Some people find their greatest success outside the classroom. But don’t conflate classroom performance with learning. The people shown here never stopped learning, and they all worked hard.

A lot of people will say, “follow your passion.” Some of us believe that is bad advice. Your humble editor may be passionate about cycling, but no matter how many miles I pedal, I am never going to find myself on a pro team in the Tour de France.

Because our time is limited, the better advice is this: instead of trying to take a skill where you’re bad and trying to become good, find a skill where you are good and become great.