Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007) • Hacker News Board

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#61

Post by jhrrsn » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 10:54 AM UTC

On the whole, I think I agree with Scott's advice in this post. However, there are some real challenges that come with the choice to be 'good at a few things' instead of the 'best at one thing. Namely, if you're not starting your own business, I think it massively reduces your employment mobility.

I am fortunate in that I am valued within my organisation for my 'generalist' spread of skills (including communication, development, analysis & sales). It's clear to me how useful it is to be able to approach a problem from several angles and engage with specialists from different areas effectively.

However, if I ever want to move out of my current organisation, I feel as though I would end up taking a significant step backwards in my career because almost all advertised jobs are specialised roles.

This creates a constant pressure in my mind to specialise and focus more on a single area.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#62

Post by galfarragem » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 11:19 AM UTC

IMO, the crutial point is not just being in the top 25% of some skills. It depends on the skill.

Maybe you only need to be in the top 50% on DIY to get an useful skill but e.g. on juggling maybe you need to be in the top 1% to have a relevant skill.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#63

Post by patio11 » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 11:19 AM UTC

lmm wrote: post #60

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #12

tl;dr Don't try to be the best at something, it's too hard. Be good at a couple of things and make a living in the Venn diagram intersection. It's a nice idea, but I struggle when I get to "software and ..." Cartoons? Cycling? DIY?

> Cartoons? Cycling? DIY? Any of those works. You don't need to be that good at programming if you can figure out a piece of software that one or other of those really needs, and the size of the thing you have to make can be surprisingly small - I mean patio11 got rich off a bingo card creator, just by figuring out a small thing that a certain class of people really needed, making it, and marketing it well.

BCC and AR were pretty modest successes.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#64

Post by lmm » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 11:35 AM UTC

patio11 wrote: post #63

lmm wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cartoons? Cycling? DIY? Any of those works. You don't need to be that good at programming if you can figure out a piece of software that one or other of those really needs, and the size of the thing you have to make can be surprisingly small - I mean patio11 got rich off a bingo card creator, just by figuring out a small thing that a certain class of people really needed, making it, and marketing it well.

BCC and AR were pretty modest successes.

I thought you said you sold it for high six figures, or did I misread? Maybe just my lower-middle-class background but that qualifies as rich to me.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#65

Post by simonswords82 » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 11:53 AM UTC

kelukelugames wrote: post #39

sdenton4 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was around for the fateful Metafilter thread where Scott Adams sockpupetted vigorously until he was found out: http://mefiwiki.com/wiki/Scott_Adams,_plannedchaos It's a pretty........... interesting read. http://www.metafilter.com/102472/How-to-Get-a-Real-Education...

Damn, this is some extra crazy. https://www.reddit.com/user/plannedchaos Good thing PG only updates his footnotes when people "misunderstand" him.

Wow - there's few better examples of the fine line between crazy and genius.

I can't tell if he's using the plannedchaos accounts on various sites to seriously defend himself by proxy, or is it that he thinks the Internet is a load of pixels on a screen that unlike some of us he just doesn't take it very seriously?

Edit: somebody commented below that Scott is now a professional troll, and I'm inclined to think that they're probably right!

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#66

Post by simonswords82 » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 11:58 AM UTC

drumdance wrote: post #2

His self-help book is excellent. http://www.amazon.com/How-Fail-Almost-Everything-Still/dp/15...

Thanks for linking this, just purchased a copy the reviews are outstanding.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#67

Post by simonswords82 » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 11:58 AM UTC

drumdance wrote: post #2

His self-help book is excellent. http://www.amazon.com/How-Fail-Almost-Everything-Still/dp/15...

Thanks for linking this, just purchased a copy the reviews are outstanding.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#68

Post by simonswords82 » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:01 PM UTC

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #12

tl;dr Don't try to be the best at something, it's too hard. Be good at a couple of things and make a living in the Venn diagram intersection. It's a nice idea, but I struggle when I get to "software and ..." Cartoons? Cycling? DIY?

software and marketing (digital or old fashioned)

software and the management of people

software and sales

software and analytics

software and e-commerce

software and design

software and user experience

software and SEO

software and product management

software and quality assurance/testing

The list is endless. If you've got even a basic understanding of how to write software, and you can combine that with one or two additional skills you're a million miles ahead of any other coder even if they're a better coder than you. The reason being that you not only build software, you have an understanding of the dozens of other things that must be performed in order for that software to be turned into a profitable business.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#69

Post by collyw » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:06 PM UTC

petke wrote: post #26

That's good advice. Find a niche basically. It don't think it works for every career though. Being good or even being the most skilled at a niche. Musicians and actors, any job that has as much to do with popularity as with skill. Very few make it and the ones that do, don't seem better than most of the ones that dont. I have been listening to enough open mic nights and small time bar gigs to think so. Its sad really…

"My career advice would be, don't get into anything that requires popularity. Its a cruel world out there."

Sounds like creating a startup versus a normal dev job.

Re: Career Advice from Scott Adams (2007)

#70

Post by facepalm » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:18 PM UTC

jarcane wrote: post #53

kelukelugames wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay I'm home now. Let's dissect the most famous example. 1) Adams compares women to children and people with mental disabilities. 2) Claims he didn't and that everyone who thinks that has bad reading comprehension. Also plays the victim card anytime someone accuses him of misogyny. 3) Writes article about hypnosis. Adams says he can convince people that two things are related without doing it directly. Gives example…

Don't forget this gem from November: http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/2015/11/21/scott-adams-we-... Or his insane defense of rapists and harassers: http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/2011/06/16/scott-adams-mal...

I think he makes valid points, as far as can be inferred from the first articles that probably only quotes things out of context. If you don't see that women and men are treated in different ways then you have massive political correctness glasses clouding your vision. Ever wondered why it is always you who has to take out the garbage (assuming you are male and in a relationship with a woman)?

The second article just seems ridiculous, building up a fantasy straw man just because SA used "pegs and holes" as a metaphor. The article assumes holes are passive and just there to satisfy pegs. SA did not invent penises and vaginas...