Rich Dad Poor DadI say, “I’m not interested in going to the gym, but I go because I want
to feel better and live longer.”
Unfortunately, there is some truth to the old statement, “You can’t
teach an old dog new tricks.” Unless a person is used to changing, it’s
hard to change.
But for those of you who might be on the fence when it comes
to the idea of working to learn something new, I offer this word
of encouragement: Life is much like going to the gym. The most
painful part is deciding to go. Once you get past that, it’s easy. There
have been many days I have dreaded going to the gym, but once I am
there and in motion, it is a pleasure. After the workout is over, I am
always glad I talked myself into going.
If you are unwilling to work to learn something new and instead
insist on becoming highly specialized within your field, make sure the
company you work for is unionized. Labor unions are designed to
protect specialists. My educated dad, after falling from grace with
the governor, became the head of the teachers union in Hawaii. He
told me that it was the hardest job he ever held. My rich dad, on the
other hand, spent his life doing his best to keep his companies from
becoming unionized. He was successful. Although the unions came
close, rich dad was always able to fight them off.
Personally, I take no sides because I can see the need for and
the benefits of both sides. If you do as school recommends, become
highly specialized. Then seek union protection. For example, had I
continued with my flying career, I would have sought a company that
had a strong pilots union. Why? Because my life would be dedicated
to learning a skill that was valuable in only one industry. If I were
pushed out of that industry, my life’s skills would not be as valuable
to another industry. A displaced senior pilot—with 100,000 hours of
heavy airline transport time, earning $150,000 a year—would have a
hard time finding an equivalent high-paying job teaching in school.
Skills do not necessarily transfer from industry to industry. Skills the
pilots are paid for in the airline industry are not as important in, say,
the school system.