Professional advice I would give my younger self

Hey internet!!!

I wrote up some advice for software careers, and plenty of it will also apply to your industry.  I was inspired by this great post from a man I really look up to:     

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/a-life-engineered_if-i-could-give-my-younger-self-advice-share-7454515328065306624-rMSP?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAGQZnDkBmdPxcdnM_2qe4Q39--L1RznXznY

I wrote out a list of career advice I'd give my younger self, and is still applicable today:

0.  Please your stakeholders. Managers, customers, romantic partner, family, etc.    

1. Think long term

2. Do the most simple, inconsequential things quickly and from memory.     

3. But for important decisions like which job to take, which house to buy, which car to buy, which school to attend, which state to move to, who to marry, which investments to pick, which nutritious foods to eat every week, etc. use the regret minimization framework: "If I were to look back at this decision 25 years from now, what will I wish I had done today?"   

4. Here's how I personally make these most important decisions: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18iSRFxyV6-MhcGFjLlfVyh0DZo_fdc-T77kSAF6Vp94/edit?usp=drivesdk . It is a version of the famous "prioritization matrix" that my old professor, mentor and manager told me about

5. What would my manager want me doing right now? And this week? Month?

6. What would my future self from 10 years in the future, 50 years in the future , etc. want me doing right now?

7. Don't burn bridges. Options help you feel safe, and psychological safety is super super important for both long-term thinking and your stress levels, sleep, etc. People liking you is important regardless of what career path you're on

8. Invest. Invest your money, invest your energy, invest your time. Rome wasn't built in a day  

8.5.  Planning your day?  Use the "Eisenhower Matrix": also popularized by Stephen Covey.   

9. Sleep lots (at LEAST 7 hours / day for the week, and ideally 9)

10. There are so many mini to-dos in there to help you sleep. I'm gonna just say "Meditate before you sleep" and "stop staring at the Internet, thinking too hard, etc. for 1 hour beforehand" , for now. But Bryan Johnson has many more great sleep to-dos. He's the king of sleep! Very practical and detailed. Dr. Eric Berg is also good for multiple techniques

11. Wake up early before your meetings to have focused thinking and working sessions (like Steve)

12. Carve out time in your week for deep work 

13. Work harder and longer than your competitors 

14. Focus. You know what the most important long-term task on your to-do list is, and it will take sustained focus over long periods of time (about a week. You can take some shortcuts to actually get an answer / results, but you do also want a quality result  

15. Be creative and cerebral. Find key strategies that maximize your output and results

16. Due next month? Start today. It'll dispell the fears

17. Chunk big projects into smaller tasks and "subdeadlines"

18. Work harder than your competitors 

19. Find key strategies that maximize your output and results

20. Do simple chores RIGHT NOW to knock them out

21. Finish your tasks (my ex's dad used to say "close your loops, Nate")

22. AKA "A Bird in the Hand is worth two in the bush"

23. There's plenty more about love and relationships, but this list is mostly work focused. I like Brene Brown, Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins, and Daniel Goleman for relationship advice. Start with Brene Brown and Covey; as effective as the book is, Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" can be a bit manipulative. For the most important relationships in your life, you need to think long-term. We're not all used car and insurance salesmen. You have to tell the truth and be trustworthy

24. Ask for help (strategically)

25. And when you get advice, write it down. Remember it. Repeat it to yourself multiple times. Do it. Finish.

26.  Learn about cars.   You can save a lot of money in a little time, and they're also fun and cool :)    Personal finance, time management, and psychology are universally useful, too.   

27. Listen.

28. Think.

29. Remember.

30. Be independent (the Internet helps a TON)

31. Perfect is the enemy of good

32. Done is better than a perfect plan

33. Laugh

34. Fun is also a part of work

35. As is passion 🙂

36.  

37.  There is always more room to grow, learn, be more effective, improve, and love more deeply and broadly.  You can do it!!  We believe in you.   :)

38.  

Steve Huynh also has so much other great advice from over the years.  Here's his YouTube channel, which contains the most nuance and wisdom of all his platforms, especially mostly his older videos:

https://youtu.be/c3pzcV9yi24?si=9t53hia5uK8ZyMui

Movie review: To All the Boys I've Loved Before, part 2

The main love triangle was a little played out.  I felt bad for both dudes as Lara Jean gets to enjoy both of their affections

I liked the Gen-Lara Jean relationship deepening part.  Gen was purely such a villain in movie 1, so it was cool to see her portrayed more complexly

I also enjoyed the Mr. Covey-neighbor relationship, very cute.  Especially as we saw Kavinsky join them for their special niche meet-cute-reminiscent Thanksgiving in the wrong month 

They tossed Josh aside in this one, which I felt was a waste

4 / 6 stars

TV season review: Breaking Bad, Season 4

The ending in particular was absolutely fabulous, and teased one of the best put-together plotlines, whodunnits, etc. in the show so far.  Walt sure manipulates expertly, even when folks like Mike and Gus doesn't put up with his ego

The relationship between Gus and Hector is very well done as well, providing rich backstory, character development, and motive for later events.  The writers also tied it together with the "Jesse-Mexico" plot point, flowing smoothly and naturally from event to event.  Jesse is valuable as a cook, Gus is feuding with the cartel, and while the gang is in Mexico, they visit the site where Hector and Gus started feuding years ago

