There’s More To A Skill Than Just Being Able To Do It Well

You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be: Part 3

Can you identify the missing partner in these famous couples?

Romeo and _____
Mac and _____
Stars and _____
Peanut butter and _____

Did you know that abilities consist of a not-so-famous couple?

It's true!

Two Considerations for Skills

There are two critical factors that are equally important to consider when assessing compatibility with the skills required for a job of interest.

Proficiency is the better-known partner in this couple. Can you identify the other one?

Pleasure.

That's the other facet of a skill that has to be factored in.

How good you are at the required skills of a job should definitely be considered, but so should the level of motivation and enjoyment you have when utilizing them.

The Pleasure Quotent

This is what I call the "pleasure quotient", and it's just as important as the proficiency cap we talked about in the last post.

Unlike the skill level, which can be improved upon to some extent, the pleasure quotient cannot be improved upon. The enjoyment and motivation you have for a skill are innate. You either like it or you don’t!

We all have things we’re really good at (proficiency) but don’t like doing (pleasure). We could call those chores.

Conversely, we all have things we really enjoy doing (pleasure) but aren’t great at (proficiency). We could call those hobbies.

When we think about our kids "becoming something," we want them in a future career where the required abilities match their enjoyed abilities...their high-pleasure, high-proficiency skills.

The Second Reason You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be

You Can't Be Anything They Want to Be Series
Part 1: Sorry, Your Kid Can’t Be Anything They Want To Be
Part 2: Proficiency Caps and the Growth Mindset
Part 3: There’s More To A Skill Than Just Being Able To Do It Well
Part 4:

When we think about our kids "becoming something," we want them in a future career where the required abilities match their enjoyed abilities...their high-pleasure, high-proficiency skills.

The Second Reason You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be

Herein lies the second reason our kids can’t be anything they want to be...the skills required for a job might be things they can do well, but they'd be miserable doing them.

When someone lacks motivation and enjoyment related to the skills required in a job, it will not be a good match. In fact, the job will likely become unbearable.

Every young person has a set of enjoyed abilities. Discovering them is one important step in helping them identify jobs that would prove to be successful, motivating, and fulfilling.

If you'd like your child to accurately identify their enjoyed abilities in addition to the other facets of their innate design necessary for a reliable match, check out the MapInMe Journey in the LA12 resources below!
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START A CONVO
Use these prompts to start a conversation with your child about this topic.

Someone recently suggested that there are two facets of a skill that should be considered when determining if the skills of a job of interest would be okay for you. The proficiency level and the pleasure level. The proficiency level measures how good you are at the skill, and the pleasure level measures the motivation and enjoyment you have using it.

Do you think those are both important to think about when trying to figure out a career path? Explain.
What could be the consequence of not considering both?
If someone dislikes a skill they’re actually good at, do you think they can do anything to make themselves like it?

THE FREE RESOURCE
The free resource associated with this theme is for parents. It's the Why Our Kids Can't Be Anything They Want to Be infographic. You can get your FREE copy HERE.

RELATED RESOURCES

The MapInMe Journey is a unique one-to-one customized coaching experience for teens and twenty-somethings that identifies a True Job Match so they can move forward with clarity and confidence.

About the Author

Jay DuSold

Jay has spent over three decades working with young people and parents as a mentor and life coach. He started focusing exclusively on career guidance in 2014 after helping his son figure out career direction while he was a junior in high school.

As a youth career guide, he helps teens and twenty-somethings around the world identify a job fit to gain clarity and confidence about career direction so they’ll reach their full potential and avoid the waste of getting it wrong.

As an author and speaker, he equips young people to think differently about their identity, true success, and figuring out where they can be awesome in the world of work. He also empowers youth advocates and organizations to more effectively support the young people they serve through their career guidance initiatives.