"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
I'll paraphrase it because I can't remember how it went. Choose some interest/activity aside from your career and commit to pursue it for the rest of your life. Such a sustained effort will one day prove to be of immense value. If you don't make your choice right now, you never will. I didn't, and I didn't, and at the age of 70 how I wish I had.
Could you put some examples or make some suggestions? I'm looking for a new hobby, which, apart from being a hobby itself, could help me in other aspects of my life.
My mom told me once that I am not responsible for the happiness of others. Prior to that, it was a tremendous burden for me when loved ones were unhappy and I felt like there was nothing I could do.
The other one is "No matter where you go, there you are". My early career was marked by short stints at different companies because I was looking for the perfect work environment. Eventually, I realized that the only constant amongst those places was me. I now fight the urge to escape whenever things aren't going how I want them to because, ultimately, I will still be me wherever I go and it is better to deal with my issues than change the world around me.
Knowing your audience is critical to communicating effectively and impacts every human interaction you'll have.
Two people with an arbitrary goal having separate conversation with the same person can have vastly different outcomes predicated on how well they know their audience.
Some examples off the top of my head:
1) Teaching a novice; understanding their skill level and learning style to guide how you teach and what you teach.
2) Asking for a favor from a colleague in a different department; understanding their priorities, pressure points, and professional goals to position your request in a way most likely to be accepted.
3) Traffic stop; understanding the LEO's concerns to ensure a smooth stop and preferably a warning for the reason you were pulled over.
4) Giving a presentation; different people care about different things, understanding your audience allows you to choose the messaging that your audience cares about and resonates the most.
Agreed. Reflection is key in all aspects of your life. If something went bad/good/neither...look at the reality around you that resulted in that outcome.
Making mistakes is part of human nature. It's best to expect that a lot of things will go wrong, items will be lost, deadlines won't be kept, driving won't be done correctly, your boss won't know that doing $thing will cause $badthings (including annoyed employees), code will be written suboptimally, people will say stuff that hurts other people, people who hurt other people will claim they acted perfectly normally, etc.
Have emergency savings, preferably a bare minimum of 3 months' worth of expenses, available. Depending on your risk tolerance and income stability, 6 or 9 months might be appropriate. It's absolutely amazing the peace of mind and freedom to take risk that having emergency savings can give you.
I came here to post "Don't be a dick", but glad to see that someone already has it covered.
Throughout my career, I have worked with countless people that were happy to piss off others to get stuff done, and while it might get something done in the short-term, it damages them in the long term.
It doesn't matter how junior they are right now, that junior developer you shat all over might be the senior developer that tells the MD not to hire you when you rock up for an interview after being made redundant. That contractor you tried to short-change over a delivered piece of work might be the reason why you are struggling to hire people with similar skills, or the reason why a company is keen to pursue you for not delivering. That person you harassed at work might be the reason why people keep leaving your company.
All of these scenarios has happened to me in the last five years, and I'd say that my career has been shaped by the experienced of others. I'd also say that it shapes the career of many people. Hell, you only need to see the recent issues at Uber to see a company that will fail to attract top talent, and employees that will struggle to work in any team with previous co-workers.
I would say don’t take advice from people like me who have gotten very lucky. We’re very biased. You know, like Taylor Swift telling you to follow your dreams is like a lottery winner telling you, "Liquidize your assets, buy Powerball tickets, it works!" – Bo Burnham
Be the first to volunteer, to put your hand up with a question, to introduce yourself to others, to open the conversation.
It avoids those awkward moments when a group of people look at their shoes wondering who is going to respond. It also helped me address my general reluctance to be the first responder.
Always ask,"Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Don't just ask once if you can help, everyone else does that. Be the person who asks again and again. People will take notice and tell others. It's the quickest way to new opportunities.
Relax and answer will come . If you can not make decision - just stop thinking about it for few days(if it's possible, of course). Answer will come from where you can not expect.
[+] [-] sghiassy|9 years ago|reply
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
[+] [-] Gustomaximus|9 years ago|reply
Many people who strive to excel feel this always to an extent via higher expectations on themselves than people around them hold.
