It is common for young adults to underestimate the monthly income required in order for them to live a desired (meaning successful to a certain degree) lifestyle. Unfortunately, some older adults feel uncomfortable presenting young adults with documents detailing the true cost of living a decent life in America. At Overton Leadership Associates, we aim to be perfectly clear: the monthly income required for a single, emotionally, physically and mentally capable young adult to live independently in the United States of America increases every year. Stated mathematically, you will need to either increase your income over time or reduce your expenses over. While there are no limits to earnings, you can only reduce your expenses so far without descending into poverty. Let these facts guide you when others offer contradictory opinions.
Speaking of contradictory opinions, some people might say that being from (or marrying into) a wealthy family or winning the lottery guarantees success, but therein lies the confusion: wealth does not equal success. Success has to be earned; a parent or friend cannot give it to you, you cannot win it, and a wealthy relative cannot bequeath it to you. Therefore, regardless of what method an individual uses to develop in-demand skills, everyone has to work (hard and smart) in order to become successful.
That’s why people cannot claim success on their own terms before first acquiring the knowledge, skills and employment that will enable them to live independently. We have heard high school students state that they do not need to graduate from college in order to become successful. We at Overton Leadership Associates agree with that viewpoint, but it is an incomplete statement. We believe that the high school students’ statement is incomplete because some high school students use that perspective as justification for delivering minimum effort academically and then upon high school graduation, decide: a) to get a minimum wage job, b) to work but never upgrade their formal credentials, c) to switch jobs whenever they want, and then 4) to expect to become as successful as others who followed a formal plan. While that “lucky” pathway to success occurred for some people in the past, embarking on an unplanned route to success in today’s world is unlikely to deliver the desired result. Stated another way, if a single, emotionally, physically and mentally capable young adult is not going to follow the higher education roadmap in the pursuit of success, then he/she should develop some type of written, concrete, and viable success plan. At Overton Leadership Associates, we call that written document an Individually-Designed Plan for Success (IDPS).
A young adult should develop a written IDPS in consultation with subject matter experts who are competent in the career field he/she wishes to pursue. The IDPS does not need to be a complicated, lengthy document. In fact, we recommend that your IDPS be just 1 sheet of paper. Anything more is too unwieldy to keep track of over several years. The IDPS roadmap should span several years, include specific actions, and have realistic milestones. We believe that it should consist of education, training and experience requirements. The advantage young adults have is that nearly every career path is still open to them. The disadvantage is that there are lots of dead ends. That’s why it’s important to seek wise counsel when developing the IDPS.
If an individual truly believes that neither higher education nor formal jobs skills training are necessary to become successful, then the individual should consider creating an IDPS based upon one or more of the following strategies: 1) gain proficiency in an in-demand skill that does not require formal training, 2) develop his/her natural, professional-level talent, 3) work two or more high school diploma-only type jobs, 4) become an owner of some type of profitable business, or 5) some combination of jobs that can support independent living. In fact, we feel so strongly that an emotionally, physically and mentally capable individual can achieve success without pursuing higher education that our website offers a Free Download called ‘Alternatives to College’ which lists more than 50 jobs an individual can pursue without ever attending college.
There is not a required format for a 1-page IDPS, but here are some basic elements we believe should be included on your 1-page IDPS:
a. Your full name, phone number and a professional email address.
b. Desired career field and employment level (owner, manager, etc.): Select the career field from our Free Download ‘Alternatives to College’ list or decide to pursue something else.
c. Names, phone numbers and email addresses of subject matter experts in the career field that you have selected.
d. Estimate the Education, Training, and Experience necessary for you to achieve the employment level you indicated earlier.
e. Estimate the number of years required to complete the Education, Training, and Experience requirements in order to advance to your desired employment level.
f. Next, break the Education, Training, and Experience requirements into manageable phases to be completed over the course of several years.
g. Determine if you will need to relocate to another city, state or country in order to reach your goal.
h. Determine if you will need to sign for any loans (debt) in order to reach your goal? If so, do you understand that you will need to repay the principal plus compound interest (APR)?
i. Planned IDPS Start Date and Desired IDPS End Date.
j. List the specific criteria you will use to indicate that your IDPS is complete. In other words, how will you determine that execution of your IDPS has delivered you to the career field you indicated earlier and that you are now at your previously indicated employment level? Overton Leadership Associates recommends you use (or at least include) the following in your IDPS completion criteria: The ability to provide for yourself and your family at the employment level you specified in your IDPS means that you have, in fact, manufactured talents where none existed before. At that point your IDPS will be complete.
Note: We recommend that you take a photo of the IDPS and keep it in your phone for quick reference. Also, be sure to refer to your IDPS when speaking with friends who may be searching for a way to get onboard their own road to success.
Final thoughts…Neither hopes, dreams, wishes nor an entitlement mentality constitute a plan; therefore, every individual should have a well-researched roadmap action plan to avoid wandering aimlessly looking for success. Regardless of academic achievement level or job skills level, lasting success requires hard work focused in a constructive area, at a sufficiently high enough level of effort (high energy), and sustained for a long enough period of time (stamina). For example, compare the outcomes for a professional athlete, an award-winning musician, and a certified public accountant (CPA). All three can be considered successful, but each one had to put in the work (sacrifice) in their own way for a certain number of years. Although many have tried, no one has ever discovered a legal shortcut to success so why do some people waste years (or decades) looking for shortcuts?
In closing, you can become successful in a number of different career fields, but it takes planning, work, and time. Contact us today at overtonleaders.com so we can help you get started.
Herb