Just because I’m a DJ it doesn’t mean I’m stupid

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Wassup Fam? I was reading one of the comments on my article last week and smiled. The person suggested, and I quote: “This should come with a warning that the author is a DJ and not qualified to offer financial advice.”

Interesting.

Well, this is one of the reasons that I LOVE being a DJ, because some people think you’re dumb and know nothing about business, life, common sense, etc. Well, some DJs are actually rather intelligent, learned, smart, entrepreneurs, etc.

For that reader’s enlightenment, edification and information, DJLT has an MBA, BBA, a Real Estate License (was a professional realtor in a previous career) and is, I submit, quite qualified to offer that advice, which was not financial advice but life, common sense and an opinion. DJLT also leads a team/department of 200 people by day; but just loves music and DJ’s on the side for fun.

Waiters and taxi drivers have Masters and Doctorates; but just because they don’t feel the need to ‘bring their bling’ or advertise their knowledge like other people do; this in no way takes away from their knowledge or discounts the value of their opinions.

The moral of the story is that you should not judge a book by it’s cover.

I’m a somewhat humble person who doesn’t feel the need to flash my degrees. I don’t have them on display in my office. My ego is small enough that I’m not defined by my degrees.

However, on a few occasions since I began writing this column in 1990, a few people have suggested that I was ignorant, uneducated and didn’t have a degree; simply because I’m a DJ. It was usually when someone disagreed with something I wrote. Remember that this is also an opinion column.

Thankfully, on one occasion, brother Famous defended my honour and advised the blogger that DJLT does in fact have degrees.

As far as I’m concerned, a degree doesn’t qualify you to do anything. It only says that you can learn. Therefore, I value work experience as well as life experience way more than book smarts and I value my 22 years of experience in the army more than I value my MBA.

My army experience taught me more about leading people than my MBA. In the army I learned that you manage things; but you lead people. Profound huh? I’m sure they don’t teach that at the Wharton Business School. But they do teach that in the Bermuda Regiment, for all the haters of the Regiment.

One of the best books I read shortly after my bachelor’s degree was ‘What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School’. I thank God and my parents for giving me the presence of mind to look for stuff beyond the degrees.

I’ve met taxi drivers in many US cities who are immigrants from Pakistan, India or elsewhere and are doctors, lawyers in their countries of origin. They might be my driver for the time we are together but I am no better than them because I’m paying them a fare. One of my squash buddies is a taxi driver in Bermuda who is also a doctor.

We have to stop judging people because of their job. We live in a society that unfortunately defines people by their job/profession. God doesn’t do this so we shouldn’t either.

We all pull on our socks one at a time. I might just happen to be the boss, but everybody deserves respect.

I take time to chat with the janitors in my workplace, the maintenance dude, they are people too and are very important. Have your workplace dirty for an important meeting or have your toilets not working for a day and see whether the CEO is more important that the cleaner or the maintenance man.

I remember working in nightclubs for years, after I had an MBA and was by day a senior manager. Some people used to come to the DJ booth and speak to me like I was a piece of trash. I was able to hold my tongue because my self esteem was safe and I knew that I was way smarter and way more successful than the idiots thought.

Degrees are important and I insist that young people must get them. But don’t think that because you have one and someone else doesn’t, that you are better than them, that they are lesser people than you are or that their views on issues are of lesser value.

Don’t think that because you’re a senior underwriter, or Senior Vice President and someone else is the secretary or janitor, or unemployed; that you know more than they know or that their opinions don’t count.

The moral of all of this is to please do not judge a book by it’s cover and for heaven’s sake don’t think that a person who you might THINK is not as educated as you are, is less qualified than you are, to speak on a particular subject. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Peace and humility to all…..DJLT

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