Career Coach Touts 'Passions' Over GPA

Having a 4.0 GPA and even graduating from a "good college" isn't enough anymore, an entrepreneur and career coach told Hatboro-Horsham High School students Wednesday morning.

The pair of assemblies, which were peppered with car analogies and led by Jullien "the Innerviewer" Gordon, CEO of New Higher, were aimed at leading students off of "easy street" and onto the "road less traveled."

Gordon, who received his MBA and Masters degree from Stanford University in 2007, said he, too, fell into the trap of the "American dream." After graduation, he spent $3,500 to buy a used Mercedes Benz–because his parents had one–only to have it break down two miles off of the lot.

He then shelled out more money than its price tag to fix it, only to have it stolen at gunpoint.

"How do you define success?" Gordon asked the school's ninth- and 10th-graders. "It was a question I had to ask myself when my car was stolen ... Who's definition of success was I living?"

Instead of focusing on status symbols, making more money and becoming the next doctor, lawyer, teacher, accountant, or engineer, Gordon suggested that students look within themselves to identify their "passions."

"You have to turn your passion into a skill," he said. "The end of easy jobs is here."

By focusing on interests instead of college majors alone, Gordon said students can pinpoint what they enjoy most and develop multiple streams of income based on personal preferences. Someone looking to become an archaeologist, for example, could also be suited for careers as a history teacher, historian, crime scene investigator, as well as other professions. 

Gordon said he receives a four-figure salary from 60 different clients, which he said is more stable than counting on a paycheck from one employer. 

Gordon also shared what he considers to be the "4.0 that really matters." Today's career professionals need personal capital, intellectual capital, social capital and financial capital to be successful in the current economy, he said. 

Defined simply as: how well you know yourself; what you know; who you know and who knows you; and who knows that you know what you know, Gordon said those four elements are key.

"If you take the easy road, even if you're great, it's leading a lot of people into traffic," Gordon said, adding that only 29 percent of 2013 graduates had jobs lined up upon graduation. "We are the most unemployed and underemployed generation right now."

What employers are looking for, in a nutshell, are job seekers who are able to create value, get money and lead a team of 20 or more people. 

"Employers are not hiring followers nowadays," he said. "Hustling is going to be the most valuable skill."

For more on Jullien Gordon, visit his Web site by clicking here.