A head start doesn't always ... well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your long-term development -- and explains the benefits of a "sampling period" where you try new things and focus on building a range of skills. Learn how this broader, counterintuitive mindset (and more forgiving timeline) could lead to a more fulfilling life, personally and professionally.
Step 1:
- Watching this talk (links to an external site)., by David Epstein.
- Read this article (links to an external site). from the Harvard Business Review (HBR).
Step 2:
After completing the resources listed above, discuss with your peers:
- Although focused practice is very important. David Epstein also argues that you need a sampling period. What does he mean by a "sampling period"?
- Have you done enough sampling or are there other things you still would like to try?
- Epstein also compares "Kind Learning Environments" vs "Wicked Learning Environments", what are these and which one is more likely to be what you'll encounter in the real world?
- We tend to see a wandering career track as unfocused, but what could be some of the advantages of that?
- A) What does the author of the HBR article (links to an external site meant by building a career portfolio? B) Why is that better than building a career path? C) How does it connect to the ideas from David Epstein's talk?
- How will you integrate the ideas from the talk (links to an external site). and the article (Links to an external site). into your career planning?