While navigating my rapidly unfolding career path, I have decided to take a moment to step back and not get swept up in the daily tasks that I focus so much of my time and efforts on to comprehend how my current work will impact and direct my career in the long-run.
Not an easy task, as many engineers will agree. Context switching takes excessive stamina, especially for those who are deep in the technical details of a few non-overlapping projects, but as I've heard and am learning, it does get easier with time and thoughtful practice. I would say experience, but I have found that many go from meeting to meeting without consciously taking in details and ideas (I like to write down notes during and after meetings to ensure I don't forget the progress or new paths forward for the project) before heading into the next meeting.
Although not all of these observed cases are the ones who evoke innovation and inspiration from others, there are those I admire who are able to gracefully switch between meetings and projects with little to no hesitation. While my strategies have worked for me thus far, I seek to improve and fine-tune my methodologies in order to further my efforts. Work smart, and work hard.
People who do not actively take notes in meetings mainly fall into two categories: 1) they have the experience s.t. the meeting's purpose is intended to provide other's with insight in a field they would be considered a Subject Matter Expert (SME), and 2) they have grown comfortable with their sufficient level of knowledge and understanding that they no longer actively attempt to learn underlying or obscure concepts that do not affect their daily lives. These two categories are aimed to capture those who are at the top of their field and have proven excellence in their careers. They understand the importance of prioritization and relevence in accordance to their own skill sets and the ones they aim to further.
As an eternal n00b, I strive to take and digest as much material as possible so that I can contribute to working on cutting-edge research and technology. I started off my career hungry to devour any and all technical material I could get my hands on and ask my peers for their insight; however, I quickly learned that this is not the most effective strategy to attain my goal.
I learned I had to use my time strategically and deliberately. It simply wasn't possible to sit in every meeting or read every paper and take extensive notes on every technical concept I had not yet encountered. I had to be deliberate with which fields I wanted to focus on and which I had the "career capital" (So Good They Can't Ignore You, Cal Newport) to be able to contribute to.
Essentially, Newport defines career capital as a combination of your specific skills in rare and valuable fields. He has a glossary at the end of his book which I find incredibly useful, although I did highlight and take notes in the margins throughout the pages.
While beginning to take a step back from my career, I have decided to document what so many people face in their working lives. Critical decisions that can ultimately change your career trajectory and the uncertainty that comes with making bold moves. Although I use the word critical, these decisions may take the form of exploring a side project in your free time, selecting and rejecting projects to work on in your career, and initiating your own research in a field you have enough career capital in to advance what we now consider the cutting-edge.
My next page will dive into analysis of my own path up to this point: the opportunities I chose to pursue, the extratcurriculars that I was able to take lessons from and apply to my career, and how I evaluated my options based on my previous experience compared to how they factored into my current state and how I would weigh them now.