Networking, Hustle, Career - I turned 24

I turned 24. Actually, this happened two weeks ago, but this article took me a while to write because I didn't know what point to portray. If I finally posted this, it means I figured it out. Not life, just the point, unfortunately.

I know that there are different ways to view the numbers, and people hide them for various reasons. Mine was straightforward. People rarely took me seriously when I lived in Austria after figuring out I still attended my Bachelor's degree. The extra things: projects, volunteering, or self-improvement - didn't matter much, which was frustrating.

I will never forget my first networking experience. How I approached a famous Austrian guy in the cryptocurrency space, and he "shushed" me away. I still follow him on Linkedin because this experience changed my approach to communication and life.

This is what led me to meet Steve Wozniak, the walking definition of the top engineer.

And John Romero, creator of this game people call Doom. Not a big deal. At all.

Back to the point, I network a lot. I love it. Getting to know someone's story, telling my own, exchanging learnings, and moving on. Those are meaningful interactions, life-changing at times, not a water cooler talk.

Starting with "I am a student" created an awkward dynamic, almost beyond recovery. It devalued my ability to contribute to the conversation to any significant extent.?

The good news, after trial by fire, I broke the system - and learned the secrets of networking.

I began saying meaningless words like "I am a future CEO that will rival Amazon" (slightly tipsy), which somehow started to work. This was when I learned the true value of showmanship and continued creating relationships through what appeared to be nonsensical conversations, especially in the beginning.

People started wondering if I had any substance to back up my statements, and it just so happened that I did. When it comes to startups and tech, I consumed enough information to talk about anything; this must be why my brain hurts all the time.

For immigrants like myself (cough, I am a Citizen of the World), networking is our lifeline, especially in countries that make it very difficult to get a work permit.?

Yes, I am talking to you, Austria. Why did I have to wait 3 months to start working my Product Manager job? This makes no sense, I am paying taxes, and you need to stamp one piece of paper - literally.

Anyways, all this talking and meeting countless startups landed me a ton of gigs. After entrepreneurs got past the age and got to know me, it allowed me to show my value. Getting to that stage where the person is mentally prepared to take you seriously is a tricky bridge to cross, but once you do, pieces fall into place.

I took on many different assignments. Shout out to Moritz Putzhammer from Trality for teaching me about design. At one point, I texted him on Linkedin and told him: "I have no idea how to design, so I will do it for free to learn".

Two months later, I learned three new design software, wireframing, prototyping, and got excited enough to study Digital Media in Canada. I continued taking all free gigs from startups that I liked, eventually transitioning to paid engagements.

Fun fact, I took the lesson from Google's playbook, and when I communicated with clients, I always put a project number "024" to show that my pipeline is more significant than it was. Google did a similar trick by calling their first office the seventeenth office. This is a grey area, but as long as you deliver high-quality mind-blowing projects, ends justify means.

Of course, now, I feel like I aggregated enough experiences not to employ some grey tactics. But still, saying that I am 24 feels awkward. Honestly, if I didn't feel like I established myself enough in Vancouver, I wouldn't have shared it.

On the other hand, it is essential to have the freedom to say what you want and write what you want. Sartre describes it as Radical Freedom, and I quite like this concept.

Now that I understand the ecosystem in Canada, it is time to establish myself here. I am starting to take on cool extra gigs and have a fantastic job at Shred Capital (I am very grateful to the incredible team that took me on), and I am very excited for Canada.

After all, by moving here, Canada just got a new unicorn. Of course, I will be its Founder.

Speaking seriously for a moment, I am always looking for hustle, and anyone who reads this article should feel free to connect with me and talk about awesome things we can create.

The opportunities are limitless.