Hey! This is the Daily Overpass! My name is Eric and I make apps! Now today, let's
talk about whether or not you should take a job or just make apps.
Okay, so today, I've got another client meeting who's out here in a really nice
part of Oxfordshire. You could actually see almost all of Oxford behind
me. It's a really beautiful out here on a cold, brisk, wintry day. So today, I want to
answer a question that came in yesterday by Abir Hassan. Yesterday we talked
about what are you gonna do for Plan B, all that kind of stuff. So Abir asked,
"Hey Eric, I've got my first job in a company. Should I join it or work to
develop more apps on Play Store? I want to be independent but parents want to
see me as an employee. Suggest me now. Abir, I'm gonna give you my opinion but I
hope that everybody else gives Abir your opinion too. Because you know, we're
all gonna think different stuff. So, here's what I think, Abir. As somebody
who strives for freedom and independence, and trying to - seems like I spend
my entire life trying to just find something where I just can just do what
I want, here's my advice to you. Take the job. Make your parents
happy. Do what you need to do. You know, here's what I like. Here's what I
think. If I were to go back - yeah, have you ever fantasized about going back to your
younger self like before you went into school or before you
started your first job? Or like you could go back and relive those years knowing
what you know now or you can go back and give yourself advice? If I were to go
back to my pre-high school self, I would tell myself, "Okay, you know what,
none of this is as serious as everybody makes it out to me." For some
people, this is going to be the best years of their lives, but for you, it's
gonna pass. Just try to enjoy what you can. Do what you need to do.
Don't take it as seriously as everybody else does because it's not that
important. For some people, you know, like the teachers there, that's their
job. And they're gonna tell you if you mess this up, your life's going to be
ruined. You have people in school saying, "But this is -
this is ruining my entire life!" And you're gonna have lots of drama, but
don't worry about it. Just play the game, do what you got to do and get through it.
Don't take it too seriously. If I had to go back to myself before I took
up my first corporate job, I would tell myself the same thing.
Everybody's going to treat this like it's a big deal but it's
not. This is all okay. You just have to go in there and do what you need to do.
You're gonna meet people who say I've been working in this job the last 20
years and I'll tell you such and such. Or you know, I'm the Vice-President and VP
of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and there's a lots of people really
invested in it, but you need to go into it and see it as just a game. All
you're going to go in and do is just take on a job, but never forget who you are.
Never forget what the goal is which is to be free and independent. I mean, you
could be free and independent now, right? But if you need money, you know, the
homeless guy is free and independent, but you just - nobody wants to be
that guy. So, here's what I think. I would like for you to treat this
like you're going undercover in the mob like in the movies where the
cop goes undercover and he infiltrates the mob and becomes trusted,
and all that kind of stuff. But don't go too deep or else we won't be able to
pull you back out. Go in there, you know, do the interview, ace the interview,
beat everybody. Be everything they want you to be. Don't hold back thinking this
is not what I really want to do. During those hours between ninety to five
or nine and six or whatever. BS hours they want you to work go in there, be the
completely loyal person, I mean, but don't fall for that company loyalty thing. Just
look out for yourself. Do what you need to do. Be the most
indispensable person in their whole company. Go through and just completely
nail it every day, but get home every day so you could code late at night and
early in the morning. And when they get to the point where they say. "You know,
you're still indispensable to this company," at that point just walk away.
That's the game that would be a lot of fun. Yeah,
don't take it too seriously because they all take it too seriously. There's
nothing worse than being in - you know what - sometimes I miss meetings
because I wish I could go back into meetings and see them for what they were.
Where everybody's just looking for their turn to talk
and everybody's bringing up their problems and you just sitting there like,
man, sometimes it's just - it's ridiculous when you're in a world where
you're always about producing things and doing things. So, Abir, everybody else
might disagree with me, but it is what I think. Make your parents happy, take the
job, but just don't forget who you are. Don't listen to the rest of the people
you're surrounded with because they're not gonna understand what you're talking
about when you say I need to leave here to be free. I need to do my own kind of
thing. They're not gonna get it. They're not gonna understand. Go in there, play
the part, but never forget you're not one of them. You're one of us. Anyway, that's
what I think. Let everyone else, please let Abir know what you think. And
that's it for today! I will talk to you, guys, tomorrow!