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I remember feeling like I had an unfair advantage...

• Teachers gave me opportunities that others didn't get
• I got picked for more complex projects
• All my friends were high achievers

Something felt wrong with my situation. I remember seeing other people who went unnoticed by teachers, were ignored for opportunities, and were never encouraged to take on complex projects.

At first I thought I got lucky, but hindsight is 20/20.

As time passed I realized that it wasn't luck.

There is obvious reasons that I was given opportunities to get ahead. Opportunities that accelerated my learning and compounded it to make me a better engineer, fast.

It was like I got on a rocket ship. 🚀

Some people from that time went on to be amazing engineers.

Others went on to give up engineering and take a different path.

I'm going to break down the difference to show you how you can earn the same opportunities I had.

Unsurprisingly, I still think everything comes back to people. I'm not a fan of the hundreds of accounts online selling vane advice like:

"Just write 100 programs! Then you'll be a great engineer!"

They're not wrong, but they're imaging the world is perfect and that people don't struggle. If you're not encouraged when you try to learn to code you're going to have a hard time pushing through.

This newsletter is not about telling you to "keep going!"

I'm teaching you how to minimize the things that make it hard to keep going.

Let's get into it.

What Not To Do

First, I think it's important to talk about what not to do. The things that will stifle your growth and stack the odds against you.

I watched a ton of friends in school, and I noticed the ones that didn't get the advantages I did. Here's what they did:

Do the Bare Minimum

Nothing will ever keep you stuck more than doing the bare minimum. To me doing the bare minimum is just like paying the minimum payment on a credit card.

You're causing yourself more pain than necessary

Get Frustrated Easily

Getting frustrated often is one of the least attractive traits. Angry people are unpredictable. People naturally avoid them as a protection mechanism.

People avoiding you = No opportunities

Stay in The Shadows

Sit in the corner, do your work, and get through the day.

Some people learned this in childhood as a way to stay safe:

If they don't see me, they can't hurt me.

Others learned a different mechanism:

If they see me, and I earn their trust, they won't hurt me.

Staying in the shadows hurts you for the same reasons as getting frustrated. With no people around you: there are no opportunities.

What To Do

Make yourself noticed

If you want opportunities being loud counts. Build projects, speak up in meetings and the classroom, and voice your opinion if you are confident that it holds ground.

People aren't complex creatures. We noticed the things that disrupt the most.

Which car do you remember from your drive today:

The one that drove normally next to you for 20 minutes?

Or the one that cut you off?

I'm not saying to be a jerk.

I'm saying to interrupt the pattern.

Be the type of person that is front of mind.

Go above and beyond

Do the requirements say to do a, b, and c?

Do a, b c, x, y, and z.

Requirement:

Build a form that sends an email

What you do:

Build a form that sends an email with an awesome "send" animation

Obviously, stay within the bounds of reason, but surprise somebody with a little extra.

Lend a helping hand

I saved the best for last.

Be a teacher. I cannot stress this enough.

Even if you learned HTML/CSS last week.

Teach somebody who is learning this week.

Teaching will compound like you can't believe.

It forces you to clarify your understanding.

If somebody asks you "How does this work?" you will immediately realize any holes in your understanding. Holes you never knew were there. Teaching will fill those faster than anything else possibly can.

You learn more than the student.

And the student learns something too.

When you go above and beyond and make yourself noticed you are forcing yourself to be front of mind. In other words, you are creating opportunity.

When you step up to be the teacher, you are solidifying your understanding and testing yourself. In other words, you are becoming an expert. You are preparing for future challenges.

And as the legendary Roman philosopher Seneca said:

"Luck is where opportunity meets preparation"

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Thank you all for reading this week's newsletter.

I hope it helped somebody out there.

As always, shoot me an email at swdlodonnell@gmail.com. I will respond.

I hope you all had a good week!

Until next time,

Go get lucky 🍀