Linchpins and Why Formal Education Means Less in the Future

I recently read about Feross Aboukhadijeh, a university student that created YouTube Instant, a website that lets people search YouTube video database in real time. YouTube Instant itself was inspired by Google Instant, a new predictive and real time search product from Google. By riding the wave of Google’s exciting new product, Aboukhadijeh got himself quite a recognition with his creation. According to the CNET article that I read: 

[…] before going to sleep that night, [Aboukhadijeh] posted his work to his Facebook page.

“When I woke up Friday morning there was craziness,” he said.

By “craziness,” Aboukhadijeh means countless e-mails congratulating him, a bevy of interview requests, a server flooded with Web traffic, the creation of a Wikipedia entry in his name, and—perhaps most notably—a job offer from YouTube CEO Chad Hurley via Twitter.

Feross Aboukhadijeh is a nice little story that may bring a smile to your face after a 2-minute reading. But dig deeper, and you may find a few clues as to how our children’s careers will be different from ours.

First, the recognition that Aboukhadijeh received came from tangible result of his hard work. It did not come from a university degree or a resume which could only suggest potential of what the person can do. With Aboukhadijeh, the whole world can see and benefit from his creation as soon as he is finished. And it didn’t matter whether YouTube Instant was created by a 19-year old university student or a Nobel prize winner rocket scientist. The only thing that mattered was the result. This is what Seth Godin wrote about in his excellent book, Linchpin. Linchpins are those indispensable people that have the power to make things happen. Aboukhadijeh created YouTube Instant purely out of passion and without the desire to make money or recognition.

Second, like it or not, personal branding matters. No matter how hard we avoid it, we now live in public (granted, some more than others). Never before has so much information about ourselves be available for others to see. It’s easy for people to know what you’re doing (via your Twitter posts), where you’ve been (via your Foursquare check-ins and Facebook pictures) and what you’re thinking (via your blog). This interconnectedness makes it easy to share your accomplishments to the world. However, when information about yourself is shared so openly, it’s also hard to hide your warts. Sure, you can be a recluse and not go online at all. But in today’s world, it’s almost like never leaving your house for fear of meeting other people.

Third, workplace competition is truly global. Yes, Feross Aboukhadijeh has the pedigree of a Stanford University student, but at the end of the day, the awesomeness of one’s creation beats a paper university degree any day of the week. The internet has turned the world into a small village. The next guy to get an offer from YouTube may come from Panama or Padang, just as easily as from Palo Alto.

If there’s one thing I can take from Linchpin and from the YouTube Instant story, it’s this: Never forget your passion, as it’s the fuel that will take you to Linchpin status.

How do you think careers will be different in the future?

[Image courtesy of Feross Aboukhadijeh]