If I Had To Choose Between Skills And Equipment, Here's Where I Lean

For centuries, the argument of improving skills or equipment has been ongoing with no end in sight.  The classical schools of thought dictate that skills are far more important than equipment.  In that era, the difference between raw effort and leverage was minuscule compared to their modern counterparts. 

However, technological innovations that have exponentially widened the gap may start turning the argument on its head. Is it possible that acquiring better equipment is overtaking leveling up our skills, or does skill have some merit in the debate? 

The Race 

Imagine that you’re racing your friend across the country and have invested in the best racehorse on the planet.  You know it’s a young, sturdy horse, and you have a path of stables along the way during the summer, which should ensure that you and your horse will make it across the country without worrying about food and shelter. 

Your friend chooses an economy-class vehicle to race you across the interstate from coast to coast. There’s nothing fantastic about their vehicle, but it’s reliable, and there are plenty of gas stations across the path to ensure it never runs out of fuel. 

Which method is bound to win?  The vehicle, of course. 

While you may have the best horse in the world, it cannot achieve the speed of a motor vehicle due to its physical capabilities and limitations.  Additionally, horses may experience unforeseen issues such as behavior, health, and more, even in the sturdiest breeds. 

Cars can break down and experience issues themselves, but most issues with cars could be fixed within a few hours with a dedicated mechanic, whereas horses may require days, if not weeks, to recover.  The time it takes for a vehicle to overtake the horse when it hits the road again would be small compared to the entire race. 

My Decision 

Now, imagine choosing between skills and equipment on a skill set of your choice.  The ability to learn skills is plentiful in the 21st century, with an ever-growing library of YouTube Videos, books, and instructors available to show the way and fill in the gaps. 

On the other hand, equipment faces a finite supply, with premium equipment being produced less than economy-style equipment. Premium equipment can be anywhere from 2 to 10 times as expensive as its economy counterparts. The barrier ensures less demand for premium equipment, creating less competition in the upper tiers. 

When learning a new long-term skillset, if I had to choose between working on my skills or acquiring premium equipment:  

I would select equipment first and seek to train on that.   

While this decision seems counterintuitive, I can resell it for nearly its original price if I discover it’s not for me. I can then hit a ceiling with lower-level equipment and trade it in for pennies on a dollar, only to acquire better equipment anyway. The only exception I’ve found is software, which is generally nonrefundable since most equipment uses a subscription model. 

Outside of that, here are my reasons for focusing on equipment acquisition first:  

I’d Rather Know My Skills Are The Reason I Suck

Nothing is worse than training on something set up to fail.  When I was a teen, I bought and played a cheap acoustic guitar that I didn’t realize was warped, had high action, and required the finger strength of The Hulk to put the strings down.  I thought I was weak, and the guitar was too complicated, so I lost interest. 

Ten years later, I invested in a guitar set up correctly, and the chords sang beautifully.  I no longer needed to hammer the fingers of my left hand to get the guitar to speak.  My hands used minimal tension, and I could focus on training with new chord patterns, palm muting, and rhythms. 

My returns on practicing were much, much higher.  Recently, I bought a professional-level bass guitar.  The action and craftsmanship made it far easier to glide across the fretboard.  Finally, in my 30s, I learned to slap because I bought a bass that was built well, and I know that the problem was in my right-hand technique. 

The same applies to camera equipment, music production, bicycle riding, and more. Sure, I could have continued training on equipment, but my sessions would have been far less efficient than with superior equipment.  

Still, it was impossible to determine what to work on without experiencing the benefits of using better equipment. 

Unlearning Is A Very Intense Process 

Unfortunately, being young and naive came with a nasty price tag regarding my skillsets.  While I progressed in my primary skillsets, making significant progress in others was impossible.  As my skills hit a ceiling due to equipment, I became uninterested in continuing the journey due to the marginal gains. 

A life-changing technique I mastered in my 20s and 30s was learning to do things with the least tension possible. Because it was ingrained in me to put in more effort to create a desired result, breaking bad habits and making a paradigm shift towards leveraging techniques with a much higher payoff was complicated.

With a better guitar, I could maneuver around the fretboard more effortlessly than on the guitar with setup issues.  I hit higher notes with less stamina with a better trumpet and mouthpiece.  With better camera equipment, the post-production process was far easier to correct lighting, color, and detail.

One thing to note is that if you can’t pay top dollar for premium equipment, you can still start somewhere in the middle.  If you do, have a professional inspect the equipment, give you a demo, and provide their opinion on the strengths and challenges.  From there, it’s up to you to train and build your skills to the levels required to use the equipment properly and have more fun along the way. 

It’s Easier To Mimic Results When Equipment Is Similar 

Finally, skills training in any area is more effortless when we can apply it to the same equipment that professionals use.  While equipment doesn’t need to be exact, it helps when we learn from professionals who invest in their equipment to see how we can replicate the results they create.  This way, we know how they think and feel when using the same thing we acquired , and that whatever struggles we face are normal. 

However, you will want your software to be the same and updated. Learning Microsoft Excel on a Google Sheets tutorial will be ineffective due to differences in menus, functions, and other vital aspects that will create frustration in training.  The same argument can be made for other types of software, such as Ableton Live and Logic Pro, Adobe Photoshop and Pixlr, Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides, Microsoft Studio Code vs. XCode, and many more. 

By eliminating software and equipment barriers, we can eliminate the excuses that come along the way and focus on what counts more – the results.  Professionals use the best equipment that they can for a reason… why shouldn’t we? 

What’s Your Choice? 

To recap, I’ve had extensive training in several dozen skillsets in my work and hobbies to improve outcomes and find more joy in creation. Because I know the process of building skills thoroughly, the bottleneck for me has been acquiring high-level equipment and software rather than the skills themselves. 

However, you may face different challenges due to your personality, learning appetite, budget constraints, free time to train, etc.  There’s no universal answer to the debate, so finding what works for each of us is vital. 

What do you think works best for you? Comment below with your reasons.