Here's a very simple fact: what you know is very highly correlated to who you know. Probably everyone on Hacker News would agree that learning Python is usuall

Here's a very simple fact: what you know is very highly correlated to who you know. Probably everyone on Hacker News would agree that learning Python is usually easier and a better career move than learning FORTRAN. But how do you know that? From the social influences in your life...people, the places you hang out on the internet, etc. But most business people couldn't tell you the difference between any two languages. The difference is even greater with soft skills. Look at the job or salary negotiating advice that a typical career office or google will provide you, and compare that to, say, Ramit Sethi's or Patio11's advice. You're talking about a massive difference in value. The more you are in touch with highly successful people, the more you'll be on the cutting edge of this kind of news, when it's the most valuable. If you have a weak network, though, you'll frequently be years behind without knowing it.