- 512-814-6719
Not too long in to my first endeavor into the corporate world of software, I received a peculiar compliment. “Dylan, you have mastered the art of bull s***ing” they said. In the moment, I thought it was a derogatory mark toward my creativity and imagination. In reality, they were complimenting my ability to make things up, on the spot, and with great relevance. From metaphors to drawings and complete systems ideas, I would b.s. my way into real solutions for people in the workplace. Customers loved it. My team was both appreciative of it and a little annoyed by it. (If y’all are reading this, thanks for putting up with me!)
Another story that moved me in the business world happened to me while we peered out towards the White House from a bar in D.C. A man well on his way in life looked at me and asked me, “How did you do it Dylan? How did we end up in the same place with two very different ways of getting here?” The context being that he had followed the path well laid out for him, from the degree he earned in college, to the woman he married, to even where they got married. Whereas I….I didn’t have a degree, I didn’t do much of what my parents wanted, I didn’t have ANY of the paper qualifications to be where I was at. Yet, there we were, two totally different worlds working side by side on a common mission. He asked a bit rhetorically because he knew at that time what I didn’t. Being risk tolerant got me where I was, and where I am. I see things that are not visible and hear what is not spoken and follow that. *Wild spirit fingers directed toward your face*
Theres been a lingering Idea in the amorphous obelisk (my think tank thought bank) about these skill wallets that give us a self assessment of our technical skills in a very, arbitrary, yet relevant way. This is my mock one for my self
I spent years sitting in rooms where people were wayyy smarter than me. Not just a little… a lot. They were doing big things then… and even bigger ones now. They each treated my like the large, clumsy little brother I was; with care. The experience produced what. Iike to think of as my 4 year study of business and entrepreneurship. My stint in the traditional workplace ended when I had my own dreams and Ideas to pursue. I left the nest to find a place for these ideas and that brings us to now!
Aren’t these usually a little buzzwordy?
I read that “paradoxically, computers very well may be the catalyst that brings humanity back in to the real world” or something like that and it resonated. I take on projects where the computer piece is either facilitating real world connections or complimenting them.
A world where we spend 90%+ of our time doing things and less than 10% computing about them.
