Hang on, what do you mean the resume is dying?
Intellectual Banter: Episode #29
Well, here we are…
The last episode of Intellectual Banter.
29 issues, 8 months and 683 subscribers. This experiment went way better than I expected.
But we’ve still got 685 words to go, so let’s not get too emotional.
The new newsletter starts in 2 weeks.
You don’t need to do anything. It’ll come out every Saturday. It’ll still be packed with value and my (overblown sense of) dry wit.
Just more targeted, helpful content under a new name (no pressure).
But before we begin the next phase of our journey, let me conclude this one with a short story on why I quit my job to write online...
July 2014:
Barely over a year into my investment banking job, I knew I didn’t want to do it for the rest of my life.
I’d become adept at churning out sexy presentations by the hour and and my future looked promising.
But I hated that shit.
“Uggghhh, is it Monday morning already? Those beer towers from Friday haven't even worn off yet…”
Yet I stayed in banking for 7 more years.
But not for lack of trying…
In fact, I tried applying everywhere. Private Equity, Venture Capital and even startups (they’ll take anyone, right?)
Nada.
Because my profile wasn’t “good enough”.
Over the years, the rejection shifted to my profile not being “relevant enough”. Because by then I’d become an investment banking veteran and no one else wanted me.
Fucking hell.
And since I had no family business to take over, I always went back… to making sexy presentations and drinking beer towers every Friday night.
Feeling trapped in my job, but denying the living shit out of it…
“Let’s partyyyyy!”
But no matter what I did to distract myself (and I TRIED), I couldn’t permanently shut off my mind.
It gradually got louder till in 2018, it started screaming:
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?!”
Imagining the next 50 years of my life slaving away at a job I hated started giving me panic attacks.
Something had to give as I wasn’t ready to stay stuck forever.
So I went looking for answers…
…and in my quest, I found Naval.
Today:
It’s been 382 days since I began writing online after quitting my job.
In that period, I have:
Sent out 29 weekly emails
Published 9 long form essays
Written over 10,000 tweets (!)
Bagged two paid writing gigs
Failed my 1st attempt at freelancing
Built a Twitter following of 5,100+ people
Made a million stupid mistakes along the way
Holy hell.
I don’t have strong opinions on common topics like politics and sports, but I know this:
Aka… the resume is dying.
And it’s the reason I quit my job and threw myself into the online world.
So coming back to original problem - how you do you apply for a job you’re not qualified for?
This is something a few “offline” friends asked me recently.
“How did you get hired to write?”
This question has a simple implication - Where’s your “resume” for it?
And the answer is so simple, it feels stupid:
I showed that I could write well.
I shared my 3 best threads (out of 10,000) and that got me a foot in the door. Then I shared my enthusiasm for the work and my desire to learn.
That’s it.
To be fair, the gigs accounts for less than 30% of my salary. But they’re true worth is much more…
Because they provide validation.
That I can get paid to write words on the Internet.
And my goal isn’t just to surpass my salary, it’s achieving the ONE TRUE GOAL…
Which is FREEDOM.
Having the option to spend time with my daughter and wife. Go to the gym in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. Take time off whenever I want. Do work I love and am charged up to do every day (yes, including Mondays).
Damn, that sounds sweet.
But it’s still a few steps away…
Because such freedom only comes from building leverage. Building assets that earn while you sleep. Or as Naval says:
And a portfolio of great writing is the most accessible form of leverage you can build as a beginner.
But let me warn you - writing is still a tough game.
I wrestled with self-doubt, imposter syndrome and made endless mistakes for 12 months to get to where I am today.
But if I were to start over?
I’d get here in less than a quarter of the time…
That’s what we’re going to explore in this newsletter from now. How to combine writing, psychology and storytelling to build your digital leverage and help you break free.
And you don’t need a resume, or your boss’s permission to do it.
Your “resume killer” friend,
Adi
PS: This marks the end of our current adventure. Thank you for reading and supporting Intellectual Banter. See you soon in a couple of weeks.
This is great. Naval had a similar impact on me. His work is a must-read for creative people.
It was a wonderful read, Adi. I am glad that I got to witness your journey. Good luck to you!