Note To My Younger Self - by Yew Jin Lim - What YJ Thinks

After two decades in Big Tech, I’ve learned that career success comes down to embarrassingly simple principles that almost nobody follows - including my younger self, who definitely wouldn’t have listened. These lessons came through trial, error, and observing countless brilliant people. Simple doesn’t mean easy, and knowing doesn’t mean doing. Youth, as they say, is wasted on the young. Here’s what I would tell my younger self today (if they’d actually listen): Love the Work (Not the Ladder) Master the Art of “Why?” Build Real Relationships (With Strategic Kindness) Bring Joy to Work (Yes, Really) Communicate Like Your Career Depends on It (It Does) Systematically Document Your Impact Turn Feedback Into Fuel Your Boss Matters More Than You Think Fair Warning: Every career advice post suffers from survivorship bias, and this one’s no exception. I can’t tell you about all the times these principles didn’t work - because I wasn’t there to see them fail. I can only connect the dots lookin

After two decades in Big Tech, I’ve learned that career success comes down to embarrassingly simple principles that almost nobody follows - including my younger self, who definitely wouldn’t have listened. These lessons came through trial, error, and observing countless brilliant people. Simple doesn’t mean easy, and knowing doesn’t mean doing. Youth, as they say, is wasted on the young. Here’s what I would tell my younger self today (if they’d actually listen): Love the Work (Not the Ladder) Master the Art of “Why?” Build Real Relationships (With Strategic Kindness) Bring Joy to Work (Yes, Re