Alignment
As I look at my life, think of the momentum in the world, and look at potential new roles, I can’t help but think about this little quote I heard from a YouTube short of a guy making pizza.
It seems so obvious but it can be hard to internalize and live it. Earlier in my career, I would get called by recruiters and they would often push me into trying out things I cared little about. When I would mention that I didn’t have experience in an area, they often just told me some mix of “Don’t worry, you will learn quickly”, “The pay for this role is great”, “You will have lots of potential to advance”, “It is a big career opportunity”, etc. After a few times doing this, I have the experience to tell people earlier in their careers that taking a role for money is simply not worth it.
"I worked on Wall Street 22 years. I basically used Wall Street to get out of it and do what I love"
I cannot count the amount of times I heard people say this but with tech. I grew up just outside of Seattle in Redmond, home of Microsoft’s global headquarters. I remember many instances of seeing the bus full of miserable looking people who would get off at the stops next to Microsoft. These people would tell me things about great benefits or whatever new perk and encourage me to apply at some point. I rarely heard anything interesting or fulfilling about the tech or the work they were doing. I would see them and often think to myself, “I never want to be one of those people”.
I meet a lot of dreamers in tech. This includes many people who take jobs that they hate in order to fun side projects or consulting that they actually find meaningful. It is one of the nice things about the industry, and why I regularly go to startup events. Whether it is to soak up some inspiration, see what ideas are out there, or just to be around people who are trying to make something new, it always seems like a worthwhile experience.
Most of my friends are ten or more years older than me. It gives me a great perspective to learn from and to think about where I want to be and what regrets to avoid in the future. Life moves fast. And it is too short to not do something that energizes you.