The hottest Career Advice Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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What (Some) College Administrators Understand That (A Lot of) Wonks Don't

Freddie deBoer • 6587 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🚌 Education Career Advice
  1. College administrators consider selection effects when guiding students on majors, unlike many commentators who overlook this critical aspect.
  2. Determining economic success in fields not just about IQ; non-IQ factors, cognitive strengths, and personal preferences also play key roles.
  3. Encouraging all students into high-paying fields isn't feasible; it's essential to match talents with majors to minimize future struggles in job markets.

How To Fast Track Your Career As An Engineer

SeattleDataGuy’s Newsletter • 930 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
💼 Business Career growth Software Engineering Tech industry Data Analysis Career Advice
  1. Focusing on impact in your work can accelerate your career growth and lead to more satisfying outcomes.
  2. To have more impact in tech, run towards unsolved problems, be scrappy in finding solutions, and prioritize ruthlessly.
  3. Impact can be achieved by reducing costs or increasing revenue, and understanding how your work contributes to these areas is essential for career advancement in engineering.

Why Today Is The Perfect Time to Learn Data | Seattle Data Guy

Data Analysis Journal • 373 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Data science Analytics Data Engineering Learning Resources Career Advice
  1. Learning data is more accessible and better now than in the past years.
  2. For transitioning into data engineering, focus on SQL, programming, data warehouse, and data pipelines.
  3. Analysts should focus on understanding the business problem, building maintainable systems, and following a data analytics process.
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How to build a side-project to get a job in Machine Learning [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 159 implied HN points • 01 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Career Advice Software Development Artificial Intelligence Side Projects
  1. Developing an amazing side project is crucial for getting your first job in Machine Learning. Ditch the basic datasets and focus on building exceptional projects to stand out.
  2. When building your career in Machine Learning, individual factors like goals, interests, skills, location, experience, and networks play a significant role. Tailor your approach based on your unique situation.
  3. For undergrad students seeking a role in Machine Learning, focusing on creating strong side projects is a key step. These projects can help you differentiate yourself and showcase your skills effectively.

Fastest Way to Learn Coding and Actually Get a Job

Brain Bytes • 59 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
🚌 Education Coding Learning Job Market Skills Career Advice
  1. Choose a flexible programming language like Python or JavaScript to boost your chances of landing a beginner job.
  2. Take your time learning coding through books, tutorials, or courses - don't rush the process. Type along with tutorials and practice consistently.
  3. Build simple projects using frameworks, add them to your portfolio, and deploy them online to enhance your chances when applying for jobs. Showcase your projects and personality in your resume.

More on Follow-Ons

Venture Upward • 19 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Investments Career Advice
  1. Follow-ons in venture capital are for earning money from carry, not for just building a track record.
  2. Increasing investment in subsequent rounds can escalate downside risk without similar upside benefits.
  3. Being strategic about follow-on investments in portfolio companies is crucial to avoid excessive risk and maximize returns.

Zhang Xuefeng's pep talk to anxious undergraduates who wish to move up

Pekingnology • 64 implied HN points • 22 Jul 23
🚌 Education Career Advice Personal Development Life lessons
  1. University admissions in China heavily favor local candidates over non-local candidates.
  2. The application process for university and graduate school in China involves filling in target schools and majors before test scores are known, which can be confusing.
  3. Choosing a university, major, and program that align with personal strengths and future livelihood is crucial for non-elite undergraduates in China.

Breaking into UX Research: what can you do to land your first role?

UX Psychology • 119 implied HN points • 31 Oct 22
🕹 Technology UX Research Career Advice Networking Skill development Job search
  1. Breaking into UX research can be challenging due to limited junior roles and increasing competition, but there are various pathways to entry.
  2. To prepare for a career in UX research, assess your existing skills, leverage past experience, network actively, and work on side projects.
  3. Consider applying for roles related to user research or product development, even if not directly in UX, to gain relevant industry exposure.

How to crush your Daily Standups[Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 12 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Development Software Engineering Communication Networking Career Advice
  1. Give detailed updates in your daily standups, including your decision-making process, collaborators, important information, and technical details.
  2. Involve more stakeholders by discussing how your work impacts others, inviting collaboration for better projects.
  3. Understand and express the 'why' behind your tasks, which provides context for creating thorough solutions and requires knowledge of both Computer Science and project economics.

How to Use Github to Land your first software Job[Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 09 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Career Advice Networking Open Source GitHub
  1. Using Github to land a software job can be beneficial for those who want to highlight their coding skills, but it's important to recognize the tradeoffs involved and be willing to put in the effort required.
  2. Common advice on gaining a job through GitHub, like contributing to open source projects extensively, may not always be the most optimal strategy. It's essential to approach GitHub as a social network and connect with like-minded individuals.
  3. Building a strong presence on GitHub requires dedication and time spent coding and engaging with communities. While it may offer an alternative path to job opportunities, there are no shortcuts in putting in the required work.

