Could you succeed as a cabbie

How often have we looked at someone else’s job and declared pompously that I could do that job without any effort. I certainly have been guilty of doing that very often. That is the arrogance of the amateur. As amateurs whenever we have attained a little skill, we start to see ourselves as within reach of being seen as world class.

Let us for a minute assume that you know how to drive a car or bike. As compared to the drivers on the road, do you rate yourself as better than 90% of them? Most of us would agree with that rating of our skill. We could justify it by saying that, “I am not saying that I am the best driver. But I am better than 90% of the drivers I see on the road.” The problem is that most people tend to believe that too. Statistically speaking that is impossible.

Could you earn a living as a cabbie? I would have said yes to that question if I had not read about what it takes to become a licensed black cab driver in London. 

Being a licensed taxi driver in London requires you to clear the “most difficult test in the world”. You will need to have a thorough knowledge of the six-mile radius of Charing Cross. You have to all the streets, housing estates; parks and open spaces; government offices and departments; financial centers; diplomatic premises; town halls; registry offices; hospitals; places of worship; sports stadiums; airline offices; stations; hotels; clubs; theaters; museums; art galleries; schools and colleges; museums… Anywhere, a passenger may want to be taken. That area contains 25,000 streets. People call it “The Knowledge”.

During the test, the driver is given two points in London and the driver must provide the precise location of these and then describe the best route to follow, turn by turn, naming each street in sequence. As the test progresses, the points become more obscure and the routes become longer and more complicated.

To prepare for the test, the candidates walk around a quarter mile of each building taking note of the landmarks and buildings in that area. After doing this for 320 times, the driver has explored the 320 best routes. They have to continue to update their knowledge based on the route changes and construction that is happening all the time. And then there are soft skills the cabbie needs to build. They need to be able to handle all kinds of passengers in all kinds of scenarios. That must call for an extraordinary degree of empathy, in addition to all the navigational challenges the cabbie has to master.

Now that I know what it takes to be a cabbie, I know for sure that I would never make a great cab driver – at least in London. Are there bad cabbies? Yes, for sure. I am talking of what it takes to be at the top of one’s profession.

What does this do to the brain of a cabbie? Studies show that their brain (specifically the hippocampus) expands because of this training. <read about it>

If you had to become a better chess player, what is the most effective way to build expertise? Check your answer against this video https://youtu.be/1feChwxfzoY

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