You need to know more than your craft

A friend of mine posed an  interesting thesis to me the other day. He said one of the reasons he  was going to law school was because it was a craft that he knew he could  make a great living at without having to work at it. He could focus on  being the best lawyer he could be and money would never be a problem.  And because money would never be a problem he could focus on being the  best lawyer he could be.

Now I know there are a number of careers that seem to have built in  job security. I’ve never heard of an out of work doctor or nurse. For  quite awhile those jobs have been in such high demand that having a  certification as a medical doctor or nurse means almost automatic  employment with above average salaries.

But that doesn’t fly with me. There are no magic careers. How many  other degrees and certifications used to be magic that aren’t worth the  weight of the paper they are on anymore.

Mad Skills

Magic bullets are slipping away fast. So many people are finding this out the hard way. Being good at your craft is only ever half the equation for success. Here are a few of the skills you need:

Sales. You gots to be able to sell. Your craft. Your product. Yourself.

Marketing. You may be the most awesomest widget  maker around but if you don’t know how to get the word out and highlight  your unique value, you are just one in a sea of many.

Customer Service. People like to work with people that are likable and understanding.

Negotiation. You can know your stuff but if you don’t know what it is worth and how to position it, your stuff isn’t worth half as much.

General Business Sense. You may think you don’t need  to know anything about business if you are working for someone else but  the thing is, everything is all about business and you will always be in business for yourself no matter if you have a one customer or many.