How to pick new skills to learn without self-sabotage
Don’t make learning a new skill more challenging than it has to be.
Learning a trending skill that pays well sends our money brain nuts.
Isn’t it true? More skills = More money
It is true. But it’s also a lie.
The problem with learning any skill occurs when you are learning it only to make money while it’s trending. With enough practice, you might be able to achieve it. *no doubt*
However, this question will stand tall before you: How long can you chase shiny objects?
You’ll be stuck when using the skill in real life because you might have to glue yourself to it. It might make you despise it that will later lead to burnout. You may be unable to use it, either because of imposter syndrome or because you didn’t really take the time to learn it.
It happened to me quite a lot too.
After hopping from one skill to another, hoping to make my bank balance fatter, a little introspection got me. That little introspection made me realize my unhealthy addiction to chasing money.
All of this, however, taught me how to choose skills in a better way.
The bad way to learn new skills
First comes the bad news, so you can have tears of joy later on.
Example of Eve Arnold
We could consider the example of Eve Arnold from this platform itself.
She has repeatedly stated that she tried multiple skills before writing and started various businesses that eventually failed. Badly.
Nowadays, she is enjoying lot’s of growth on Medium as well as Twitter. You’ll see why later on in this article.
First, let’s talk about the problem with her old ideology. Most of her business ideas were based on how much money they could make.
Whether or not she wanted to start them was unimportant to her then. This is a recipe for disaster.
Another example based on the witty AI
Ever heard of ChatGPT? If not, how does Earth look from space?
It’s the intelligent AI that took the world by storm. There were headlines, and everyone was testing how good AI was and exploring it creatively.
That’s when the other side of the internet went crazy. You know the ones that say you can make X amounts of money using ChatGPT?
Yes, ChatGPT is insanely powerful *listen to me closely* only if you know how to use it well.
This is part of the problem. Using ChatGPT to make money is like learning a new skill. You have to take the time to learn it and at least like it to some extent.
If you don’t like it but still do it because you want passes on the hype train, you will be in for a rude awakening by the time you get good at it.
Most of the people who are making videos and courses about using ChatGPT aren’t starting from scratch. They have some experience in the same field or some other area that they leverage with ChatGPT.
However, starting something from scratch takes time, whether it’s AI or something else, and the hype train doesn’t last that long. *It’s called the hype train for a reason*
The good way to add a new skill
Learning multiple skills is the best option in this modern world.
A lot of expertise in a single skill doesn’t sound promising these days. This is where you need to create a better plan before adding anything new.
There’s only one thing you need to keep in mind before learning anything new.
How can I use this with my existing expertise?
This makes a difference in learning a new skill and is the only difference that matters. That’s the recipe you need to remember to make the most of learning.
You are packaging multiple skills that work TOGETHER under a single hood (you).
The Secret to Eve Arnold’s fiery growth
Her love of writing is giving her the cutting edge right now. She makes other stuff revolve around writing. Simple.
If you check out her Twitter, she is building loads of stuff, and that stuff is through writing.
Writing is one of the most important things for her, so all she does is incorporate other stuff through writing while making money too. *cha-ching*
Same can be said and done for ChatGPT
ChatGPT is wonderful. *I can’t keep my mouth shut about it*
I use it too. However, the goal isn’t to make a quick buck or two. It’s to save time. ChatGPT can help you research or create stuff faster. It can refine your ideas or give you an overview of something.
The same goes for the YouTube videos that you saw above. You can and should have takeaways from such videos, but don’t just pick a skill because you think ChatGPT will make money for you out of nothing.
Use it as an addition, not as an alternative.
Final Thoughts
Don’t learn a skill just to board the hype train and make some quick cash.
Weave your own skillset around something you like and use it thoroughly. While becoming better at a skill still allows you to cut through the competition, a carefully interwoven skillset will make you stand out in your class.
Ask yourself questions like these?
- Am I really interested in learning this skill?
- How can I apply this to my existing knowledge?
- Where does this skill connect?
Don’t make learning a new skill more challenging than it has to be.
Thank you for reading this article. Delete all YouTube history about easily making money from ChatGPT, and we’ll call it even.
