Careers: If in doubt, learn to code (and learn to type and other skills of note)

It's been a little while since my last newsletter. If you want to know what's been going on behind the scenes, it's on my substack here - including my new role with Meta, here.

4 Career Skills

I'm going to make the case that you should learn:

1. To write code
2. To type
3. To use a spreadsheet
4. To give presentations

A brief background

My oldest child, Matthew, is a software engineer here at LinkedIn.

I've been writing automation, data analytics, and reporting software for more than 25 years.

I'm currently teaching my third child to code.

And I've told my other children, if only for a broader understanding of the tech behind the tech, learn to code. Even a little bit.

1) Learn to Code

Technology is a ever-present and pervasive facet of our lives. An understanding of how programs are built and work, helps you better understand the programs themselves. When there is an issue or you have struggling to use the program, you will have a better idea about the what and why of the program and the problem.

Also, you might find you like it. Coding is, in some ways, like making art. As a songwriter and performer, when things are going well, you shift into "the zone." Everything is clicking.

This occurs when I am writing as well. After 10 to 15 minutes of writing, the screen expands to fill my vision, I lose track of what is going on around me, and suddenly I look up to discover that 90 minutes has passed and there are 2,000 words on the page. And often, they're pretty good.

Today, this "zone" is known as "Flow State."

Flow State is Meditation

Flow State happens when all distractions disappear. Time becomes fuzzy. The world around you recedes. You are completely absorbed by and into the work or play or performance or coding that you are currently doing.

It is a satisfying feeling.

I'm a novice at meditation. I don't do it enough but when I do, when I can effectively focus on breathing or a hum, feeling the slight vibration in my chest and blocking all intrusive thoughts, it is a satisfying experience. Flow State is similar.

You might find that you like the flow state that programming offers. When that happens, it is likely that you can make money doing it.

Making Money is a Good Goal

Making decent money is a good enough reason to pursue any career. I understand the idea of pursuing a passion - and by all means, do so. But you may be able to more easily pursue a passion with money that is made more quickly, more easily, and with a flexible schedule.

If you can add making money with the fascination of flow state, you might add satisfaction to decent money. Satisfaction and decent money are solid career pursuits.

When you do not know what you want to do

I have spoken at many high-schools and colleges. So many students are unsure what they want to do. When that is the case, I suggest learning to code every time.

They may find something else they love and, in part, if you are unsure what to do, I also recommend taking on many jobs. The experience of working in varied professions and with different professionals, creates opportunity while also broadening and clarifying likes and dislikes.

Just make learning to code one of those options. ;-)

While coding is a bit specialized, the following three skills will prove helpful in virtually every career path.

2) Learn to Type

My third child, Christopher and I, were meeting with a Harvard educated surgeon. As he was entering information about an upcoming procedure, I noted how quickly he typed. At the end of our meeting I asked him when he learned to type.

He told me he first learned in high school but then in college he took another course and improved his typing skills. He now types about 85 to 90 words per minute. He said, "It is a competitive advantage and it makes me better at my job."

Catch this! He is a Harvard trained Neurosurgeon!

If a Harvard trained Neurosurgeon recognizes the value of learning to type, it is likely to help you too.

Learning to type is a simple skill to acquire. Take 15 minutes a day for the next month and learn to to type. It doesn't matter what career you eventually go into, it will come in handy. It comes in handy just in writing effective emails or responding in chat. Fewer mistakes, clearer communication, and increase efficiency... Typing is for everyone!

3) Learn to Wield a spreadsheet

Few tools are used as often in business as a spreadsheet. They serve their core financial (budgeting and analysis) role and as a make-shift database (list keeper).

If you serve in any professional capacity, it is likely you will touch a spreadsheet every once in awhile. It is more than likely you will use one or more spreadsheets regularly.

And here is the thing... many (most) people I come across using spreadsheets are hardly touching the functionality they offer.

Here is a short list of things you should know how to do with a spreadsheet:

• Functions: Sum, Sumif & Sumifs, VLookup, HLookup, and if using Excel, XLookup.
• Pivot Tables
• Filters and Sorting on multiple columns
• Creating and Using Tables
• Understand how (and why and when) to generate graphs

You can do a LOT more with spreadsheets than the above but if you understood just the list above, you would be in the top 10% of Spreadsheet users.

4) Learn to Present

For much of the population, speaking in public creates more anxiety than the thought of death. I don't know how true that actual is but I do know that for many it generates a high level of anxiety.

That alone is a reason to learn to present better.

But, professionally, learning to present is an amazing career enhancer. It elevates your professional standing, casting you as an expert among experts.

Here is a secret: If you give a presentation where you cover information that everyone in the audience knows, but you do so with confidence and a solid (not boring) delivery, you will be esteemed. You've confirmed how intelligent both you and your audience are.

On the other hand, if you share information that is new to the audience, and you do so with confidence and a solid (not boring) delivery, you will be esteemed. You've shown that you are intelligent and that you believe them to be intelligent enough to comprehend and use that information.

Notice: Share nothing new or share something new. Both have professional value.

How to learn to present

With that in mind, I'm going to share some tips to help you learn to present better. Each of these could be a topic for a complete article but this is just an overview.

1. Join Toastmasters: This could be the simplest way to move your presenter needle. Toastmasters allows you to meet in a place with a wide variety of presenters - from nervous amateurs to seasoned professionals. You are challenged with specific presentation objectives that grow in length and complexity. You also get to try some ad-hoc, off-the-cuff, mini-presentations, where you are given a topic and immediately speak on it for 2 minutes.
2. Stick to Three Main Points: One thing that causes people anxiety is a fear that you won't share enough great knowledge. But the truth is, in a presentation you are sharing big concepts. You are NOT going to cover everything and you do not want to. It's overwhelming. Stick to 3 to 5 points. And when I say 3 to 5 points, 2 is more than enough. Trying to show your genius is a recipe to confuse your audience and bore them.
3. Recognize Your Expertise: You have specialized knowledge. Everyone does. It doesn't mean you are more knowledgeable than everyone in the world. Just that you know more about X topic than most of the population. You are an expert at something - possibly a few things. More important, you and Google can be an expert on almost anything.
4. Share Your Expertise: Don't overthink this. Small professional organizations (rotary clubs, Kiwanis, etc.) and even Chambers of Commerce, need people to share their knowledge. Find a small professional group and give a 5 or 10 minute presentation on a topic you are passionate about.
5. Present Before You Are Ready: You cannot out-study or out-practice the process of doing. Per what I wrote above - one reason that Toastmasters works for people is that it gives them a somewhat forced path to follow. You will NEVER feel ready until after you've presented a few times or, maybe, a few dozen times.

I fainted during my first presentation. I was 14 years old and my father had signed me up for a continuation class on writing articles. At some point, you had to stand up and pitch your article idea. I was 14 and the other students were in their 30's, 40's, and older. They were old people.

I began presenting, standing next to the teacher's desk. The room began moving back and forth (I was rocking back and forth) and suddenly the teacher and my father were holding me up.

When someone sees me present, they cannot believe I was ever nervous. But, I was.

At this point, between keynoting a number of events and performing as a songwriter, both solo and with my band, I have almost no nervousness when I present.

Almost. One truth I can tell you is that presenting in front of friends or family is far more nerve-wracking then an audience of 1,000 people. They know you too well.

Conclusion

Coding is the most specialized of the skills I covered. But, if you choose NOT to learn any code, that's fine. If all you do is master basic typing, spreadsheets, and presenting, you will have added some super-powers to your career development.

With that being said, learn a little code too. ;-)