Negotiating better offers [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 01 Jul 22
💰 Finance Negotiation Investments Personal Finance Career Advice
  1. Prepare for negotiations before receiving offers by researching compensation bands and matching skills to desired industries.
  2. Organize interviews with companies in similar compensation bands to potentially receive offers around the same time.
  3. Don't hesitate to ask companies to wait for your decision if you are waiting on other offers to compare.

Next.js ??

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 02 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Web Development Career Advice Mastery
  1. Specializing and excelling in a particular field increases your chances of spotting opportunities for improvement and career advancement.
  2. Having a breadth of knowledge by learning new concepts even in just a few hours a week can open your mind, help in problem-solving, and provide new perspectives.
  3. Focusing on building strong foundations in areas like Math, Basic Economics, and Computer Science Theory offers the highest ROI and allows for quick adaptation to new ideas and frameworks.

How to get an interview with a BBM firm if you are from a non-target school.

Austin's Analects • 0 implied HN points • 08 Nov 18
💼 Business Career Advice Networking Consulting Recruitment Internships
  1. Networking and relationships are crucial for landing interviews at top firms like BCG, Bain, and McKinsey, especially if you're from a non-target school.
  2. Having strong connections can help you secure first-round interviews, even if you lack the typical credentials these firms look for.
  3. Send thank you emails after networking connections, keep in touch, and strive to stand out since non-target school candidates are not part of the typical applicant pool.

Season 04 - Newsletter 01 —> Athletes, sports teams and turbulent times

Product Hustle Stack Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🎾 Sports Athletes Teams Relationships Career Advice Performance
  1. View yourself as an athlete on a team, not a family member, in the employer-employee relationship.
  2. Look beyond your current company to see what good product management looks like in other organizations.
  3. Build a portfolio of highlights to showcase growth and value, regardless of the circumstances or outlook.

Toxic career advice and working while female

I have thoughts • 0 implied HN points • 24 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Career Advice Gender Equality Film Marketing
  1. Receiving specific feedback on concrete behaviors is more valuable than general or personality-based feedback
  2. In the workplace, it's important to be aware of biases and stereotypes that may affect how others perceive and interact with you
  3. Coaching at work can be challenging, but seizing coaching opportunities and providing feedback thoughtfully is important for professional growth

Are You Selfish Enough?

Shubhi’s Substack • 0 implied HN points • 17 Mar 15
💼 Business Success Stories Career Advice Personal Development Entrepreneurship Learning
  1. All essential life lessons are taught in kindergarten: be fair, apologize when needed, and look out for each other.
  2. Understand yourself better to make a significant impact: know what evokes emotions in you and what issues you want to tackle.
  3. Persevere like the Japanese Bamboo Tree: grow steadily despite slow progress, then surge ahead with determination.

GRANTED: Success is a squiggly line, and goals are meant to be lumped and sliced

Granted • 0 implied HN points • 01 Mar 20
🚌 Education Productivity Goal setting Feedback Mental health Career Advice
  1. Success is not a straight path, but rather a squiggly line. It's about learning and growing from setbacks.
  2. To achieve your goals, break them down into smaller parts. Lump short-term tasks and slice long-term goals for progress.
  3. When giving feedback, aim to help others improve. Be honest even if it's not what they want to hear.

WONDERING: Stop searching for a calling and start hiring people who disagree with your mission

Granted • 0 implied HN points • 31 Jul 18
💼 Business Hiring Team Dynamics Career Advice
  1. Focus on hiring people who challenge your mission instead of searching for a calling.
  2. Pay attention to what social situations energize you and which ones exhaust you, regardless of being an introvert or an extrovert.
  3. Embrace and learn from failures by considering the risk in hiring people who have experienced major career setbacks.

If you don’t do this, you’re not getting the job

Austin's Analects • 0 implied HN points • 06 Aug 20
💼 Business Career Advice Interview Tips
  1. The most crucial part of an interview is being liked by the company you want to work for. No matter how much you prepare, if they don't like you, you won't get hired.
  2. To ensure you're well-liked: build good relationships with interviewers and be nice to everyone at the company, from the receptionist to your interviewer.
  3. On interview day, arrive early, be polite, have a strong handshake, make eye contact. Post-interview, thank the interviewer, get their contact info, say goodbye to everyone, and send a follow-up email.

Ask these 3 questions at the end of your interview

Austin's Analects • 0 implied HN points • 01 Aug 20
💼 Business Career Advice Interview Tips
  1. It's crucial to ask questions at the end of an interview to show interest in the company and make the interviewer like you.
  2. Ask open-ended questions that genuinely interest you and can help build a relationship with the interviewer.
  3. Consider asking bold questions like what could prevent you from getting the job to receive immediate feedback and gauge your performance.