When it was time to head to college and pick a major, I went for communications because that’s what Jerry Seinfeld majored in.

Seinfeld was my hero when I was in junior high and high school. From the first episode i ever watched, I was a huge fan of the show, Seinfeld, (probably since 5th grade). The episode was about B.B.O. (beyond body odor), which I found hilarious as a prepubescent kid who just started wearing deodorant.

Now, I know everybody loved Seinfeld in the ’90s. But, in high school, I had cast photos taped up inside my locker. I wore Kramer-style shirts and slid through the classroom door tardy on purpose to get a laugh. I did an excerpt from the book SeinLanguage in my public speaking class (and I killed with it).

I’d decided standup comedy wasn’t for me. But I loved the idea of getting a job writing funny stories with other funny people and bringing those stories to life. So, that’s why I decided that a communications major was a good idea.

Sounds like a solid plan, right? I could follow in my hero’s path by getting the same degree and then walk right into a writer’s room and start pounding out scripts.

Of course, I probably don’t have to tell you that Jerry Seinfeld didn’t end up creating arguably the most successful sitcom of all time because he majored in communications.

He devoured standup comedy records as a kid. When he got to college, Seinfeld started performing… and he didn’t stop. He amassed a huge collection of jokes, popularized his own style of observational comedy, and connected with creative partners like Larry David.

Jerry is also extremely disciplined. His simple “Don’t break the chain” method for avoiding procrastination shows up all over the place. He’s meditated every day for many years. Even now, he continues to hone his craft obsessing over his joke-telling technique. Not because he needs to keep working, but because he loves doing it. It’s his art and he takes it seriously.

Jerry Seinfeld’s success had nothing to do with his chosen major. According to Federal Reserve research, there’s a good chance what you’re doing now isn’t closely related to what you studied.

If you want to be successful in your creative projects, you’ve got to put in the time and pay your dues. You’ve got to build a body of work and put it out into the world. It takes patience, perseverance, and dedication. It takes real world experience – not a college degree.

Take it from a guy who spent two years perfecting a joke about Pop Tarts…