Geoffrey Yang - WritingMy take on careers

Two months ago, I started my gap year with a singular purpose: clarity.

I’ve always believed in taking purposeful steps. A principle from Paul Graham that’s stuck with me is to “take actions that increase optionality” before building a product.

I’ve come to realise the greatest product we can build is our Career.

I’m grateful to have spoken with Alex Brogan recently, who helped dissect this product into 5 elements:
1. Knowledge. Becoming the “go-to” person for anything.
2. Skills. Turning knowledge into action.
3. Branding. The ability for knowledge and skills to be recognised.
4. People. I prefer principles like collaboration, insight and trust, over words like “networking” or “connections”.
5. Capital. Financial capital.

The best part? These elements are self-sustaining: the product becomes more defensible, no matter which elements you refine.

While I have ample time, I’ll let curiosity lead the way. I seek to make the best decisions I can to optimise for range & depth of knowledge & skills, whether that means taking a linear route or a scenic one.

However, optimising for optionality is no silver-bullet: it can make us risk averse.

It’s equally important to take some risks and hone into ambitious projects, as it is to expand your options.

I’m lucky to be working alongside the ambitious early-stage startup teams at Sincidium and Everlab, learning how great teams operate, and seeing firsthand the challenges in education and healthcare.

It’s an exciting peer into what it would be like to found and grow a new company.

While there’s a gap between who I am now and the change-maker I seek to be, I’m prepared to take the bumpy journey. I know there's no guarantee of success and we’re all in a perpetual state of becoming.

Whatever comes next, I'll be following the timeless words of Oscar Wilde:
"Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

What’s something you’ve discovered about yourself?