Using Radar to Find Your Future

This Jim Rogers talk presents some interesting, seemingly paradoxical, advice to young people about preparing for their futures.

He sings the praises of studying history and philosophy in college and denigrates business schools and the MBA degree in particular. But then he says that if an MBA is your passion, get there as soon as you can. He praises farming, but says not to do it if it is not your passion.

I see this as a parallel to the way that radar works.  Typically, radars have two modes: search and track.  In search mode they are sweeping the sky looking for anything of interest.  Once they find what they are looking for, they switch to track mode and all of their power is directed at that target.

Until you find your target, cast a wide net to see what interests you and learn about the world along the way. Sooner or later, you will find the precise thing that interests you and you can narrow your focus.