector has evolved. It went from needing just a diploma to
a myriad of qualifications. Current requirements ask for a
degree along with a teaching qualification too. While she has
been successful with her qualifications, she had to take up
Continuous Professional Development or CPD to keep her
qualifications and experience updated and relevant.
As an aerospace engineer myself, specialized in the
Manufacturing pathway, my degree is not theory alone. We
had practical sessions to apply learnt concepts to develop our
technical skills.
Aviation is a people-dependent industry. Skills such as
communication, organization, and people management
skills were also necessary to develop. It was possible through
exposure to industry-level projects, dissertations, and group
projects.
However, this alone has not been enough for me. with many
students graduating with degrees similar to mine, I have to
stand out. It is where further skill development comes in.
New certification or knowledge about project management
or a programming skill are some ways to stand out. But
standing out does not come from just possessing a skill
or a degree certificate. It also comes from demonstrating
and showcasing that expertise and experience.

With the modern world becoming reliant on technology,

social media platforms like LinkedIn are a great way to develop
an online presence, create a brand image and demonstrate
your expertise. It is also a great platform to learn and develop
a positive and forward-thinking mindset.
There may be success stories based on degree or skills alone
or using a combination of both. But it is essential to realize
that not everyone’s path is the same.
Some gain success immediately and some take a while to
figure it out through failures and opportunities. You will face
toxic and healthy environments on the way, supportive and
discouraging people, kind people, and rude people.
Life is like a coin flip - you do not know what you will get.
Whatever the coin flip brings you, consider it a learning
experience to help you identify what you want in your life
and define your model of success. Some chase money, some
chase family, some chase fame, and some chase routine. The
success model is always dependent on each individual.
So figure out what makes you happy and go after it. Don’t
stop at negativity or obstacles and look for the way around.
I leave you with this tale my grandmother told me; Ants never
stop at an obstacle. They go around or over it and, if needed,
they dig under it but never stop.
 Success Story
Only with Skills
By Ntsiki Ncoco

"People are uniquely designed to be the best on their

lanes. Be the expert no one else can be, and impart
the spirit of inspiration to better the world."
- Ntsiki Ncoco
When growing up, my deep heart desired to become a
professional fashion designer. I lost that opportunity when I
had to follow a degree route after matriculation, and I started
registering for a B.Science degree.
After the first year, I left the university route and went to
another city in the midst of trying to find my way to what
was in my heart. I ended up registering for a Professional
Secretarial Diploma, which I completed, and went back to
work at the same university I left before.
I was employed as a Typist in the University Typing Pool office.
My typing skills improved as that was my job to type for all
officials in the Administration section who had no personal
secretaries in their departments.
The benefit of being a university employee was open
registration to study in the evenings as a part-time student.
I then registered for a B.Comm degree as B.Science was only
offered during the day.
During my first year of employment, I was trained in other
positions as well. The university administration system was
structured. If a secretary to one of the academic executives
were on leave, typists and senior typists would be posted in
their roles as reliever. In the first year, I learned all the systems
from different offices that were administering the university
operations from the executive level.
In the second year, I was promoted to be a secretary to the
assistant registrar academic. The typing pool office was under
his portfolio, and I would work in his office now and again.
I worked with him as my boss for ten years, being promoted
within the ranks of the executive administration portfolio,
handling the university's academic affairs, including
handling student affairs, preparing for inaugural addresses
by the academia, and organizing graduation ceremonies.
Those were the key events run by the university and were
under our office & PR reporting under my boss. I loved
and enjoyed organizing these prestigious academic events.

When I worked with the PRO office, I requested to be

transferred to the PR department when my boss retired. I was
in this office for a short period, and I was transferred to the
finance director's Office. My last position was in the student
finance affairs department, and I resigned after 13 and a half
years due to a career change.
I now hold a B. Comm degree in Education (Honours), with
majors in economics and education. My focus and the feeling
in my heart was to become a trainer in the marketplace,
and I have accomplished it, as I am currently a management
consultant.
I moved from the university to join another, where it was a
new learnin gexperience.
I dealt with all the offices of the university vice-chancellors
and the principals of the Technikons of the whole country.
We also liaised with the vice-chancellors of the neighbouring
African countries and the commonwealth universities.
Never look down at your humble beginnings:
I learnt how administration communication documents
should be with all skills of filing systems, from typewriter to
computer systems migration. I received free training from
the university, travelling to attend secretarial conferences
nationally, and learning to improve our office management
skills.
My good to excellent typing skills helped me do more side
jobs, typing articles and doctorate Thesis for Academics, and
they were paying me.
All these skills help me even today in training others, creating
my training modules up to designing my own presentations,
and facilitating them in my leadership training & advancement
workshops, summits, and conferences.
Both my skill from a secretarial diploma and the degree B.Com
(Edu), with my past experience, gave me the confidence and
ability to liaise at the executive level of the highest education
institutional systems around the world.
To express myself verbally and also in writing and articulate
the communication well.
All these skills help me even today in training others, creating
my training modules up to designing my own presentations,
and facilitate them in my leadership training & advancement
workshops, summits, and conferences.
I am now a management consultant; when I receive a scope
of work (SOW) from a client, the versatile skills help my
professional assignments be delivered with excellence.
The trend of my success story
• I am a deep-rooted spiritual person; I pray and discern for
revelations.
• I am rooted in my purpose.
• I collaborate with other global professionals in my
industry.
• I network with other resilient leaders who have
endured the journey of entrepreneurship & consultancy.
• I study to improve myself to always be on the cutting edge.
• When I get to a cul de sac, I revisit my strategies, build on
them where suitable, and avoid doing the same thing that
does not give me successful results.
• I have a personal coach and mentor.
• I indirectly learn from other great leaders around
the globe how to inspire and lead. I read books on
different topics of training & leadership development.
• I offer my social development services where it is
needed.
I facilitate masterclasses with youth leadership forums and
give public talks about the 'Power To Lead With Integrity.

