Wait, was this part one? fantastic niches, check. where to find them, not so much. I eagerly await the follow up because I desperately need to know where to find them. This is not snark.
What gives you joy? What would you pay to do? Make a list. That's a good starting point. Being an outlier is a blessing. Not being snarky here. From a chronic outlier.
Welp, just discovered this Substack 2 days ago, and it's already becoming one of my favorites.
Re this particular article, it's niches all the way down. I feel like within my career I found a niche, and within that I found another niche. Niches are actually great. I'm team niche-finding.
Adam's is one of those Substacks that makes me worry that if Substack ever goes away, I'll miss out. So, I download these and save them on my cloud drive.
Every July 4th, new citizens gather at Old Salem in NC to take their oaths. It's hot, it's humid, there's a brass band playing John Philip Sousa marches. It should be awful and hokey.
It's one of the most affecting things I've ever seen.
My DAR chapter used to attend every single swearing-in ceremony in Newark, NJ, to welcome the new citizens. Then our members aged, and Newark got a little bit tough for them. Sadly, I missed that period. My emotions get high when I think of the little old ladies I knew, now gone, who were devoted to making those trips.
"what are we actually trying to get rich for" is a question every country should ask itself. at some point, you have to wonder if growing from 27 different choices of yoghurt to 28 is the correct path
Reading this issue was the tonic I needed. I’m not sure I believe that there’s a place for everyone, but I love that you do. Perhaps I can believe it someday as well. Thanks for the excellent essay.
I actually do believe there is a place for everyone. Unfortunately, it may not be in the "place" (physical setting) they're in. That's why it's important to spread your "search for belonging" wide.
I became aware of the shocking diversity of human talent as a corporate manager. But the persistence of human talent was really brought home to me in my retirement job, working with the elderly and disabled. I had one client who could barely see, hear, or move. He was said to have the intelligence of a second grader, but his views on culture, politics, and life were well-reasoned. When he took up cooking, the time and effort he was willing to expend to achieve a (surprisingly good) culinary result was substantial, due to his limitations. So I was more than willing to match his efforts when it came to cleaning up after his meal prep, which was also a substantial undertaking. But the whole process taught me something about humans: talent wants out. Humans have a drive to express their talent, like artists working on a painting.
When I would take this man out to lunch, without fail, a total stranger would offer to pay for him. Seeing the efforts he had to make simply to eat his lunch had an effect on people. And every time I left his house, I remember the exact spot I reached on the sidewalk when I would thank God that I wasn't born with his limitations. It was about 10 steps outside his front door. The same spot, every time. I remember it well.
This man's "talent" would never earn him pay, but it affected everyone who experienced it, including myself. It taught me about gratitude, luck, will, and the beauty of the human spirit. I'm just hoping that in a world increasingly based upon technology, and alienation from community, the human element is not lost.
I so appreciate this comment. I'm concerned that the framing here is all on people having jobs. That is not the only value of a human life. So, while I'm on team "all on the boat," I think it's very important that argument isn't based solely on the assumption that people must work to have value.
Nice article. But personally, I don't view Nicky's situation as tragic. Knowledge, including self-knowledge, has a price, and that price is often experience. That's not tragedy; that's reality.
Not being one of the lucky few who had a childhood passion, Nicky doesn't know what she wants to do because she hasn't *tried* anything. So beginning her exploration of the working world with a consulting gig is just as good a starting point as any other job. Maybe she will hate it; maybe she will learn to love it. Either way, after a few months or a year, she will know more about herself and her values. Based on this new knowledge, she can decide what to do next.
Adam, there are so many parts of this piece that resonated with me. I’ll start with Nikky.
I had a passion at one point, around junior to senior year in high school. I even contemplated majoring in that field for college but wasn’t adamant enough to upset my parents. I ended up studying econ and math as an undergrad and got into finance afterwards.
