Translation: Han
By Adam Naor
Original link: https://medium.freecodecamp.org/i-camped-out-with-a-tech-billionaire-the-advice-he-gave-me-was-priceless-c3bdcc29c068
This article is translated by the non-academic design translation team
We sat around a small campfire and stared at the whole curtain of starlight shining through the cold California air.
My friends and I struck up a conversation with one of the group. I didn’t know who he was, but he got me interested right away.
The man led our conversation from education to design to the role of chance in innovation.
It was only later that I found out that this man was the inventor of a technology that most of us use every day, and what’s more, he’s a self-made billionaire.
I had no idea he was in this position. He was so humble and friendly and funny.
The man had a deep and grand vision of history. He has strong views of his own about the role of technology in social development. He was so good at presenting his ideas as if he were giving a TED talk.
What he said under that starlit night had a profound effect on me. The values he shared have changed me. Now I want to share that with you.
#1 Embrace change
He told me that many people play it safe in their careers.
Many young people, especially those with good incomes, are afraid to change existing industries, roles, companies, cities, or organizational structures or career paths.
People often miss out on valuable opportunities because their fear of failure blinds them to opportunities commensurate with the risks.
It made me think of my former colleagues at Google who had so many ideas that they could have started their own businesses, but hesitated and never did.
Embrace change and learn to enjoy it, he suggests. It is natural that many of the technologies we use today will be obsolete one day.
“How do you want the world to change? Make that change.
#2 Create new markets, not just new products
He observed a phenomenon that most people focus on making some new products, apps or software. Instead, they should focus on creating markets that haven’t existed before.
Imagine what markets will exist in the world of the future, and ask yourself why they don’t already exist.
New industries can be created as existing technological trends promote future ideas.
He observes that “the most valuable companies and ideas light up whole new industries.”
“The world is theirs now; But what I’m doing now is the future. It’s mine. “– Nikola Tesla
#3 Never too old to learn
On the subject of education, he was very clear about one thing: whatever you can do now, you can do better.
He encouraged me to read more, to travel, to practice listening, to fail fast, to embrace the world, to embrace diversity, to hone my craft. “Challenge yourself to learn a variety of skills and enjoy the process.”
“Learn a computer language, or learn another language and become an expert in that language.” He said. “Learning is not a little bit, but mastery until mastery.”
“The growth of wisdom should begin at birth and continue until death” – Einstein
#4 Invest in skills that will be valuable in the future
He observed that if you want to be successful, you need to accumulate two things: money and time. You can use both resources to invest in technologies and skills that will be valuable in the future. Start investing now in people, ideas, and industries that will grow in value over the next decade or two.
On the debate for a better future, he says that building and developing ideas for the future can have a very beneficial direct impact on human society.
“People never notice what is done; You just notice what else you have to do. I’ve been told that growing up is always a long and difficult road.” — Madame Curie
