Advice

Promoting Professional Geekery #2: Contribute To A Site

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Last time we discussed promoting the idea of professional geekery, I discussed sharing your mistakes, since mistakes are great to learn from, and you might as well share your greatest screw-us to spare people some pain.  Now, though I'm sure all of us have some spectacularly displays of dumb, let's take a positive focus for this column.

So you want to promote the idea of professional geekery, that what you love can indeed be your career, your calling.

There's many sites out there that are quite inspiring – I'd like to think we're one, of course.   There are plenty of examples, from 3 Geeks and a law blog, or even community-industry focused blogs like the Smart Bitches that are great for professional geeks.

You probably read a few.

So, start writing for them.

Really, you've probably got plenty of stories to tell that promote the professional geek, profan, protaku dreams.  Maybe they're cautionary tales of what happens after you graduate, grand adventures, or stories of a successfully tame career.  Either way you have plenty of things to say (even if, as noted last time, they're warnings).

Think people don't want to hear your stories?  Well you won't know if you try.

Even if you're telling a tale everyone else has told, changes are you'll be reaching people who need to hear it and happen to this time.

Even if your story is so weird or hard to relate to, chances are someone can – and has been waiting to hear about a person, experience, or career like theirs.

So, go out and contact the people at these blogs and sites and start writing for them.

Now I don't recommend just asking "hey, can I write," even though that may work.  I also don't recommend going super-formal unless said site seems to encourage or want that.

Here's what I'd recommend:

  • Have an idea of what you want to do – a column or two, a series, or a regular.  Include that in a letter.
  • Be friendly and social, don't go overly formal unless, again, it's strongly encouraged.
  • Be willing to propose writing a few articles ahead or even delivering a whole series.
  • Stay in touch – follow the site or contact on twitter, add them on LinkedIn, etc.  Don't be wham-bam-goodbye.
  • Become part of the community or form bonds with the people you work with.

Go on, share that professional geekery.  In fact, we'd love to hear from you here, and you can contact me at my site.

– Steven Savage

Promoting Professional Geekery #1: Share Your Mistakes

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Welcome to my new series – a series on Promoting Professional Geekery.

We, as profans, progeeks, and protaku take pride in our dreams – and achievements – to turn our interests into careers.  We build ourselves into our own ideals, we realize dreams others aspire to, we turn the daily grind into something far more.

It's time we promote that.

Read more

How To Get Nudged With Email

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I've mentioned Carol Tice's Make a Living Writing – her newsletter is one I get in my inbox daily, and it's helpful because of a lot of useful advice.

In fact there are several email alerts and newsletters I get (and I do both my own and the Geek Scanner), and I find these useful for any number of reasons – good resources, useful advice, etc.  But there's one important trait all newsletter have.

They nudge you.

That email is in your inbox, arriving regularly, reminding you.  You have to do something with them – answer them, file them, something.  You are regularly reminded of the knowledge within them.

Oh sure, you can ignore them or filter them.  Of course they become reminders as you do so, little clouds of electrons that remind you that you're ignoring all that advice you wanted.

You can overdo this (trust me, I have before).  But it's a nice way to remind yourself to read the advice you signed up for – and why you signed up for it.

Go on.  Annoy yourself into productivity.

– Steven Savage