Likes & Launch

When I left American Express in 2010, I had no idea I’d end up at a VC firm after two startups. Looking back now I can connect the dots but the path for a lot of people is not very clear looking forward. When you don’t know where you’re heading, the best bet is to build the skills you might need. 

When I would get frustrated at Amex because I wanted more challenging problems (woo hoo Gen Y), my parents would tell me, “Brittany, you’re getting paid to learn. Learn as much as you can while you’re there.”

You can use that advice in any role you’re in. Whether you want to stay within the company you’re at, you want to switch roles or you want to build something on your own. Find ways to learn the skills that will make you a better candidate. The good news is, most of the time you don’t need anyone’s permission. 

My perspective changed about Excel documents at Amex, when I viewed it as a craft that I wanted to master. I asked colleagues for advice on more advanced features and watched tutorials online. I improved my team’s files and learned about Macros that would come back in future jobs. It wasn’t the ‘coolest’ skill to learn but I’ve saved a lot of time building Excel models ever since.

When I was building a startup at gtrot, I realized my ability to communicate with our dev team and screen potential technical hires was weak. I decided to spend 12 weeks learning to code through Starter League. The extra 8 hours a week was a commitment but it enabled me to read our code base, better communicate with our team and build prototypes when describing new features. I never thought I would become a full time developer, but I’ve used those skills to be a better leader, entrepreneur and VC.

If you’re not sure where your career will take you, make sure you are learning as much as possible where you are. Once you build your skill set  no one can take that away from you.

If you’re not sure what skills you’re going to need, I believe web development, understanding data to make decisions, and strong communication skills are increasing in value. I’ve been using this blog to try to up the third one. Advice welcome!