Skin in the Game

My entry into the software world was a bit odd.

1. I applied to 75 jobs after 1 semester of a Computer Science degree. I landed exactly one interview, and somehow made it in.
2. I ended up across the street from where one of my relatives worked.
3. He complained about processes at work, I pitched that I could build something.
4. I built an automation, teaching myself dev ops, relational dbs, PHP, AWS, and anything I needed to make the thing work. And, I built it all in 2 months completely on the side.
5. I demoed the automation, pitched it, and sold it for a whopping 2,000 (that was like, $20 an hour man!).

That created a trajectory which exposed me to a ton of mistakes and learning extraordinarily early in my career.

All because I was willing to put some skin into the game.

Reflecting on that, a few thoughts:

• Skin in the game means being able to face rejection.
• Skin in the game means seeing opportunities behind problems.
• Skin in the game means taking risks that may go nowhere, but have the potential to change everything.
• Skin in the game means you will likely look back laughing at the mistakes you made on the way, but grateful for everything you’ve done.

So… if you’ve been feeling stuck, ask yourself how you can pivot. How can you get some skin into the game?