Why settle for being mediocre when you can be extraordinary?

zaccohn.com

13 points·zacharycohn··3 comments

High school kid works for the NSA his HS senior year? Really?

And you never know, folks - mediocre works for lots of people, especially in technology. It's something to keep your mind open about. There's more money in Big IT, and Big IT is all about mediocrity above all else.

And deciding you're "solidly in the middle of the pack" while in college... you have miles to go before you know where you're at.

No snark, no sarcasm - just statistical inevitability.

Excellent comment. The notion of mediocrity is often interchangeable with the notion of compromise, a critical skill in life and engineering. I wish I had learned that in college.

It seems to me that "getting shit done" is a tad vague to be useful as a professional goal.

Edit: On second reading, I realize that Mr. Zac is sort of talking about compromise. He's accepting his development skills as they are -- "good enough" to be effective in whatever other managerial or planning roles he pursues.

I like the general idea of the post, but I don't think being savvy in business and in tech is enough anymore. At this point in the game I think you actually need to be savvy in design and user experience as well. So much of a product is in the users perception of it and his/her experience with it. This is a major strength of Steve Jobs, who is notorious noir only for his tech insight and sharp business skills, but also his understanding of the end user and visual appeal.

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