I work in the health insurance industry, and sometimes I get emails from people who have multiple titles or credentials listed after their names. They could be doctors or nurses or social workers or project managers. I once saw someone with seven different titles. My rule is the more letters that appear after someone’s name, the less I trust that person until I get to know him or her.

There is a myth that more education, more certifications, and more credentials mean more success. More educated? Maybe. More success? That’s a whole different ballgame.

I have learned the lesson that you should get good at something worth getting good at. I will not attend a training “just to get a certification.” The choice you make about which skills you choose to improve is an important one. Which skills are going to be the most beneficial across a range of tasks and endeavors? Don’t just focus on the skills you need today or in the next couple of years. Think about trends in the workforce and culture and which skills will be beneficial over the long term. 

Knowledge is not power. Taking action on that knowledge is the next step, but make sure that what you are doing is worth it. Learn because the result will be a measurable improvement in your life, not for the sake of learning itself.

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I’m very good at writing resumes. I learned that from my dad. I’m talking black-belt level. I used to be a manager and I still am (though not hiring anyone). I know what recruiters and managers are looking for on a resume. Don’t forget the purpose of a resume: to get you an interview.

Aside: Another Mitch Hedberg joke: “I used to do drugs. I still do but I used to too.”

I’ve helped people with their resumes, and there is some sort of satisfaction in the end result, especially if they get an interview or hired for a position they want. The problem is I do not enjoy the act itself. If someone asks me to look at his or her resume, I begrudgingly do it (or decline if I don’t know the person that well). If I do commit to helping that person, I don’t half-ass it. I give it my best. But I’d rather be doing something else.

Somehow I got really good at something that I don’t like to do. It served its purpose as I was climbing the career ladder, but I don’t need it anymore. It’s not a total loss. Resume writing is a writing skill, and there are certain elements of it that will serve me in other types of writing.

The lesson still stands. Get good at something worth getting good at.