July 2006 - Think, and Take a Chance On Talent

By Anthony J. Lockwood

It’s a good thing that Tommy Edison is dead. You can say the same for Da Vinci, Newton, Ford, and lots of other heros. It’s better that they kicked the bucket long ago because today not one of these guys—bad students, a painter’s apprentice, a farm boy who hated farming—could cop an interview for an engineering or science job, or even an apprenticeship.

All of these guys but Newton were minimally educated, even for their time. Newton, like Edison, was a notoriously bad student, daydreaming constantly, never recognizing the gravity of the situation. He and Lenny were also of of dubious parentage. Yet they all achieved greatness without much to recommend them.

Of course, this is the 21st Century. It’s silly to judge their eras through the lens of our time. Engineering and science as we know them are different. But, you know, you gotta wonder if an “unqualified”  genius is out there somewhere, tinkering in a shed or wasting serious talent in the next cubicle. In their DNA might be the spark that will help change everything, provided someone pays attention and actually does think out of the box.

Such people are not unprecedented in our era. Jobs and Wozniak did the knee-walk, pitching their small-computer idea. Jobs is quoted as saying that they would have given the rights away had a company hired them. They were rebuffed because of the obviously stupid notion that computers are for everyone. Besides, they were unqualified; not even out of college.

Not that college helps. We reject college grads because they just graduated and, hence, lack experience.

And if you’ve ever been laid off and sent out 8 bazillion resumes,  you know this one: “I’m sorry, faceless hominid,” says the HR notification. “But you are overqualified. You’d be bored, so we hired a semi-trained annelid instead.”

Interpret this rejection to say that the company has no desire for the best talent heaven has sent them in response to their opening, and that they are too lazy and not clever enough to find something for great talent to do.

Then, companies routinely shun older applicants because they lack a degree to prove that they can do a job they have done for 25 years—a job that somebody bereft of knowledge about it says requires a degree or experience only the guy who quit had.

I once worked at a state school for discarded, seriously brain-injured kids. One day this kid came across a derelict lawn mower. Through sign language, he convinced us to let him have it. We got maintenance involved since it was their mower. This kid, without training, made the junk mower work. Turned out he could fix anything mechanical. No one knew how, but he became a prized maintenance employee instead of a ward. His talent would have been lost if we had not given him a chance.

The next time you reject a resume out of hand, deny “Old Tom” a chance, or send packing the pair of dorks with an idea you don’t understand, think: Do I go out of the box or stay a snob?

Thanks, Pal.—Lockwood

Lockwood is Anthony J. Lockwood is the Editorial Director,  rogue, and resident pest at DE Magazine. Should you be so moved, you can send this joker an e-mail by clicking here. Please reference “Diatribes, July 2006” in your message.