Why do skills need to be tested by the market? Because only the market can tell whether your abilities are genuinely needed and valued.
Your value in society is not determined solely by what you know or what you can do. It depends on whether your skills can solve real problems for others—and whether they are willing to pay for the value you create.
If your abilities remain unrecognized for a long time, it may not be because the market has failed to notice you. You may have overestimated your capabilities, or your existing skills may no longer be scarce.
Many people spend decades building expertise in a particular field. But when large numbers of people acquire similar skills, or when new technologies dramatically improve efficiency, experience that was once valuable can quickly lose its advantage.
At that point, instead of repeatedly trying to prove your worth, it is more important to reassess the market: What kind of value is truly scarce today? What problems can your current abilities still solve? And what is the most efficient way to acquire the skills required for the next stage?
Your abilities are not a certificate that remains valid forever. They are a product that must be continuously tested by the market, updated, and improved.