Fast forward 15 years, I’m still in finance. I cant say I tap dance to work everyday like Buffett but I love what I do. I had chances to switch to a different job but I never wanted to. It helps that I also do ok and ran a small firm. A morphable key like you said. But looking back, finance to me was probably just like consulting to Nikky. I didn’t know if it was for me or what was tbh, when I was in my early 20s. I chose it because it had good pay and seemingly a promising track. I just didn’t know any better, and again like you said, they gave me a diploma even if I had no clue who I was and what I wanted. And that is tragic.
I should’ve had better guidance; we all should.
Now levelled up with 15 years of exp, I know slightly better. Living and reading (from the likes of you, Morgan Housel, and Paul Graham), has made me value the importance of interest, passion and curiosity in choosing and developing a career. “do something you love, and the pay will take care of itself. If it doesn't, you still end up doing something you love.” They say, I nod.
Im now also a father of a 2 yo. Armed with the above belief, I am constantly on the lookout for natural interest or ability. I so want to encourage her to pursue whatever she finds interesting regardless of how strange or different that is. (I know, she’s 2, I should relax. And I do.) (but still, doesn’t hurt and cant help it) So recently we have noticed she seems to have a knack at snapping photos. She loves playing with our phone’s camera and, to our amazement, the photos she takes are pretty good (for a 2 yo ofc). So I immediately bought her a kids camera, capturing her taking portrays and secretly picturing her becoming a photographer. (btw my passion, the one from high school, involved taking images. Ahh right.)
Then just now reading your piece made me realize, although photographer is not one of the eight jobs that she can name yet, but taking a photo with our phone camera is prob one of the eight non-essential things she can do that we can somewhat appraise/admire. There will be another 8 billion jobs that she can learn later. She’s still got plenty of time to acquaint herself with the world before figuring out what she wants to do.
I'm interested in Adam's answer to this too. Very few people support something like eugenics, which I think is implied by "purging".
But I do believe there's a relatively common belief in the tech industry that AI will soon do everything that someone with an IQ of XX will be able to do, and that the IQ threshold will gradually increase over time.
The resulting attitude towards those people is usually more patronizing than hostile, but it still seems pretty toxic to me.
I am not an official "Team Overboard" representative and only speak for myself of course but I don't think every one has his place like Adam does but I'm against throwing people overboard nonetheless. I just think that an ideal world would include much less of us.
Regarding eugenics, I don't support it but I am not as strongly opposed as most people seem to be. I feel like it would do more harm than good but it could still do some good.
I was a female (and still am) who tested high for "mechanical ability." I tried, and tried, and tried, to find my niche. I eventually found that I had strengths in several areas, but it was after I pumped gas, loaded tractor-trailers on the midnight shift, attempted, and failed, at auto mechanics, and cleaned Rottweiler kennels (hahaha). One thing I will say with certainty is that the guidance counselors in public schools during my youth were woefully unsophisticated and inadequate when it came to dealing with people like me. They basically forfeited. So I worry about today's kids, the talent that gets left on the table, and the consequences of their unrealized potential, both personally, and societally. Great post, and topic.
Congratulations, Adam! This was your first essay to make me cry. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I loved this.
All your essays feel like you are cleaning the lenses that we use to look at our surroundings. Everytime, I finish some of your brilliant pieces , I feel like someone showed me the hidden cat in the picture or that the mouse I was looking at was actually a lit cigar (something that I knew was there but couldn't exactly visualize) or like someone just gave me the right words that I was missing to describe my experiences accurately. But this, this touched me deeply.
Wait, was this part one? fantastic niches, check. where to find them, not so much. I eagerly await the follow up because I desperately need to know where to find them. This is not snark.
What gives you joy? What would you pay to do? Make a list. That's a good starting point. Being an outlier is a blessing. Not being snarky here. From a chronic outlier.
Welp, just discovered this Substack 2 days ago, and it's already becoming one of my favorites.
Re this particular article, it's niches all the way down. I feel like within my career I found a niche, and within that I found another niche. Niches are actually great. I'm team niche-finding.
