by Vicki Salemi

Ready to jump-start your career? You’re not alone. According to the Institute for Career Research, a vocational guidance program for more than 20,000 libraries and schools in the U.S. and Canada, the average professional will change jobs 10 times and will switch careers three times in a lifetime. Whether your career change is motivated by stagnancy or an eagerness to explore new opportunities, navigating uncharted territory can be confusing, and accordingly, sparks much debate: What best propels career success–picking up your career by the book, or by the bootstrap?

Book Smarts 
Nyema Pinkney, a recent marketing and supply chain management MBA graduate of Howard University (Washington, DC), attributes his collegiate involvement as a key to his success.  “Whether it’s case competitions, business plan teams, mentor/mentee programs, graduate associations, or class social activities, become a part of something,” he recommends.

In fact, as a scholarship recipient of this past summer's National Black MBA conference, an event dedicated to developing partnerships to create intellectual and economic wealth within the black community, Pinkney worked closely with personal coaches.  “I found answers to tough questions which were difficult to ask myself,” he says. Without his MBA, Pinkney says he wouldn’t have attended the conference, liaised with the career office, and been able to do such relationship-building.
 
While Pinkney supports the pursuit of a master’s degree, he emphasizes that it’s not the golden ticket to professional success. "The largest myth is that an MBA will catapult you to business stardom.  Hard work and good business acumen are still the best keys to opportunity.”
 
And, says Will Mitchell, deputy dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, smart academic acumen involves listening to what's happening in the industry beyond classroom lectures. “The key education is only partly in the classroom; the networking of fellow students is equally important,” he says. “Learn by taking on formal and informal team work, embracing leadership opportunities, and working on projects within the school and in the community.”

DIY Study  
An alternative that worked for Vicki Kunkel, CEO of Leader Brand Strategists, a brand management company, was immersion within her field. “Book smarts can't keep up with the pace of change in today's work environment; my vote is for street smarts coupled with self-education,” she explains. 

Her advice?  Attend conferences, subscribe to research journals, and join online forums and professional organizations, even if they’re not directly related to your industry.  “Sometimes joining a professional organization that is not directly related to your industry can spark creative new ideas,” she says. For instance, a human resources professional for an insurance company joining a marketing association can boost her creativity of an employer-branding campaign that may result in attracting hundreds of high-quality job candidates.

Such out-of-the-box thinking is what a mentor can help with, adds Kunkel.  “There is a wealth of knowledge in companies, but mentoring is a lost art,” she says  “If you can't find a mentor within your company, find one on the outside.” A good place to look? At conferences, online forums, and organizations either directly or indirectly related to your career goals.

Street Smarts
Simon T. Bailey attributes his success to finding a mentor who introduced him to key contacts.  The former college drop-out, current life coach, and author of “Release Your Brilliance” (Imagination Institute, Inc., 2005), explains, “My encouragement came from being flat broke and having to do something to make it,” he says. “I wanted to give up, but there was a small voice that encouraged me to keep going.” 

Bailey initially dropped out of Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA) for financial reasons, and began work as a hotel front desk clerk earning $5.10 per hour.  “That’s where I cut my teeth in the hospitality industry,” he says. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), although desk-clerk positions are entry-level and require only a high school diploma, they often create opportunities for employees to learn about their company and grow into more advanced positions.  In fact, job openings in the hospitality industry are expected to grow through 2014 as experienced managers transfer to other occupations.
Bailey's Cinderella story–literally, having worked his way up the corporate ladder from desk clerk to sales director at The Walt Disney Company–didn’t happen overnight.  Although he did return to school to earn an undergraduate and master’s degree in theology, Bailey admits that his years in the industry provided him with a distinct advantage over those armed with just degrees.  “People who are street smart can always go back and hit the books.” 

For Tana Goetz (www.heytana.com), a successful entrepreneur of clothing and furniture businesses, an e-commerce business, a top saleswoman for Mary Kay Inc., and motivational speaker, being street smart means “being self sufficient, resourceful, and skilled enough to succeed at any occupation.” 

And she should know--Tana's also a former runner-up on "The Apprentice," which pits contestants in a competition to work for business tycoon Donald Trump. Season three's premise just so happened to separate street smart contestants from book smart contestants in an effort to see who would emerge victorious. 

“You must have positive traits from both sides to be whole,” Goetz says. “Among her suggestions: Taking a personal inventory of your talents and strengths. 

“When making a career move, jot down what you are good at and what jobs would be a perfect fit,” she says.  “If the job doesn’t exist, make it exist and tell people why they need you.”  For example, in 2002 Goetz designed and sold T-shirts via the Bedazzler, a stone and rhinestone setter, at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.  “I saw a need and filled that need.  When you get creative, great things can happen.”

The Education and Experience Blend
When it came to recreating his professional persona, Tom Ingrassia, former business school assistant dean and founder of Tom Ingrassia Productions/Ingrassia Artist Management, an artist management agency did a complete 360.  “I chucked my academic career to pursue my lifelong dream of working in the entertainment industry, for which I had no training,” he says.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), careers within this industry are ideal for college graduates with a high level of creativity and strong communication skills.  In fact, in 2004 the median salaries of promotions managers, marketing managers, and public relations managers earned $63,610, $87,640, and $70,000, respectively.

So how did Ingrassia snag a high salary for managing eclectic artists, negotiate recording studio contracts, and coordinate concert venues? By integrating prior work experience with the knowledge he garnered from a bachelor’s degree in history from the State University of New York-Geneseo (Geneseo, NY) and master’s degree, also in history, from the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT). 

"You need a combination of book smarts and street smarts to reinvent yourself and succeed,” he says. “I'm not using my history degrees directly, but every day I use the research, writing, and communication skills I developed while pursuing my education.”  

Rachel Moeller, associate director of career services for Lafayette College (Easton, PA), agrees with Ingrassia's sentiment, pointing out the importance of out-of-the-classroom opportunities for students, which, she says, enhances textbook training.

“Whether it is an internship, a co-op, apprenticeship, or similar experience, you need to get your hands dirty and immerse yourself in the world beyond the classroom,” she explains. In fact, relevant job experience is important to employers upon graduation.  According to a 2005 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, on average, more than three out of five new college hires boasted internship experience.

A breadth of experiences, both in and out of the classroom, Moeller says, is what will ultimately equip students with a powerful punch that encompasses both classroom and hands-on knowledge, and the ability to recognize the value of the blend. “A chemical engineering graduate employed in pharmaceutical sales might attend an event with clients at the Museum of Modern Art,” she explains.  “Because she has had the opportunity to study humanities courses unrelated to her major, such as art history, she can draw upon that knowledge to demonstrate that she’s a professional of many layers.”

What's Right for You?
In whatever road you travel–street or school–it all boils down to your motivation, concludes Goetz. In other words, if you're pursuing a degree to have a set of letters after your name, you’re stalling. “If you plan to be an entrepreneur when you finish, time is money and you are wasting your time,” says Goetz. Her advice?  Put aside the money you would have spent on school, apply it to your own business, then see where you are in one year.  

Overall, whether you drive your career path toward an educational pursuit or break into an industry with an all-out hands-on attitude--perhaps, as Pinkney notes, the key navigational tool is having the best of both worlds.  “Book smarts may help you crack the door open, but street smarts will ensure it stays open.”  He continues, “A strong work ethic and personal determination are the key drivers toward success.”

Vicki Salemi, a frequent contributor to ClassesUSA.com, Online Degrees Magazine, and The CollegeBound Network, writes regularly about education and career issues.