Get Ready for the Next New Economy

If you’re wondering how you can get ready for the “New Economy”, I think you’ve missed the boat. You’re best bet is to sit tight, play it safe, and prepare for the next “New Economy”.

We’re on the brink of something no-one has ever seen before. “Too big to fail” companies are on the brink of failure. Our government is trying to do things that it was never designed to do. Unemployment is rising.

Preparation for the future is uncertain, sometimes hard, and never something you can buy. 80% of the things you learn will never pay off big, but you’ll learn something on the journey that will benefit you later. I’ve been in technology for a *very* long time, and I’ve successfully changed industries several times. Here are some of the strategies that I use to feel prepared for anything:

Have an Opinion

Take the time to formulate an opinion, and be prepared to defend it. Your fear of being embarrassed in public will drive you to an appropriate level of mastery. Put yourself in the shoes of your opposition. If you use Windows, learn a little Unix. If you code Ruby, do a project in C#. Be Matthew Quigley (I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn’t know how to use it.)

Be an expert in something current

There’s enough technology around that you can take a deep dive into just about anything and know more than the people around you. Pick a topic you like, and be the local expert. You cannot rely on others to feed you knowledge and still be the master of your destiny.

Believe in yourself

If you look around, there’s no one in the room that knows your talents as well as you. Set yourself up for a challenge, and don’t give yourself a fallback position. Take on some new responsibilities, signup to give a talk on something you’re an expert in, etc. You’ll grow, build your skill, and gain confidence.

Trust others

It’s a miserable existence when you expect others to do the wrong thing. When you put your trust in someone, and they deliver, both of you benefit.

Get Out!

Your basement, office, cube, etc. might feel comfortable, but there’s no way you’ll know what’s important unless you meet strange people. Even in a group of people with similar interests (users groups, sports teams, etc) there’s a huge variation of experience and ideas. Test your expert-level knowledge out on these people. Digital social networking is certainly useful, but you miss the personal interaction that you’ll need when you interview for your next job, or pitch your idea to a co-founder

I hope this helps. I see too many people cowering in their holes, waiting for the storm to pass. Be Lieutenant Dan, face the storm head on.

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