Maybe it won’t click
First, bad news.
I hate to tell you this, but new thing you are learning probably won’t pay off for you.
Maybe it won’t click.
That skill that you think will get you ahead in your career. That skill that will get you that promotion, boost your salary and make a real name for yourself. The thing that will secure your job and save you from the robots.
I’m sorry, but it’s not going to happen.
You look up, startled, surrounded by textbooks, skin pale and oily from little sleep and lots of caffeine.
“Really?”, you say.
“But… I’m putting in the hard work. I’m sweating! I’m hustling god dammit, isn’t that enough?! I’m doing the work!”
**
To learn or not to learn** ——————————-
Learning is tough. It is, I get it. It’s tough because:
• You can’t just stop everything and do it
• You probably have a day job
• There’s tons of great resources on the internet (no supply problem), but knowing where to focus is hard
• You still need to drive this yourself - Even a really good friend or partner will likely shrug their shoulders at the end of the day and say, hey, at least you tried.
And I’m not saying you shouldn’t be learning new things. You absolutely should.
Learning new stuff is great because:
• It’s fun
• It’s not that hard (or it shouldn’t be)
• If you focus on skills rather than goals, you’re more likely to create luck, opportunities and advantages for yourself.
• And yes, more skills, more value for employers
Let me hustle!
No! You shouldn’t be killing yourself over something that you’re never going to be that good at it. These days it seems fashionable to grind yourself into a dust trying to create an online business or write Python or trade bitcoins. What a waste.
How to Learn without hurting
Instead, figure out as quickly as you can if there’s is a benefit to sticking around and learning this thing, or move on to greener pastures (or things you are naturally better at).
I don’t have any formula to figure out if it’s time to drop it and move on. Perhaps taking a quick review of your mental, physical, financial and relationship health would do.
You shouldn’t be hurting.
Keep moving, keep learning, but if something isn’t working for you, or the chance of a big payoff gets slimmer and dimmer, stop! You’re not doing anyone favours.