I think reading and annotating books is thing I do best – it’s my most sharply honed skill. But that in itself has no market value, even though it has great value to me personally. And I find that difference interesting.

Jacobs, Alan. Homebound Symphony, my skillz. December 13, 2022.

I’d argue reading and annotating books does have market value. It’s the soil that allows all the other “market value” skills to grow from.

To be a professor, writer, and observer, one must read and capture thoughts in the margins well. Honing this skill must lead to new, important insights, no?