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One of the serendipitious consequences for the "quitting economy" in my experience is that I have gained experience working in a number of diverse industries su

One of the serendipitious consequences for the "quitting economy" in my experience is that I have gained experience working in a number of diverse industries such as finance, insurance, biotech, entertainment and gaming, hospitality, etc. giving me first hand insight into how such sectors work. This has not only increased my ability to apply novel solutions when new problems approached, it has informed and broadened my world view in seeing how the pieces of society and the economy fit together for professional and personal benefit. Does anyone else feel this way?

wastedhours 9y ago
Yep - one of the things I recommend people to do when mentoring them is to read a sh*t load about other industries (I still maintain that buying random magazines is a fantastic way for people to learn) - those novel approaches will work wonders when creating solutions. If you can sell an employer on the benefits of diverse experience, it can reap wonders.
- ZenoArrow 9y ago
  Learning from magazines is definitely a great way to ease yourself into learning about a new subject. It's worked out very well for me. The only other approach I find that works as well as a starting point is subject-focused online forums. For example, if I want to learn about creating an electric car, no magazines that I know of, but there is a forum covering this subject: http://www.diyelectriccar.com/ http://www.diyelectriccar.com/ Just reading through the content gives a good feel for common issues and solutions.
bretchet 9y ago
I kind of feel that this doesn't happen as much for engineering positions, unless you're moving to a consultancy. However, consultancies are a different beast. I've worked in a few different industries myself, and I feel it gives me a broader view of things. Regardless, most of the engineering orgs I've been in have a heavy NIH mentality. They don't really care what you did at other companies. I've often been met with resistance when I suggest techniques or particular stacks that I've used successfully at other companies. So your experience is often dismissed and it can create a good deal of frustration. I do have friends outside of engineering that have used this to their benefit. One friend had a good amount of experience with merging multinational orgs from an HR (benefits, compliance, etc) perspective. He was hired by Facebook for this exact reason and got a handsome raise and more substantial benefits. A broad experience might be good for soft skills/procedures, but I have yet to experience that in engineering.
mxuribe 9y ago
Oh yeah, i feel this way! In fact, during job interviews - if i feel questions are hinting at having/not having enough experience in a specific vertical/industry - i start bringing up the fact that before I jumped into induxtry X i had little experience, but then learned fast and became an expert...so hopping into your industry Z - sir or madam - is a straightforward process for me to learn it, and then succeed at it for you. 9 out of 10 times, there is a subtle visible body language that they like that perspective; and of course agree with that rationale. Of course 1 out of 10 times, that hiring manager doesn't see that, and of course my ability to adapt to a totally new industry matters little, they usually assume you should have been born into the industry...but in that case, i likely wouldn't want to work for someone like that (who might lack vision) anyway. ;-)

wastedhours 9y ago

Yep - one of the things I recommend people to do when mentoring them is to read a sh*t load about other industries (I still maintain that buying random magazines is a fantastic way for people to learn) - those novel approaches will work wonders when creating solutions. If you can sell an employer on the benefits of diverse experience, it can reap wonders.

ZenoArrow 9y ago
Learning from magazines is definitely a great way to ease yourself into learning about a new subject. It's worked out very well for me. The only other approach I find that works as well as a starting point is subject-focused online forums. For example, if I want to learn about creating an electric car, no magazines that I know of, but there is a forum covering this subject: http://www.diyelectriccar.com/ http://www.diyelectriccar.com/ Just reading through the content gives a good feel for common issues and solutions.

bretchet 9y ago

I kind of feel that this doesn't happen as much for engineering positions, unless you're moving to a consultancy. However, consultancies are a different beast. I've worked in a few different industries myself, and I feel it gives me a broader view of things. Regardless, most of the engineering orgs I've been in have a heavy NIH mentality. They don't really care what you did at other companies. I've often been met with resistance when I suggest techniques or particular stacks that I've used successfully at other companies. So your experience is often dismissed and it can create a good deal of frustration. I do have friends outside of engineering that have used this to their benefit. One friend had a good amount of experience with merging multinational orgs from an HR (benefits, compliance, etc) perspective. He was hired by Facebook for this exact reason and got a handsome raise and more substantial benefits. A broad experience might be good for soft skills/procedures, but I have yet to experience that in engineering.

mxuribe 9y ago

Oh yeah, i feel this way! In fact, during job interviews - if i feel questions are hinting at having/not having enough experience in a specific vertical/industry - i start bringing up the fact that before I jumped into induxtry X i had little experience, but then learned fast and became an expert...so hopping into your industry Z - sir or madam - is a straightforward process for me to learn it, and then succeed at it for you. 9 out of 10 times, there is a subtle visible body language that they like that perspective; and of course agree with that rationale. Of course 1 out of 10 times, that hiring manager doesn't see that, and of course my ability to adapt to a totally new industry matters little, they usually assume you should have been born into the industry...but in that case, i likely wouldn't want to work for someone like that (who might lack vision) anyway. ;-)