Shortcuts to Success in Career

👋 Hey, SK here!  Welcome to XTEN10X. I write about stories on product management , career growth and startups based on my observations and experiences.

'Learn x in 10 min’ 

‘Become expert in y in 30 min 🕓’

‘Build your next big business in 10 min using ChatGPT’

We have all seen flashy titles and opened videos on YouTube to consume content at least once.

Why do these titles attract more views compared to other long-form content videos?

We’re conditioned to consume short-form videos due to the high availability of social media content in the form of shorts, reels, etc. To be honest, if you’re reading this post (which is in text format), thank you!

To be clear, short videos can be helpful, but only to some extent.

For example, you really can’t learn the Java language in 30 minutes to code a good Java web app. Sure, you can print 'Hello, World!' though.

We tend to follow the crowd and search for shortcuts to success while learning hard skills.

So, what should one do to grow in their career without searching for shortcuts while learning hard skills?

🚀 Start Early

As basic as it sounds, focusing early in your career on crucial growth skills and activities will give you a head start. In the initial years, hone your skills, whether it’s a coding language, cloud architecture, or any frameworks important for your job profile.

📈 Keep Expectations in Check

Yes, I’m talking about promotions. If you try to minimize the time for promotions, you’ll be disappointed if you don’t get promoted. Just because someone else at your level got promoted, it doesn’t mean you should too.

Since promotions include many factors beyond your control, focus on actions you can control.

🎯 Reframe Your KPIs

Instead of setting a time frame for a promotion (or a career goal) and working towards it, identify the key skills required for the promotion and acquire those skills first. The right skills will take you to your goal eventually, or even to the next stage you haven’t envisioned yet.

🏁 Stick to One Resource for Learning Basics

With increased content availability, it is overwhelming and easy to get carried away with the tons of content produced every day. Rather than juggling multiple resources, stick to one good website or video series when you start learning a topic or concept.

For example, if you want to learn Python from scratch, there are options like:

• MOOCs (Coursera, Udemy videos)

• YouTube videos

• Blog posts

• Course content from websites like GeeksforGeeks

Most of the content across these resources is the same. To learn the fundamentals, just pick one resource and complete it to the end.

I’m sure there are shortcuts to improve productivity. In fact, productivity hacks are great for automating mundane tasks we carry out during the job. However, these hacks alone won’t make you successful in your job. Hard skills combined with soft skills will take you to great places.

Invest wisely not just in what you consume, but how you consume it!

That’s all for today. See you again!

Cheers,
SK