An Ode to Gary Becker (from Steve Levitt)

By any academic's' standards, Gary Becker's record is nothing short of phenomenal. He published papers way back in the 1950s, and he's published in the new millennium. Steve Levitt gives us his insights as to why Becker's been so successful:

1. He's incredibly smart
2. He works harder than anyone else
3. He loves what he does
4. He welcomes criticism
5. He's always learning new things

Click here for the whole piece.

Those traits would have made him a success in pretty much any fields he chose. Other than the first one, they're all things in our control, too (no matter our chosen fields).

Becker also has one of the better blogs out there, too (with Judge Richard Posner).