There's Always Someone

In my last email, I mentioned that the skills I brought with me from my previous career have accelerated my career as an engineer, often ahead of people with more technical skill or more impressive credentials.

Here's the thing: There will always be someone with more technical skill or shinier credentials than you. Don't set your goals solely around acquiring skills or pieces of paper. In nearly any professional situation, a person with a reasonable amount of technical skill but a solid grasp of situational priorities is going to be more valuable than a person who is focused on technical excellence only.

Technical skill and credentials can be useful to get someone's attention. If you want to become invaluable to clients or employers, understand the business problems you're solving and learn to effectively navigate the tension between time, money, and perfection.