What exactly is the career capital?

Cal Newport defines it as a set of rare and valuable skills, which can be used as leverage in determining your career.

When you think about it, this sounds intuitive: you need to have remarkable skills to have a remarkable career.

But if you’re not the type of person who had straight A’s at school or graduated MIT, don’t worry: you still don’t have to settle for the ordinary. Your set of remarkable skills may not be defined traditionally.

Think about it: you don’t want to have a conventional career, right? Since you don’t look for a 9-5 job, you don’t need to have a set of skills that would make you attractive in a corporate environment.

In general, being passionate about your job is fantastic because it fills you with energy and makes you better at selling. But if you want to make your great career sustainable, your skills need to be there, as well.

And what about passion? Is it totally unnecessary?

Therefore, being good at your job may, in fact, make you appreciate it even more and, thus, make you happier about your current career. And on top of that, you gain more freedom and control over your schedule.

Why your skills are far more important than your passion?

Because when you have remarkable skills in a particular niche, you become a sought after specialist. You get more clients or become incredibly valuable to your employer. If you work at a corporation, your unique skills will give you leverage to negotiate your employment contract, your benefits, your salary, etc. and get more freedom. If you’re an entrepreneur, they will give you well-paying clients, and thus the opportunity to have more free time.

Of course, finding your own set of remarkable skills sounds just as tricky as finding your passion.

So, start by asking yourself a few questions that will help you clear your head and create a base for your future actions.

1. Where have you worked recently? What positions did you have and what tasks were you responsible for?

Make a list of all the jobs and projects you worked on. Even if you weren’t employed and something was just your initiative, put it on your list, too.

2. Were you happy about your job? Which tasks were interesting to you, which were boring or annoying?

For each of the jobs/projects from question 1, name the general feeling about this particular job. Then, point out all the assignments that made it enjoyable, as well as the things that were boring or even unacceptable to you.

3. Now think about the projects/responsibilities you liked. What did you learn from them? Which of your skills did they highlight?

Think about all the moments when you had the opportunity to shine.

Maybe you got a simple project to complete—and during this process, you realized that you’re great at organizing and managing tasks. Or, perhaps you noticed that you have the gift of persuasion or major selling skills? Whatever felt good about your job, write it down.

4. What about the projects/assignments you didn’t like? Are there any clear weak points in your character and skills?

Actually, answering this question is optional. Even you don’t have specific skills, it may not mean that you can’t learn them. Nevertheless, sometimes knowing your weaknesses helps to get rid of unrealistic aspirations. For example, I have trouble paying attention to details, so I consciously don’t choose careers and tasks that require being perceptive and precise.

Get precise about what you can and cannot do; what you like and don’t like. Otherwise, you’ll get lost!