One Critical Piece of Advice for Those Coming Out of School or Changing Careers…and Budding Entrepreneurs!
In the role that I’ve had as a software team manger for 10 years now, I’ve scoured many resumes of young, hopeful software developers, and have interviewed and spoke to a fair number as they exit college and are trying to embark on a career in the software development world. When I was new at the interviewing and hiring process, I was always trying to figure out the best ways to separate those that will succeed, from those that won’t. In my search for this answer, I received some sage advice from a casual conversation with an acquaintance in the journalism field. This advice has served me well in both hiring employees, as well as my own approach to my entrepreneurial pursuits.
What was that advice?
My journalist friend basically said, “I speak with all kinds of kids who have been out of school for 6 months or more and are having trouble getting a paid gig. They all seem to have the requisite skills from college: class XYZ, school newspaper, school web-page copy, etc. All of that is fine and necessary, but what separates the ones that you would hire from those that you wouldn’t is simple: ARE YOU WRITING?
Boom! You see, if you want to be a writer, then you’ll be writing, whether or not you are currently getting paid for it. It costs literally nothing to be writing. Have a blog, submit free-lance stuff, create some sort of e-newsletter…something! You ARE A WRITER if you are actually writing, not just if someone is paying you to write.
Software development is essentially identical. It costs nothing to be writing code. If you are interested in developing software, then nothing conveys that better than simply doing it on your own. It shows initiative, it shows you are in fact actually interested in developing software, it shows you can put your mind to something and make progress….all of these are the kinds of qualities for which employers will be looking.
There is often little to separate you from the pack as you exit college. That’s not entirely your fault, but for sure the people that have “done something” in addition to, or along with their studies do stick out. During the interview process, your prospective employer is likely not only to be asking questions about your grades, your classes, and your knowledge (blah, blah, blah…), but about who you are, what your interests are, what makes you tick, and how that may fit into the organization and how you will contribute. In my opinion (I’m sure many others disagree), where you went to school and your GPA are almost useless. What I care about is how you will contribute, and how you will grow. Neither of these comes out of school name or grades (OK…maybe a little…but really…I don’t care). A team member is most productive when they care about what they are doing…when they are learning…when they find it interesting…when they like and work well with the other team members. Again…no grades in that list.
It doesn’t really matter if you have a good app or product idea or not. Your potential employer is not judging you on your idea. What matters is you have a goal and you are working toward it and teaching yourself to be a developer in the process. So get at it…start writing some code!
How does this apply to entrepreneurship? Well…It’s really the same thing. Are any of these familiar to you?
- “Boy, I’d really like to have my own business.”
- “Someday, when ______________, I’m going to start my own thing.”
- “I sure wish I wasn’t a slave to the corporate MAN.”
- “That’s a great idea, maybe someday I should ___________.”
If this is the conversation in your head, then you are giving in to the Resistance. You are using excuses and the resistance is winning. Here’s the great news….You can overcome it! How do you do it?
You start doing it!
Sure, its difficult, and we all have our different roads to travel. But whatever your idea is, you can simply start doing it. It certainly doesn’t have to be a full time thing, it probably shouldn’t be a full time thing. You don’t have to quit your day job. Start working on it in your spare time. There are many posts here that discuss how to make better use of your time during the day: here, and here, and here, and more. When you really look at your day, you will find time. If it’s a priority, you have to make the time.
If you keep saying “Someday….”, or “If I had the time…”, then you are giving in to the resistance. You are letting the resistance win the day. Don’t let the resistance win!
If today was one of those days where the resistance won, gather yourself for tomorrow, wake up with purpose, and kick it in the teeth. Do 1 thing that moves you closer. You’ll be glad you did.
If you are looking for something to get started on the side, I may have the perfect opportunity for you. Or, I can simply help you figure how to get started on whatever your plan is. Please contact me anytime and let’s talk about it!
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Have a great day!