Adam's is one of those Substacks that makes me worry that if Substack ever goes away, I'll miss out. So, I download these and save them on my cloud drive.
That was fucking beautiful. Thank you.
Every July 4th, new citizens gather at Old Salem in NC to take their oaths. It's hot, it's humid, there's a brass band playing John Philip Sousa marches. It should be awful and hokey.
It's one of the most affecting things I've ever seen.
My DAR chapter used to attend every single swearing-in ceremony in Newark, NJ, to welcome the new citizens. Then our members aged, and Newark got a little bit tough for them. Sadly, I missed that period. My emotions get high when I think of the little old ladies I knew, now gone, who were devoted to making those trips.
But most callings don’t pay any money.
"what are we actually trying to get rich for" is a question every country should ask itself. at some point, you have to wonder if growing from 27 different choices of yoghurt to 28 is the correct path
What a stunningly brilliant article, Adam. Thank you for being uniquely you, sharing your unique gifts, in a way that only you can.
Reading this issue was the tonic I needed. I’m not sure I believe that there’s a place for everyone, but I love that you do. Perhaps I can believe it someday as well. Thanks for the excellent essay.
I actually do believe there is a place for everyone. Unfortunately, it may not be in the "place" (physical setting) they're in. That's why it's important to spread your "search for belonging" wide.
I became aware of the shocking diversity of human talent as a corporate manager. But the persistence of human talent was really brought home to me in my retirement job, working with the elderly and disabled. I had one client who could barely see, hear, or move. He was said to have the intelligence of a second grader, but his views on culture, politics, and life were well-reasoned. When he took up cooking, the time and effort he was willing to expend to achieve a (surprisingly good) culinary result was substantial, due to his limitations. So I was more than willing to match his efforts when it came to cleaning up after his meal prep, which was also a substantial undertaking. But the whole process taught me something about humans: talent wants out. Humans have a drive to express their talent, like artists working on a painting.
When I would take this man out to lunch, without fail, a total stranger would offer to pay for him. Seeing the efforts he had to make simply to eat his lunch had an effect on people. And every time I left his house, I remember the exact spot I reached on the sidewalk when I would thank God that I wasn't born with his limitations. It was about 10 steps outside his front door. The same spot, every time. I remember it well.
This man's "talent" would never earn him pay, but it affected everyone who experienced it, including myself. It taught me about gratitude, luck, will, and the beauty of the human spirit. I'm just hoping that in a world increasingly based upon technology, and alienation from community, the human element is not lost.
I so appreciate this comment. I'm concerned that the framing here is all on people having jobs. That is not the only value of a human life. So, while I'm on team "all on the boat," I think it's very important that argument isn't based solely on the assumption that people must work to have value.
Nice article. But personally, I don't view Nicky's situation as tragic. Knowledge, including self-knowledge, has a price, and that price is often experience. That's not tragedy; that's reality.
Not being one of the lucky few who had a childhood passion, Nicky doesn't know what she wants to do because she hasn't *tried* anything. So beginning her exploration of the working world with a consulting gig is just as good a starting point as any other job. Maybe she will hate it; maybe she will learn to love it. Either way, after a few months or a year, she will know more about herself and her values. Based on this new knowledge, she can decide what to do next.
Adam, there are so many parts of this piece that resonated with me. I’ll start with Nikky.
I had a passion at one point, around junior to senior year in high school. I even contemplated majoring in that field for college but wasn’t adamant enough to upset my parents. I ended up studying econ and math as an undergrad and got into finance afterwards.
Fast forward 15 years, I’m still in finance. I cant say I tap dance to work everyday like Buffett but I love what I do. I had chances to switch to a different job but I never wanted to. It helps that I also do ok and ran a small firm. A morphable key like you said. But looking back, finance to me was probably just like consulting to Nikky. I didn’t know if it was for me or what was tbh, when I was in my early 20s. I chose it because it had good pay and seemingly a promising track. I just didn’t know any better, and again like you said, they gave me a diploma even if I had no clue who I was and what I wanted. And that is tragic.
