💼 10 career lessons from Marc Andreessen
I read 10,000 words of career advice from the man who invented the web browser.
Here are 10 career lessons from Marc Andreessen (including the biggest mistake we all make):
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Rule 1: Don't plan your career.
The world is changing too fast.
Impossible to plan when you can't predict the future.
And this is the mistake type-A goal-setters make.
Career planning is career-limiting.
2) Don't join a startup right out of college.
The experience is highly variable and can be terrible.
Join a successful, growing company to gain skills and experience.
3) Treat your career as an investment portfolio.
You need both safe and risky investments with different returns (or benefits).
Risky = 5 person startup
Safe = Meta as the millionth employee Invest differently at different times.
But you need both.
4) Forget about avoiding all risk.
Because a successful career without risk does not exist.
5) Pick an industry where the founders of the industry are still alive and active.
6) Maximize opportunities to maximize luck.
2 opportunity types:
• They find you
• You find them
A Twitter Audience: They find you when you write interesting stuff
Cold emails or conferences: You find them
7) Don't underestimate intense focus.
"The world is a malleable place. If you know what you want, and you go for it with maximum energy and passion, the world will often reconfigure itself around you much more quickly and easily than you would think.”
8) You won't be the world's best at ONE thing.
Instead, become top 25% at two or more skills.
Example: A person who knows finance is ok.
A person who knows finance and can communicate it effectively is crazy valuable like @matt_levine.
9) Never worry about being a small fish in a big pond.
You learn more.
Your network is stronger.
And most importantly, you dream bigger dreams.
Small ponds make you think small.
10) Don't be a "summertime soldier".
Summertime soldiers join successful startups and quit when things get tough.
Life is never easy and you reveal your character in the way you react to tough moments.
People never forget.
That was fun,
Chris Hlad
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