There was a great poet and singer in Russia – Vladimir Vysotsky. One of his songs is about his conversation with some Captain. They “d talk and drink, and at the at the end of the conversation, he said, “You know, Captain, you “ll never be promoted to Major rdquo;. I “ve been teaching programming to hundreds of people, and usually after the first couple of hours into the class, I can see if the student will make it or not. There was this guy who really needed a job. After attending one of my motivational talks he became convinced that Adobe Flex is the hot software and it makes sense to get trained and hit the job market early, when you can get a job if you know how to spell Flex. Then he sent me several emails asking what would be his chances of finding a job after attending my class. I never promise easy employment to anyone, especially in the USA . The market can be great, your technical skills are hot, and then you go to job interviews and you keep failing them. Why? What did you say there? Was it a wrong question that you “ve asked? A bad breath? What? You just do not get an offer. So I said, “I have no idea if you “ll be able to find a job after this training rdquo;. Anyway, he “s enrolled into the class. When other people were working on the labs and exercises, he “s chatting online. One day he left two hours early. He seemed like a smart guy, but he was on his own schedule. Needless to say that he did not do even a half of the hands on work. After the class, he sent me a thank you email, adding that now the only thing that “s left is finding a job. And I said to myself, “No Captain, you “ll never become Major! rdquo; Just being smart does not cut it. A guy comes to a rabbi asking him to talk to God so he could win in a lottery – lots of kids, no job, nothing to eat and the wife is pregnant again. The rabbi promised to talk to God. In a month, the man comes back asking, “Rabbi, did you talk to God about me winning the lottery? I still did not win! rdquo; The rabbi said, “Yes, I did, but have you purchase a lottery ticket yet? ” “No Captain, you “ll never become Major! rdquo;