Experience is being underrated
A quick review about experience in an industry where being young is an overrated skill.
I started my company when I was 23. During all these years I’ve been learning a huge amount of different things, most of them related with computer science, design, business, management and, of course, with people. Among others, I’ve learnt JavaScript by prototyping some things, I’ve learnt design by designing everything I’ve could, I’m learning how to process feedback by discussing my work with others, and how to manage teams by trying to get things done in the best way, with the constraints we had.
I’ve learnt a lot of what I know by doing, which is great; but it’s not enough. By doing you learn about other things; You learn how to use tools, how to solve mathematical problems or how important was Charles Darwin.
By doing you learn about other things, by living you learn about yourself.
And experience sometimes is being underrated. Being able to stay calm when things are going wrong or when things are going awesome, or knowing how and when to say no, are things that only experience teaches you. And experience makes you a much better professional — and of course, a much better human being — even if you can not optimise an algorithm enough, or reach the pixel perfect kind of level in your designs.
When talking about startups, I sometimes miss people who have those skills. I sometimes miss people that relativises the success, or becomes constructive after failing massively. I sometimes miss people who doesn’t call themselves ‘Senior _________ ’, just because they have built a bunch of things, in such a short period of time.
Experience is defined as practical contact with and observation of facts or events, and there are thousands of facts and events that you only learn by living.
I tell you, experience is being underrated.
