On Gladwell’s 10,000 Hours.

A lot of people believe the 10,000 hours rule (of thumb) due to the popularity of Gladwell’s book.

Supposedly, 10,000 hrs poured into something makes you competent in that something.

For 40 hrs per week, this amounts to a little over 4 yrs.

The 10,000 hrs rule may work for things like poker. You can even achieve the 10,000 hrs in 2 years if you work double time!

For tech careers, 10,000 hrs is not even close to being adequate.

It takes at least 4 yrs just to find your footing.

The key question is, “what will you spend those 10,000 hrs on?”

If you start in B2B direct/field sales, you’re not going to want to spend 10,000 hrs chasing deals to close. That’s a great way NOT to succeed and advance.

In terms of skills, the tech sales job isn’t limited to selling skills.

So, the startup newbie needs more like 5x the hours or 50,000 hrs. Which takes you into Year 12-15. It’s not 20 yrs since no one who performs works a paltry 40 hrs a week.

This is why you shouldn’t stop earlier than year 10 and conclude that it’s not right for you.

Young people do not understand this math. I know I sure as heck did not get it.

So, the next time someone says “I tried tech and it sucked,” ask them how many years they toiled in it.

If it’s under 10 yrs, take their opinion with a grain of salt. There is no way to tell if that “career” was shitty or not because the person you’re talking to quit before being able to really figure it out.

This brings up the obvious matter of ...

... finding it necessary to commit to a tech career before figuring it out.

You can’t work 10 years only to discover that it’s not for you, right?

That’s the beauty of commitment before evidence. The upfront commitment acts as protection against regret and glancing at doors.

Anyone who works year to year being unsure gets into doubt mode and it compounds.

The ones who work under a 10-year horizon gets into build mode and it compounds.

Jobs are momentary. Careers have long horizons. Commit to careers.