I should’ve had better guidance; we all should.
Now levelled up with 15 years of exp, I know slightly better. Living and reading (from the likes of you, Morgan Housel, and Paul Graham), has made me value the importance of interest, passion and curiosity in choosing and developing a career. “do something you love, and the pay will take care of itself. If it doesn't, you still end up doing something you love.” They say, I nod.
Im now also a father of a 2 yo. Armed with the above belief, I am constantly on the lookout for natural interest or ability. I so want to encourage her to pursue whatever she finds interesting regardless of how strange or different that is. (I know, she’s 2, I should relax. And I do.) (but still, doesn’t hurt and cant help it) So recently we have noticed she seems to have a knack at snapping photos. She loves playing with our phone’s camera and, to our amazement, the photos she takes are pretty good (for a 2 yo ofc). So I immediately bought her a kids camera, capturing her taking portrays and secretly picturing her becoming a photographer. (btw my passion, the one from high school, involved taking images. Ahh right.)
Then just now reading your piece made me realize, although photographer is not one of the eight jobs that she can name yet, but taking a photo with our phone camera is prob one of the eight non-essential things she can do that we can somewhat appraise/admire. There will be another 8 billion jobs that she can learn later. She’s still got plenty of time to acquaint herself with the world before figuring out what she wants to do.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for this, Adam.
Who do you see as members of “Team Overboard” who “plan to purge others?”
I'm interested in Adam's answer to this too. Very few people support something like eugenics, which I think is implied by "purging".
But I do believe there's a relatively common belief in the tech industry that AI will soon do everything that someone with an IQ of XX will be able to do, and that the IQ threshold will gradually increase over time.
The resulting attitude towards those people is usually more patronizing than hostile, but it still seems pretty toxic to me.
I am not an official "Team Overboard" representative and only speak for myself of course but I don't think every one has his place like Adam does but I'm against throwing people overboard nonetheless. I just think that an ideal world would include much less of us.
Regarding eugenics, I don't support it but I am not as strongly opposed as most people seem to be. I feel like it would do more harm than good but it could still do some good.
So you think the world would be better off with, say, half of its current population?
I was a female (and still am) who tested high for "mechanical ability." I tried, and tried, and tried, to find my niche. I eventually found that I had strengths in several areas, but it was after I pumped gas, loaded tractor-trailers on the midnight shift, attempted, and failed, at auto mechanics, and cleaned Rottweiler kennels (hahaha). One thing I will say with certainty is that the guidance counselors in public schools during my youth were woefully unsophisticated and inadequate when it came to dealing with people like me. They basically forfeited. So I worry about today's kids, the talent that gets left on the table, and the consequences of their unrealized potential, both personally, and societally. Great post, and topic.
Congratulations, Adam! This was your first essay to make me cry. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I loved this.
All your essays feel like you are cleaning the lenses that we use to look at our surroundings. Everytime, I finish some of your brilliant pieces , I feel like someone showed me the hidden cat in the picture or that the mouse I was looking at was actually a lit cigar (something that I knew was there but couldn't exactly visualize) or like someone just gave me the right words that I was missing to describe my experiences accurately. But this, this touched me deeply.
Thank you for being out there and doing this!
> you want to name him after your favorite Transformer (Cliff, short for Cliffjumper)
ok this just gave me a weird idea and boy I hope somebody talks me out of naming my future kid Bum (short for Bumblebee).
Reminded me of the beginning of "The Builders" by Longfellow:
All are architects of Fate,
Working in these walls of Time;
Some with massive deeds and great,
Some with ornaments of rhyme.
Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is best;
And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest.
___________________________
As well as, for the comparative advantage piece, my favorite stanza from Emerson's "Each and All":
Nor knowest thou what argument
Thy life to thy neighbor's creed has lent.
All are needed by each one;
Nothing is fair or good alone.