That Time I Had To Stop Being Poor Really Fast.

At age 28 I managed my small business right into the ground. 100% my fault. Breathtaking incompetence.

So my buddy got me a job at the bank doing customer service for this brand new "Online Banking" department.

I was doing that job and taking college classes when we found out that my wife was pregnant. She had to quit working.

So we moved into a cheap apartment. And by cheap, I mean, "dump."

(My wife doesn't pull punches. It was no secret that I caused this situation and getting us out of it was my job.)

Desperation Sets In

I needed to make more money. Fast. A baby was on the way.

The Internet was brand new, and tech jobs were becoming a thing. Several of my friends were working on something called "MCSE". That's a "Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer". MCSEs could make 50-60 thousand doll--

"WHAT?!?!"

"HOW????"

The answer at that time was, "Go to the community college and take classes for two years. By the time you're finished you'll have passed all 6 tests and be an MCSE."

TWO YEARS? Uhhh...no. Way too long.

So I looked closer and found out that there were six books to study. After each book, there was a test. Pass six tests and you're an MCSE.

Going Full Maniac

I bought the books and started reading. I didn't have server hardware or server software to actually practice with. Whatever.

I read the first book. It took too long (a month) and I had no idea what I was reading. And did I mention it took too long? Like, a month?

(Keep in mind that I was working full-time and going to college full-time, and now I had a brand-new baby, so this extra studying was all in leiu of sleep.)

I needed to read faster. So I bought Evelyn Woods's speed reading book. In a few weeks I went from reading 200 WMP to about 600 WPM.

Then it was back to the MCSE books.

Getting Results

I passed the first test on the first try. I have no idea how. But it had a lot more to do with understanding tests than it did with understanding Microsoft.

Lather, rinse, repeat. A few months later I was an MCSE. Now for the MONEY!!!

I started looking for work as a know-nothing poser. Crickets chirping.

Then another buddy told me about a job working for "Cisco". I thought he meant "Sysco." But it turned out Cisco had just become the world's most valuable company. They were largely responsible for building the Internet.

And it turned out that a CCNP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional) could make upwards of six fi--

"WHAT?!?!"

"HOW????"

Two weeks later I had a job interview for an outsourced Cisco Technical Assistance Center.

Rolling the Dice

There were two hiring managers. One knew technincal stuff. The other didn't. I interviewed with they guy who didn't.

We quickly got to the part where I asked him what would make someone successful on his team. It came down to customer service.

Well, heck, I'm an expert at that, right? Why not? I'd been doing customer service at the bank for a year or more. Plus I'm a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Had a piece of paper to prove it.

So I agreed with him about the importance of customer service and encouraged him pontificate for 30 minutes. Then he asked me this fateful question:

He: "Is there anything else I need to know about you?"

Me: "Nope. This is the most thorough job interview I've ever experienced."

Hired.

Trial By Fire

OK, but their deal was that you had two weeks of training in data networking. After that there was a test. Then you either still had a job or you didn't.

I quit my job at the bank for those odds, despite not even knowing what a network was. I thought a router was a woodworking tool.

During training, I met the smartest guy in the room, Shawn Magill . I absorbed everything he said and copied everything he did. We actually became really good friends, but at first I admit that I was a complete leech. I made good on it by buying him lunch often and trying to be a good disciple.

Two weeks later I passed the test.

The Ascent

Then I found out that the way this outsourced center got more business was by getting high customer satisfaction survey scores.

The whole time I worked there, I never got anything but 10s. Not a single 9.

Yes, I provided great service, but I certainly wasn't perfect. My scores, however, were. I'll let you figure that one out.

After 3 months, I was the team lead.

After 6 months, a co-worker said, "Hey Matt, I just turned down a job in Silicon Valley as a Senior Network Engineer because I need to move to Washington. Should I have them cal--"

"WHAT?!?!"

So I leveraged the introduction and scheduled an interview.

That company happened to call in a few days later for support. I saw the name come up and grabbed the call. I gave their lead engineer (David) phenomenal service, free education, and a solution to a really hard problem. (Shawn helped.)

A week later I was sitting in Milpitas interviewing with David's boss, Jim. David walked by, shook my hand, and said, "Wait, you're Matt? Jim, we have to hire this guy!"

Hired. Career launched. I called my wife, who was out of the country at the time, and said, "When you get back we're moving to California."

Then for my Magnum Opus, I convinced them to hire Shawn, so now I had my best friend and genius mentor working with me.

The Takeaway

That whole thing took about 15 months. I doubled my income twice during that time, and I never had to worry about money or my future again.

I've reflected on that over the years. If I had to attribute the whole affair to a single macro skill, it would be RESOURCEFULNESS. In the face of serious desperation, I had no choice but to figure stuff out and make stuff happen.

I needed to get somewhere, and I pulled every lever and turned every knob necessary to get there, despite having no idea what I was doing.

Before you rush to judgment, I gave overwhelming value to my employers along the way. I outperformed everybody and exceeded my employers' expectations. Being resourceful but not providing value won't get you much.

But I have to say that the most compelling people I've met have not been the ones who knew the most, or who had the most years of experience, or who got the most face time with the boss.

They've been the people who can get things done, come what may.

My Advice, For What It's Worth

The world is full of people who are waiting for something to happen. Doing their jobs, checking their boxes. Their lives, their families, their income, and their happiness are all victims of their lack of resourcefulness.

Even worse, I see companies that, rather than developing their people to be resourceful, constrain them to be merely obedient. Then they complain about the lack of commitment.

If you can become resourceful, or if you can teach your people to be resourceful, everything will get better.