Typically, the old saying, “if you want something done right, do it yourself”, tends to refer to completing a task on your own because you feel others around you aren’t capable. It is a rather stubborn and isolationist way of thinking about the world, and in some ways, is insulting others.

Interestingly, however, the original saying was actually “if you want something done well, do it yourself” and is attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. I think the different between “well” and “right” is fairly clear: the former refers to quality, while the latter refers to being correct or not. In Bonaparte’s version, there’s also a degree of self-reliance and self-determination that isn’t present in the more modern version, and many scholars seem to prefer that interpretation. We should take control of our own destinies and leave as little to chance as possible.

And that’s what we explore in this edition of QS Insights Magazine. Graduate employability often centres around giving students the skills they need to eventually land their dream job. But what if they created their dream job by themselves, through creating their own start-ups and entrepreneurial gigs? Why not look at graduate employability through the lens of “if you want to land your dream job, create it yourself”?