Better beats marketable

Many times many employers (and teachers) take it upon themselves to teach you skills that presumably are used in the industry, as a way to ‘expand your repetiore.’

Yet teaching someone how to use an overused tool isn’t nearly as effective as teaching them a better way to do something.

Case in point: The english teacher who cares more about archaic grammar than effective syntax, or who advocates APA citations over hyperlinks. Or consider the marketing team that uses Photoshop and InDesign, when Pixelmator and Canva are much easier to master, and twice as efficient.

Many organizations don’t look for a better ways to do things, let alone champion creative workarounds to standardized solutions.

Of course, if you’re looking to beat the curve (or raise the next generation) that’s exactly what you should be doing.