Throughout his book "M. Outliers: The Story of Success.", Gladwell repeatedly refers to the “10 000-hour rule,” asserting that the key to achieving true expertise in any skill is simply a matter of practicing. It could be the greatest practice myth. My american boss founded my company in Viet Nam when he was 55. I admire him a lot. Nonetheless, I am still afraid of switching to other job because time is running out when i am older. A lot of my friends who are technical guys think so. Any advice?
Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
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Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#2Never be afraid of change. It's difficult no doubt, but better than regrets later. Just make sure to know for sure this is what YOU want. And only YOU.
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#3There have been studies that have contradicted the 10,000 hour rule. However, my understanding is that the rule is about attaining mastery through effective practice. You don't need to reach mastery level in order to be make a valuable contribution in a new job. Obviously it really depends on what sort of career change you are contemplating. If it is to become an international concert pianist and you have never studied music or played any musical instrument, then it is most likely a stretch goal. However, if you are a competent programmer with one language or environment, then changing to a different language, etc will probably see you being quite good after a year, i.e. 2000 hours. With more effort you can only improve.
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#4I think the answer is "yes", but you should be aware that Malcolm Gladwell is a bullshitter.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/08/the-dan-p... https://archive.ph/yPd3R
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#5You must always think you can do anything, push yourself to do and be better. Don’t let negativity enter your mind, with this thinking everything is possible.
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#6It depends on why you want to switch. If you want to switch because you love the new line of work then go for it but understand that you will start as junior and most likely make less money than you do currently for several years. But if you like your new line of work then you will get good at it and make more money in a few years. If you want to switch for any other reason, think hard about it. It may not be worth it. Often grass seems greener on the other side but when you get into the weeds, you realize it's all, well, weeds. (I fantasize about becoming physicist, rancher etc. but I am gonna stick to writing CRUD apps. Those jobs are way harder and pay way less.)
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#7It depends on why you want to switch. If you want to switch because you love the new line of work then go for it but understand that you will start as junior and most likely make less money than you do currently for several years. But if you like your new line of work then you will get good at it and make more money in a few years. If you want to switch for any other reason, think hard about it. It may not be worth i…
wow, so succinct.
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#8You don't need to master it to change career, just do it. You can always go back if you need to
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#9We fear change as we get older and we no longer like to take risks, especially if those risks can affect our earnings, stability etc. But if you sum up the currage, things can really change for the better. Go for it
Re: Ask HN: 10k hours rule to master anything. Could I switch career when I am 43?
#10Yes.
It doesn't take 10k hours to master something. Nor do you need to master something to have it be your career.
Being an outside to a new thing at your age can bring insights that others can't bring. Use your head, but there are lots of ways you can bring this to your advantage. It is the folks that cross domains that bring the gains.