David Ogilvy, the father of advertising, once asked a copywriter what books he had read about advertising: “He told me that he had not read any; he preferred to rely on his own intuition. ‘Suppose,’ I asked, ‘your gall bladder has to be removed this evening. Will you choose a surgeon who has read books on anatomy, or one who relies on his intuition?’”
Nine months ago, I realized that I became the same employee that Oglivy hated. My dream was to create Internet marketing campaigns, but my resume peaked at “Proficient in Microsoft Office,” a paltry qualification to dazzle employers. After several months of HTML to PHP tutorials, I’ve realized the immense power of mastering a technical skill-set. With the abundance of tutorials and resources online, it’s a sad fact that few people have the drive to teach themselves the rudiments of their craft. And just like Oglivy, employers will respect those with the passion that do.
— MATT DANIELS of http://mdaniels.com
