Competence is Overrated

Or: How to Succeed at Your Job When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing. It can be hard to stay positive and motivated at work when you don’t know what you’re doing. Let me, a software developer with a Studio Art degree, teach you my secrets on how to succeed at your job even when you lack the skills and experience in that “Required” list on the job description.

Transcript

1. COMPETENCE IS OVERRATED OR: HOW TO SUCCEED AT YOUR JOB WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING anorris@dimin.com @amynorris
2. FIRST DO NO HARM
3. (THERE WILL BE SWEAR WORDS) #@*&!!
4. (BUT IF I SAY ANYTHING EXCLUSIONARY PLEASE CALL ME OUT) I DID WARN YOU anorris@dimin.com @amynorris
5. Photo by Isaac Davis on Unsplash
6. Developer since 2017 ABOUT ME
7. Developer since 2017 Degree in Studio Art ABOUT ME
8. Developer since 2017 Degree in Studio Art LaunchCode graduate ABOUT ME
9. Developer since 2017 Degree in Studio Art LaunchCode graduate First job at National Land Realty doing PHP ABOUT ME
10. Developer since 2017 Degree in Studio Art LaunchCode graduate First job at National Land Realty doing PHP Now works at Dimensional Innovations ABOUT ME
12. HOW TO GET A JOB YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO
13. 100% of skills is too many
14. 1 HTTPS://WWW.FORBES.COM/SITES/RUTHGOTIAN/2021/03/23/WHY-YOU-ONLY-NEED-TO-MEET-40-OF-REQUIREMENTS-IN-JOB-DESCRIPTIONS 100% of skills is too many 40% is where it’s at 1
15. 1 HTTPS://WWW.FORBES.COM/SITES/RUTHGOTIAN/2021/03/23/WHY-YOU-ONLY-NEED-TO-MEET-40-OF-REQUIREMENTS-IN-JOB-DESCRIPTIONS 2 HTTPS://HBR.ORG/2014/08/WHY-WOMEN-DONT-APPLY-FOR-JOBS-UNLESS-THEYRE-100-QUALIFIED 100% of skills is too many 40% is where it’s at 1 Most men wait til they have 60% 2 Women wait until they have 100% 2
16. 1 HTTPS://WWW.FORBES.COM/SITES/RUTHGOTIAN/2021/03/23/WHY-YOU-ONLY-NEED-TO-MEET-40-OF-REQUIREMENTS-IN-JOB-DESCRIPTIONS 2 HTTPS://HBR.ORG/2014/08/WHY-WOMEN-DONT-APPLY-FOR-JOBS-UNLESS-THEYRE-100-QUALIFIED 100% of skills is too many 40% is where it’s at 1 Most men wait til they have 60% 2 Women wait until they have 100% 2 Degree requirements are usually bullshit
17. THERE WILL BE NO PITCHFORKS AND TORCHES THERE’S LITERALLY NO DOWNSIDE
18. OR LIE DON’T
19. – NEIL GAIMAN “YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AS GOOD AS THE OTHERS IF YOU’RE ON TIME AND IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HEAR FROM YOU.”
20. DO YOU ACTUALLY NOT KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING? (OR DOES IS JUST FEEL THAT WAY?)
21. – WIKIPEDIA “A PSYCHOLOGICAL OCCURRENCE IN WHICH AN INDIVIDUAL DOUBTS THEIR SKILLS, TALENTS, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HAS A PERSISTENT INTERNALIZED FEAR OF BEING EXPOSED AS A FRAUD”
23. LEARN TO ASK RIDICULOUS QUESTIONS
24. PARDON THE INTERRUPTION
25. LEARN TO ASK RIDICULOUS QUESTIONS
26. CSU with 2 different blues
27. Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash
29. Optional chain operator
30. Optional chain operator
31. Optional chain operator Filter
32. PEOPLE LOVE TO FEEL SMART
34. EVERYONE IS YOUR TEACHER
35. Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash Rubber ducking: explaining your problem, step by step, to a rubber duck (or a patient coworker) in the hopes of f iguring out where it all went wrong
36. EVERYONE IS BETTER THAN YOU
37. EVERYONE IS BETTER THAN YOU !== YOU ARE LESS THAN EVERYONE ELSE
38. LOWER YOUR STANDARDS
40. NOT PICTURED: FIRE
42. HAVE A FAILURE MINDSET
45. Ramp
46. Ramp Tire
47. Ramp Tire Start
48. Ramp Tire Start TV
50. THIRTY FIFTEEN FAIL Minutes of doing something else Minutes of making no progress Get some fresh eyes
51. – ME, CONSTANTLY AND WITHOUT IRONY “GOOD JOB, ME!”
52. BE NICE TO THEM, THEY’RE DOING THEIR BEST PAST YOU IS STUPIDER THAN YOU
53. YOU NEED A HOBBY HOBBIES. ALL THE HOBBIES.
54. CODE DRIVE WALK ETC. YOU LEARNED HOW TO...
55. Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash
56. Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
57. Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash Photo by Sandy Clarke on Unsplash
58. Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash Photo by Sandy Clarke on Unsplash
59. Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash Photo by Sandy Clarke on Unsplash Photo by Alexey turenkov on Unsplash
60. WINGING IT
61. – TINA FEY “SAY YES, AND YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT AFTERWARDS”
62. – SHUNRYŪ SUZUKI “IN THE BEGINNER’S MIND THERE ARE MANY POSSIBILITIES, IN THE EXPERT’S MIND THERE ARE FEW”
63. – MARK TWAIN “THEY DID NOT KNOW IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, SO THEY DID IT”
64. GEORGE BERNARD DANTZIG
65. HTTPS://WWW.SNOPES.COM/FACT-CHECK/THE-UNSOLVABLE-MATH-PROBLEM/ GEORGE BERNARD DANTZIG
66. This is f ine dog.gif COMIC BY KC GREEN
67. COMIC BY KARINA FAREK
68. CONCRETE TIPS
69. IS THE PROBLEM YOU’RE SOLVING ACTUALLY THE PROBLEM YOU HAVE?
70. IS THE PROBLEM YOU’RE SOLVING ACTUALLY THE PROBLEM YOU HAVE? Are you sure?
72. Test Ramp Real Ramp
74. COMIC BY SIMKAYE
75. Photo by Artem Bryzgalov on Unsplash
77. MAKE SURE THE PROBLEM YOU’RE SOLVING IS THE PROBLEM YOU ACTUALLY HAVE MORAL #1:
78. ALWAYS START BY MAKING THINGS MORE SHINY MORAL #2:
79. AVOID MALICIOUS EFFICIENCY
81. – ME, BASICALLY DAILY “ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME”
82. GET A MENTOR Or f ive
83. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO EXPECT YOU TO BE BETTER THAN YOU ARE
84. AND IF YOU COULD, DID YOU CARE? COULD YOU TELL I’D NEVER GIVEN THIS TALK BEFORE? Just food for thought
85. HR@DIMIN.COM
86. QUESTIONS? REMEMBER, RIDICULOUS IS FINE anorris@dimin.com @amynorris