‘Outliers: success for young people’

In Outliers, Malcom Gladwell states that different factors in people’s life do, in fact, make them successful. Through different stories, he comments on things such as being born at the right time and the right place, maturity, economic status and cultural environment and how these affect the way people face life. This being said, he interrelates these with the way people cope with the obstacles they face, finally stating that everyone has, indeed, some power over the success they may conquer throughout their life.

In his book, Gladwell gives us the solid basis that maturity, our environment, effort, practice and opportunities differ between people according on how you make the best of them. Throughout the chapters we find the story that tells how The Beatles’ career and fame started. They rehearsed intensely, making them sound better every time, and because of their dedication and practice, clubs gave them more jobs every time. Here, Gladwell evidences that practice makes perfect.

In other pages, Gladwell supports that time and birthplace matter. Bill Joy, Scott McNealy, Vinod Khosla, Andy Bechtolsheim, among others, were born in the 1950’s. Economy was balanced; therefore their parents could enroll them in good schools. They came of age in a time when the world was growing and the technology boom was in their favor.

Further along, the story of Chris Langan shows us that the way one relates to others has also something to do with success. Despite his well-earned scholarship in college, he was unable to negotiate the terms of his inconvenient schedule; therefore, eventually having to drop out. This clearly states that the ability one has to deal with others and be, in a manner of speaking, diplomatic is as helpful as any other quality one may have. To express oneself is to be able to take one’s thoughts and ideas and communicate them to the people around.

I believe that we are, in fact, capable of forging our destinies. Indubitably, there are obstacles we will encounter; however, with the proper tools, we can easily face them. Point in fact, Malcom Gladwell is right to state that there are external factors that directly affect one’s development in life. All in all, it is within us to overcome them and be successful.

BY DIEGO BORJAS AND ANA MONTEVERDE