Mindset
Stop Searching Only for Jobs: Start Searching for Problems Worth Solving
For years, many people have been taught one simple formula for success: go to school, acquire qualifications, find a good job, and earn a living.
But the world has changed.
Today, opportunities do not always come from waiting for vacancies. Many of the biggest opportunities come from identifying problems, developing the ability to solve them, and taking those solutions to people who are willing to pay.
A simple formula explains this:
PROBLEM × SKILL × MARKET = ECONOMIC VALUE
These three elements must come together.
You can have an excellent skill, but if you are applying it in an environment where nobody needs it, you may still struggle.
A person can be highly talented, knowledgeable, and hardworking, but if the market does not value what they offer, their potential may remain hidden.
Likewise, you can discover a serious problem affecting many people, but if you lack the skills, experience, or capability to solve it, the opportunity will remain out of reach.
And sometimes, people solve problems brilliantly but still struggle because nobody knows they exist. A great solution without visibility, positioning, or access to the right market often remains unnoticed.
This is why all three matter:
Find a painful problem.
Develop the skills to solve it exceptionally well.
Take that solution to a market that values it.
Develop the skills to solve it exceptionally well.
Take that solution to a market that values it.
That is where economic value is created.
Money is not simply a reward for working hard. In many cases, money is a reward for solving difficult problems that affect many people.
The bigger the problem, the better the solution, and the larger the number of people who need it, the greater the economic opportunity.
Look around Nigeria today.
There are countless problems waiting for people who are willing to study them, understand them, and build solutions.
There are countless problems waiting for people who are willing to study them, understand them, and build solutions.
Problems in agriculture, healthcare, transportation, education, technology, finance, housing, and countless other areas are not just challenges. They are opportunities waiting for prepared minds.
Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes we have made is teaching an entire generation to focus only on searching for vacancies instead of teaching them to search for problems.
Vacancies can be limited. Companies can only hire a certain number of people.
But problems are everywhere.
And wherever problems exist, there is room for people who are skilled enough, creative enough, and courageous enough to create solutions.
The future belongs to problem solvers.
Instead of asking only, “Where can I find a job?”
Start asking:
“What problem can I solve?”
“Who needs this solution?”
“How can I become so good at solving this problem that people are willing to pay for it?”
When problems, skills, and markets collide, economic value is created.
That is where opportunities are born.
That is where businesses are built.
That is where wealth begins.
— The Billionaire Mechanic
NC
About the Author
Engr. Ndubuisi Chidomere, MNSE is a Nigerian engineer-turned-entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Pamtech Group, a diversified conglomerate operating in automotive, oil & gas, media, and innovation sectors. He is a Forbes Business Council Member and thought leader on African entrepreneurship.
View Profile