In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past achievements within that field.


Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

The author of the topic states an assertion that it is impossible to make large and meaningful contributions to one's field of work without the prior existence of past successes. While some may argue that this statement holds true all the time, others may counter that claim by providing examples of individuals who made significant contributions to their field of work without prior success. In my essay, I will highlight both sides of the argument, and also provide a sound reasoning for my claims.

On one hand, the assertion seems probable. After all, the age old saying "practice makes perfect" is etched in our memories for a reason. There exists a concept in organizational and social psychology called "positive reinforcement", which refers to feelings of positivity and confidence that stem from prior positive actions. Positive reinforcement is a common determinant of employee and human motivation. For example, if you work as a software engineer and you successfully code 100 bits of data in under 5 minutes (an above average feat), then you would be "positively motivated" to continue coding even more. The same applies to other areas of life. if you look at sports (such as the Olympic games), our players are made to practice extremely hard before qualifying for the Olympics. This level of skill doesn't come without prior success on the field. Even in other areas such as the arts and sciences, one needs to achieve surmountable amount of success to catapult their career trajectory. It is for this reason that job promotions exist (to separate the "dooers" from the "sayers")

Another reason why past sucess might be a strong indicator of future success can be the fact that past success is mostly only obtained by a series of trials and errors. These experiences teach us the meaning of failure, and also teach us what our strengths and weaknesses are. It is only when we are more self aware that we can do our best in whatever we do.

However, it is also fair to say that while the above two reasons might hold true in most cases, one cannot assert that it is impossible to achieve career success without past achievement. Take a walk down memory lane and reflect on what great world leaders of the past have done. Legendary world icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Rosalie Parks and Martin Luther King (to name a few) did not have prior experience in leading a revolution. They did what their heart and mind was set out to do. They may have been powerful individuals, but they surely didn't achieve success by having prior experience in fighting for human rights. Similarly, in the performing arts, there is a term for people who achieve what is known as "overnight success". They are called "one hit wonders". A good example of this was teen sensation Rebecca Black, who uploaded a video of herself playing a song called "Friday" in 2009 that became an internet sensation. She had no experience in the music industry, but still managed to make an impact in it. JK Rowling is another fantastic example of someone who produced one of the greatest children's novels of the modern time, with no prior successful writing experience.

Thus, it can be said that while achieving success in one's field does add a lot of weight to one's credibility, it is not a prerequisite to success. Success is a combination of hard work, determination and luck. For some, luck plays in their favour better than others. For others, luck doesn't, and it is those people that aren't as lucky as others, who have to work harder, faster and better to get ahead in life.