Here's what I discovered that the career industry doesn't teach:Relationship Momentum: The more someone knows and trusts you, the more likely they are to think of you when opportunities arise.But here's where the industry gets it backwards.They tell...

The career industry has convinced designers to follow 3 pieces of backwards wisdom:Backwards Wisdom #1: "Focus on perfecting your portfolio"The industry tells you the best work wins. That's backwards.Portfolios get you considered. Relationships get y...

I used to follow backwards advice.Spent 3 months "perfecting" my portfolio. Another 2 months optimizing my resume. 3 more months sending applications into the void.8 months total. Zero results.Here's what that backwards approach actually cost me:Time...

Here's what the career industry doesn't want you to know:70% of posted design roles already have a preferred candidate before they go live.You're not competing for real opportunities. You're competing for scraps.While you're "perfecting your portfoli...

I've been watching the career industry for years.And I've noticed something disturbing.Everything they teach is backwards."Perfect your portfolio" - BACKWARDS. The best portfolio doesn't win. The best connected person wins."Apply to more jobs" - BACK...

Standing at King's Cross Station last year, watching someone sprint after their runaway luggage cart.Classic mistake.They loaded it up with three massive bags, gave it one push, and expected it to roll smoothly in the right direction.Instead, it veer...

For the past few nights, I’ve been having nightmares.Not random ones.But the kind that leave you with a lump in your throat when you wake up.In one, my 3-year-old son was standing in the middle of the road.Oblivious.A car came speeding toward him.I t...

Walking through the shopping center yesterday when my 3-year-old suddenly dropped to his knees.Right there in the middle of the corridor.People stepping around us, probably wondering what was happening.He'd spotted something I completely missed.A tin...

Yesterday I'm sitting in a 40-degree hot spring.No phone. No notifications. Just me and the silence.And for the first time in weeks, I had a clear thought about my career.Not a reactive thought. Not a "I should be doing more" thought.A real one.I rea...

Last Saturday at the Singapore Zoo, I watched something that made me completely rethink how I've been approaching my career.My parents were in their wheelchairs. My 3-year-old son walking between them. Three generations moving at their own pace on th...