4 ms·
I spent a decade of my life in the valley and I do believe it's relevant to remember that what used to be a homebrew mixing of nerds, hippies, academics, resear
by brm 9y ago
I spent a decade of my life in the valley and I do believe it's relevant to remember that what used to be a homebrew mixing of nerds, hippies, academics, researchers, teachers, makers, marketers, tinkerers and capitalists is now in large part skewed to marketers and capitalists. This is not necessarily good, bad, or romanticized it just is. So here are some tips:
Don't hustle.
Don't crush anything.
Try not to have to give a stage presentation with a mic at the corner of your mouth.
Your creation is not completely superlative or world changing yet, speak of it realistically.
The internet is not a substitute or replacement for you having to deal with humanity.
Be nice.
Follow your curiosities and interests. Have curiosities and interests.
Don't claim false passions. You're not passionate about "revolutionizing HR" or "remaking the way people buy nail polish".
Learn how tech relates to the world and how you relate to it, don't make tech its own world.
Maybe get a hobby.
Be kind.
- Caveman_Coder 9y ago+100. I spent almost two decades in SV before moving to PHX and agree completely with your tips. I've found that since moving to PHX, the hustling and "revolutionizing/world-changing/disruptive" rhetoric is kept to a minimum. Tech isn't its "own world" as much here and most of my friends and co-workers in the tech community end up talking about things we all enjoy doing as hobbies, or our families, more than anything. It's nice to find professional peers who enjoy hiking in Sedona, not worrying about how many PRs their open-source project has, or how many retweets their presentation at RubyConf got. Its totally subjective, but its my kind of environment.
- aj_g 9y agoHah. I live in Montana, and I find myself lusting sometimes for the inundation of tech in SV. I wish I could nerd out with more of my friends, instead of talking about hiking/skiing/whatever. I guess the grass is always greener :)
- cirgue 9y ago> I wish I could nerd out with more of my friends, instead of talking about hiking/skiing/whatever. I guess the grass is always greener :) I would be happy to trade!