If you're interested in earning more at work, the solution is quite simple: acquire more marketable, applicable and profitable skills.

In other words, it's not about getting more “education.” Indeed, there's a huge difference between “higher education” (e.g. postsecondary education) and “hire education."

“Hire education” is the kind that will help you to get promoted or get a higher salary – preferably both.

In other words, any educational program that you enroll in should give you new marketable skills, that is, skills that will make you more appealing to employers.

Your newly acquired skills should also be applicable, that is, they must enable you to do a better job. 

Finally, your new skills should be profitable to the employer. Ideally, your new skills should enable you to bring more customers to the company, retain more customers, create more new products, improve existing products, increase sales and revenues, etc.

The important thing is to clearly identify the critical skills that will increase your value in the eyes of potential employers, and then to focus religiously on developing or acquiring those specific skills.

A good metaphor to keep in mind as you plan your professional development efforts is to think of Olympian athletes. Every day for four years prior to the actual Olympic Games, they practice only the skills they need to perfect in order to win the Gold Medal.

Notice that they do NOT practice “multi-tasking.” They don't spend time writing fancy resumes or cover letters. They don't network so much.

They just do, every day, what they must do in order to become the BEST in their field.

This quasi-religious focus on developing their specific Olympian talents and skills does require a great deal of courage.

The same courage is required today of any person who wants to have career security and prosperity.

In other words, career success will increasingly depend on one's absolute dedication to and relentless pursuit of excellence.

Sure, this Olympian metaphor might sound a bit extreme to some readers. Some people might ask, "Why can't I just have a regular job 9 to 5? Why do I have to try to become the best?"

In the old economy, just doing one's job might have been sufficient. However, in today's global economy where millions of workers from India and China can participate by offering their services to any employer through the Internet, it is highly unwise to put one's head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich.

To put it bluntly, a person either strives to become the best at what he does, or he will soon face the risk of unemployment.

The good news is that as you focus on becoming excellent, you will enjoy your work more since you will be fully engaged in it -- emotionally and intellectually. You will also earn more money and gain greater respect from everyone. These rewards will build your self-esteem and drive you to higher levels of excellence, thus creating a virtuous cycle that will enrich your life beyond what you can imagine right now.

The trick is to realize that you deserve to have the best in life, and the sure way to obtain the best is to become the best.