[+] [-] oldmancoyote|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] austinjp|9 years ago|reply
No snark intended. What might you start?
[+] [-] skdotdan|9 years ago|reply
Could you put some examples or make some suggestions? I'm looking for a new hobby, which, apart from being a hobby itself, could help me in other aspects of my life.
[+] [-] sreenadh|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] partisan|9 years ago|reply
My mom told me once that I am not responsible for the happiness of others. Prior to that, it was a tremendous burden for me when loved ones were unhappy and I felt like there was nothing I could do.
The other one is "No matter where you go, there you are". My early career was marked by short stints at different companies because I was looking for the perfect work environment. Eventually, I realized that the only constant amongst those places was me. I now fight the urge to escape whenever things aren't going how I want them to because, ultimately, I will still be me wherever I go and it is better to deal with my issues than change the world around me.
[+] [-] nickfromseattle|9 years ago|reply
Knowing your audience is critical to communicating effectively and impacts every human interaction you'll have.
Two people with an arbitrary goal having separate conversation with the same person can have vastly different outcomes predicated on how well they know their audience.
Some examples off the top of my head:
1) Teaching a novice; understanding their skill level and learning style to guide how you teach and what you teach.
2) Asking for a favor from a colleague in a different department; understanding their priorities, pressure points, and professional goals to position your request in a way most likely to be accepted.
3) Traffic stop; understanding the LEO's concerns to ensure a smooth stop and preferably a warning for the reason you were pulled over.
4) Giving a presentation; different people care about different things, understanding your audience allows you to choose the messaging that your audience cares about and resonates the most.
[+] [-] andrei_says_|9 years ago|reply
Stop calling them "my thoughts" -- observe how they emerge and investigate if you're the one causing them.
[+] [-] robodale|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] usgroup|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Vaskivo|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] qiqitori|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pmiller2|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ErikMC|9 years ago|reply
It applies to things other than running, too.
[+] [-] TobbenTM|9 years ago|reply
Surrounding yourself with smart people is the best way to learn and improve.
[+] [-] o2l|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Gustomaximus|9 years ago|reply
- My grandma... miss you supergran.
[+] [-] osullivj|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ai_ia|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] new_hackers|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] EnderMB|9 years ago|reply
Throughout my career, I have worked with countless people that were happy to piss off others to get stuff done, and while it might get something done in the short-term, it damages them in the long term.
It doesn't matter how junior they are right now, that junior developer you shat all over might be the senior developer that tells the MD not to hire you when you rock up for an interview after being made redundant. That contractor you tried to short-change over a delivered piece of work might be the reason why you are struggling to hire people with similar skills, or the reason why a company is keen to pursue you for not delivering. That person you harassed at work might be the reason why people keep leaving your company.
All of these scenarios has happened to me in the last five years, and I'd say that my career has been shaped by the experienced of others. I'd also say that it shapes the career of many people. Hell, you only need to see the recent issues at Uber to see a company that will fail to attract top talent, and employees that will struggle to work in any team with previous co-workers.
[+] [-] theslugger|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chauhankiran|9 years ago|reply
I would say don’t take advice from people like me who have gotten very lucky. We’re very biased. You know, like Taylor Swift telling you to follow your dreams is like a lottery winner telling you, "Liquidize your assets, buy Powerball tickets, it works!" – Bo Burnham
[+] [-] pards|9 years ago|reply
Be the first to volunteer, to put your hand up with a question, to introduce yourself to others, to open the conversation.
It avoids those awkward moments when a group of people look at their shoes wondering who is going to respond. It also helped me address my general reluctance to be the first responder.
[+] [-] HugoDaniel|9 years ago|reply
(in pt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcI_2zvwejk&list=PL2332BC2EB...
[+] [-] mlashcorp|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Casseres|9 years ago|reply
Don't just ask once if you can help, everyone else does that. Be the person who asks again and again. People will take notice and tell others. It's the quickest way to new opportunities.
[+] [-] banterfoil|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jennytodavchych|9 years ago|reply