5.8 / 6 Stars

Erin Brokovich

Spoiler alert:

What a triumph, especially since it's a true story!  A real underdog tale, defending the average citizen against the money grubbing of huge international corporations 

The tone is a little bit more confrontational than it has to be; luckily Erin's boyfriend forgave her.  But still, on the whole a very well put together and feel-good movie

Sorry for the spoilers, haha

5.2 / 6 Stars 

TV Season Review: Breaking Bad, Season 2

Wow, a very action packed season.  We start off with a banger, as Tuco gets coincidentally shot by Hank.  What a great coincidence for our heroes; Hank really saves their asses in addition to becoming a hero for slaying a drug lord.  Tuco is one of the nastiest villains we see the entire show; he's so bloodthirsty and temperamental.  Only his cousins rival his bloodlust, but we only meet them next season.

Gus Fring is my favorite!  He's not quite as compelling in this season, yet, but he's still pretty impressive.  I liked the touch where he donated to Walter's cancer jar when he visited the DEA.  He (Gus, not the actor) is really good at playing a villain; he wasn't scared to be publicly seen with local police.

We also met Saul Goodman this season.  Another great character, Saul has already saved our main duo's butts a few times by the end of the season.  Walt especially gets himself in tons of trouble with his intense levels of ambition

The Jane plot line, is, of course, very sad and compelling.  We remember her as a victim, but she's definitely an asshole a few times throughout this season.  Both Jesse and her are bad influences on each other.  Jesse this season was totally out of control, too

Still, she didn't deserve what Walt ends up doing to her.  He's so cold and selfish.  Such a liar, too.  Gosh, what great TV.

They set up the airplane crash debris plot point way early in this season, with the pink bear floating in the Whites' pool.  I definitely thought that was related to the meth, which didn't make any sense because I knew how many seasons we had before Walt gets discovered by the police.  But the setup is marvelous; they just keep getting better.

5.7 / 6 stars

TV Season Review: Blue Mountain State, Season 1

Gross and without merit.  Like American Pie, but not funny, and I hardly like any of the characters yet.  The main African American character is fine, but all the rest of them suck.

2.0 / 6 stars

TV Season Review: You, Season 4

One of the best so far, probably the best since S1

Joe finds himself in yet another new major city, with a new identity.   Surpriiiiiiiise!  Oh Joe, at the end the police have to finally catch you.  Spoiler alert: not at the end of this season, nope nope nope!  But plenty of "villains" figure him out.  You'd think a reverse Google Image search would be more common, but I guess now that you mention it, I haven't gone SUPER deep, like a criminal background check, on any of my friends, dating app matches, etc.

Most of them aren't fucking SLICING UP tens of strangers tho.  I guess it only takes one. 

Anyhow, we find Joe hanging around a ton of rich people this season.  He must have saved up a FAT stack himself to be able to afford a flat across from Malcolm and Kate, though.  Holy cow.  Did he take Love Quinn's money?  Gwenevere Beck and Marienne definitely didn't have shit saved, so.

Anyhow, details that are irrelevant to how I felt about the season.  (More spoilers follow).  The mental health-y twist at the end was AMAZING, oh my goodness.  Of course I genuinely thought Rhys Montrose was the problem.  Joe's head goes to such lengths to protect himself from being the bad guy, wowza.  People are wild.  I hope no one I know develops that celebrity disorder.

But yeah, a really, really well-done twist at the end.  You realize something weird is happening when Tom Lockwood actually forces Joe to go after Rhys instead...  Wait but why does Tom send Joe after Rhys if Rhys is a figment of Joe's imagination?!  Some of it still doesn't make sense.  Yeah that's a huge ass plot hole, wow.  Okay...  Anyway, it's still very compelling 

Tom Lockwood is an awesome villain.  So cunning, so terrifying, so powerful.  And the bit about him pulling the strings behind Kate's back for years is just the icing on the cake.  So deviously manipulative...  Reminds me a lot of Joe, but with much, much more money 

Delilah, I mean Nadia, *cough cough*, was very sweet and sad; she was so clever and did actually save Marienne, God bless.  Maybe Marienne will be the Candace in Season 5 and finally get our man off the streets.  Nadia probably would have survived if not for Kate helping?  Anyway, she got close.  She really ought to rat on Joe.  Someone has to nail this mother fucker.

I also really hope the show isn't helping real serial killers get away with things.  There are so many clever ways Joe, Tom, Love, etc. get out of things by framing innocent people.  Of course the simplest thing is just to kill your victim in private, away from crowds, etc. and to bury the body without any sign of damage, but in Joe's case where the killings are motivated by more than JUST the desire to kill, that's not always possible.  Honestly, he should get away with things better that way, plan things further in advance, etc.  And the fact that he kills so many high profile people in this season definitely isn't helping him.  Phoebe, Kate, Tom, Malcolm, Simon, etc.  are all very prominent compared to some random Internet-fearing child or older person

Anyhow, on the whole, very compelling, scary, suspenseful, etc.  A tour de force

5.4 / 6 stars