• I am a postcast guest speaker for various hosts.

• I host events online: summits and conferences and also
moderate & MC, programme direct professional events.
• I obtained an accredited pastoral & leadership course.
• I am an ordained leader in the kingdom Ministry, and I
am a preacher.
• I am a writer and an author. I am a mother.
Inspirational journey
Great inspirational people are doers than sayers. The whole
world is full of doers and sayers, but the people who inspire
others more are the ones who master their art of doing the
job well.
Great leaders with the power to lead, maintain integrity and
impart the spirit of inspiration to live and leave a legacy.

The doers let their actions speak for themselves. With my skills
and professional accolades, I play a significant role in training,
coaching, mentoring, motivating and inspiring others, and
raising the economy through my area of operations.
People are inspired by what they see the most, not what they
hear about.
I have the grace of being called the inspirational speaker
through the Public Talks I do in different forums and
platforms, all grounded by my skills and a degree background.
Key elements to success:
To succeed in entrepreneurship and business, one
needs:-
• To be flexible yet principled
• Have good planning skills
• Take time to plan out all the necessary steps you need to
achieve your success
• Have good organizational skills

Whatever type of business you want to start, the following six

tips can help you to be successful in your venture.
Basic Requirements for Both Skills and Professional Successful
Stories:
(not limited)
• Analytical thinking
• Assertiveness
• Determination
• Detailed record-keeping
• Be aware of your competition
• Improve yourself
• Resilience not to quit
I provide good service to my customers to gain their loyalty
and to retain the business. I get referrals because of my past
work with consulting colleagues, associates, and networks
globally.
 THE SUCCESS STORY:
DEGREE AND SKILLS
Shobana Karthik

This page opens up a heart-warming story of an ordinary

girl who always dreamt of being a teacher and serving
as an inspirational push for young minds to take up the
responsibility of themselves.
It was in 2005, and a teenaged girl was waiting for public
transport after school at 5.00 p.m. at a bus stop.
A white-colored vehicle came by and stopped before her to
drop the passengers. The girl was fascinated with people
who got down. They were holding a drafter, a lab coat, and
professional attire, which attracted the crowd looking at
them.
Yes! It was an engineering college bus.
The girl imagined herself holding the drafter and getting out
of the college bus. That spark in her elevated her curiosity
and the dream of pursuing an engineering career.
She reached home full of dreams and excitement to explore
more about her future.
Though people around her denied her interest in studying
further, she was blessed enough for her parents to stand by
her side.
People around her often pulled her down, but with strong
grit, she proved to them that she is capable of achieving great
heights.
The first success came to her in the form of her grade 12 score
of 85%.
Then, she got her engineering seat through counselling, and
the educational loan was approved immediately.
She came out with flying colors with a degree in engineering.
Very soon, with a top score in the entrance, she was eligible
to pursue her higher studies, where she came out with 92 %.
This achievement awarded her with an immediate job
opportunity. This job increased her self-esteem and supported
her in building a strong career in the teaching profession.
The first degree is the root for all successive achievements. It
was the seed to grow fruitfully and serve purposefully.
Yes! It is me. I am a teacher right now, inspiring young minds
with the best capability that I can.
The degree that I got and the skills that I developed in due
course are the prime factors for success in my life. The degree
and the skills go hand in hand.
Each individual should be a lifelong learner where the
knowledge is like an ocean and what we know is just a drop.
For many, it is just a DEGREE, but for many, it is a DREAM
come TRUE.
 Conclusion
In the intelligence battle of degree and skill, you have noticed
that there were incidents or stories where the degree became
powerful. In some incidents, skills won the game. A degree
or skill acts as a confidence builder in the competitive rat
race, becomes a secure key for holding a job and a career
ladder to reach great heights. But your passion or purpose is
way more important than your skill or degree. It is a driving
force that helps you pursue your dreams. It doesn't matter
whether you choose the path of degree or skill. What matters
is your aspiration to achieve your big dreams. What you love
doing or what resonates with your expertise is vital for your
successful career. When you find your passion and align it
with your career, you become unstoppable.
Thinking too much about social status and don't making
intelligent decisions will take you nowhere. Don't fall into
the trap of your comfort zone. It hinders your growth and
success, and, in the meantime, you become obsolete. Hence,
spare some time in learning and sharpening your skills, and
shape your future.
 If you don’t have a handle on how to apply your knowledge
to specific tasks and don’t have the skills to work efficiently,
we can agree that a degree is an attempt in vain.
Silke Glaab

First I got my degree and knew a little about everything.

Then life taught me that it was just the beginning!
I got my degree but I am still working on my life PH.D. Skills!
Degree helps you understand but skills help you prove who
you really are!
Ioanna Petrochilou