Does Lacking Certifications Cripple Your Aspirations?

After reading this fascinating post by Don:

Certifications: Why They Matter and Why They Don't

I thought of all people who bother not to aspire simply because they do not possess certifications.

Many egos cling to memes involving not chasing dreams solely because they are not:

• certified
• qualified
• accredited

on a worldly level.

Being certified yields value based on the clarity and confidence you hold mentally regarding the certification. Certified individuals who boast their accreditations clearly and confidently net higher salaries, land esteemed jobs and generally enjoy a fine career. But the person reaps these spoils based on the mental clarity existing solely in their minds.

As an extreme case, I met a truck driver during my security guard days who held a degree from MIT. For those not in the know, some of the most intelligent people on earth attend MIT. More than a few go on to highly successful professional careers. But if your mind does not value the degree you will make choices in alignment with your mindset. The individual seemed depressed and quite downtrodden to be driving trucks since his intelligence and skillset seemed to be beyond the position; however, his experience began and ended in his mind, independent of his highly-valued college degree.

I read once how Elon Musk said that a drug dealer has more business smarts than 95% of college business professors. I am not sure about the ratio but if someone nets millions of dollars on the streets he possesses more real world business knowledge than a professor teaching theory but not putting the knowledge to the test daily as bullets fly by your head.

College professors show off incredible certifications in their own right. Most seem to be knowledgeable about their craft. But everything you use right now was likely brain-stormed, designed and brought to the market by someone who never taught at a university. The phone you use to read this post or laptop you use to scan this blog did not come about through a college professor teaching about business, software or hardware. Hungry, intelligent human beings outside of academia and often with zero worldly certifications become billionaires and shape humanity in a positive way.

I am sitting about 5 minutes down the road from a monstrous Amazon warehouse in central New Jersey. Bezos's crew continues to build more 1 million square foot facilities in this relatively tiny state. He built a quarter of a trillion dollar business based mainly on his passion, desire to serve humanity, teamwork, intelligence and emotional intelligence. He did not need certifications to become worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Never let a lack of certifications dissolve your aspirations. Human beings require generous servants to help them. If the generous servant claims a certification or not does not matter in the minds of most people who seek your problem-solving skills. However, certifications may play a role in matters of employment or of course medicine and law. But you also need to remember that the most influential, powerful, earth-shattering human beings did not sport certifications.

Everything depends on your passion. Passion always finds an outlet for people who simply cannot get a certification. Passion finds a way that may confuse your ego but makes perfect sense to your heart.

I am a simple blogger who serves people interested in blogging. Some say I live a cool life. My wife and I just returned to the US after a 5 month trip through Panama. We have circled the globe for a decade. I have been blessed to be featured by:

• Forbes
• Fox News
• Entrepreneur
• Virgin
• the Huffington Post

I own no business or blogging certifications. Yet some with a rich array of certifications observe me and my life in awe because I have attained a freedom few in the Western world – or anywhere – achieve. Why? I never clung to the belief that dreams arrive after receiving some specific certification. Again; certain jobs require employees to gain specific certifications but if you simply find gaining these credits impossible do something else with your passion. Limitless ways to help humans and earn income exist for passionate people. No lack exists in abundance, save the illusion of a creativity shortage.