Why If You’re Not Learning You’re DeadBecause Justin Kan said so
Because Justin Kan said so
this is a bit absolutist — take it with a grain of salt.
I want to accelerate my learning in order to grow as quickly as possible. I am obsessed with this mission statement. I love the thrill of acceleration and cannot wait to grow everyday. I try to learn from as many interesting people as I can. I read and learn from super interesting articles everyday. I use Product Hunt to find and learn from my next favorite thing. I write everyday so that I learn from my past experiences. I do all of this because I love learning. Its why I am going alone this summer to San Francisco: because I think I will learn the most there.
In the same way that I love learning — I despise not learning. I am anti- stagnation.
I hate deceleration.
Professionally, it is really easy to get yourself caught in a situation where learning becomes stagnated. Of course, you can learn form anyone, anywhere — but there are places better than others. And it is easy to confuse yourself into accepting a position where learning is not a priority.
I “optimize for learning” in a lot of what I do.
A lot of the classes that I am in are not easy-As but rather, they put me in the best situation to learn the most in the shortest amount of time.
Conversely, I could sit in classes and absorb 0 — that is called deceleration.
My internship this summer is specifically at a small-medium sized company. As Hunter Walk puts it:
Midstage startups are still very much under-resourced and expanding. They’re spinning up new teams, creating new org structures. There aren’t yet four layers of management between you and the founders. As you prove yourself you’ll be tapped to lead new teams, launch new offices and everything else which goes into scaling a successful business.
It will give me the best opportunity to grow.
I could have went to work for a huge company with the big name — but that is optimizing for recognition, not learning. And, in the long run, learning is far far more valuable.
I learn best by doing. How will you learn today, tomorrow, this year?
Thanks for reading ! ! !
Would really appreciate a share with your friends so they can start learning more 🙂
email: jordangonen@wustl.edu
twitter — @jrdngonen
Follow me here! https://medium.com/@jordangonen
By jordangonen on May 7, 2016.
Exported from Medium on February 17, 2018.