Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of SpaceX and the co-founder, CEO, and product designer of Tesla Inc believes that skills are more important than degrees.
In a 2014 interview, the South African-born Canadian American entrepreneur said credentials are an indication of the abilities that one has but they are not a prerequisite for attaining great things.
According to AngeList, a job search platform, Musk’s view on degrees versus skills should be a reminder to young people against wasting time pursuing degrees and diplomas as opposed to spending time gaining skills. What’s more, young people should focus on updating their skills throughout their career.
Additionally, companies that focus on degrees end up paying their employees more than they need to while missing out on great talent. On the other hand, employers demanding degrees from their existing talent pool end up paying 30 percent more for talent than they should.
Advice to the Young and Ambitious
Naval Ravikant, AngelList’s co-founder offers the following advice:
- What to study and how to study is more important than how long you study it.
- The best teachers, books, and peers are on the internet.
- The tools for learning are plenty but the desire to learn is scarce.
Like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison who did not graduate but accomplished great things, young people should strive to do the same.
