This summer, I read two books with conflicting messages. The first was Grit by Angela Duckworth. In it, she makes the case for hard-working, passionate people who follow through on a narrow set of interests and prioritize one or two life goals. She points to accomplished musicians, athletes, researchers, and military leaders as having the grit to stick to their objectives even when they lose interest. The second book I read this summer was by Tim Ferriss, an eclectic thought leader in Silicon Valley who offers chapters of productivity advice, life hacks, and promises of fulfillment in The Four Hour Work Week. Tim advocates no 10-year or 5-year plans but 2-week plans and suggests experimenting with life to always try new things.
These pieces of advice seem to have incompatible messages, particularly in regards to career advice for a senior college student. What kind of role should I pursue post-graduation? An international job that could generate amazing, memorable experiences or a desk job that keeps it 9 to 5. I’m even conflicted on industry: ought I devote myself to Computer Science (get the Masters, work for a major company 10+ years, etc.) or consider jobs in other areas I like such as media, politics, or something else? I’m also entrepreneurial—should I just take a risk and start my own thing?
Tim Ferriss seems to answer these questions best, in my opinion. His response accounts for the reality of life—it moves quickly and people change. I’m not the same guy I was four years ago and certainly don’t expect to be the same in four more. Life also shouldn’t be defined by career but by experiences and relationships. That means I’ll make real career sacrifices to surround myself with the people I love and do the things I want to do. We’ve each just got one shot at this life, why limit it? At the same time, I see the power of focusing energy in one specific area—achieve incredible (yet narrow) results.
The caveat I propose is thus a merger of Tim and Angela’s advice—continue to experiment until you can continually pursue your most fulfilling work. At this point in my life, I can’t imagine staying at the same company for 3+ years let alone on the same project. I have too many interests and too much of the world to learn about. So learn about it! Find new interests and experience different roles and opportunities. At some point, I may find an area to focus my energy, but that’s not my objective yet.
Some of my favorite people experiment often. Elon Musk spends his weeks handling three separate companies and Casey Niestat is always trying out new gear. Steve Jobs once said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.“
What does that mean for me practically? It means I might return to Google, maybe go to Facebook. I might take a year off to shoot another documentary; or pursue graduate school; or service abroad; or start my own graphic design firm. A couple months from now, all my plans might change again—they may need to. I think keeping options open is the #1 way to leading a rich life. Don’t box yourself in to one discipline, one career, one trajectory. Don’t settle.