#58 No experience is Irrelevant

Money - that’s the only thing I thought about in 2013. I realized I was dependent on my parents for too long. So, I started saying “Yes” to creative assignments. I didn’t know any skill. But, I was confident that I can learn anything over a weekend. And, most times I did.

The first time someone asked me if I can design a short film poster, I said yes. I also said I would deliver it in two days. But, I didn’t know how to design a short film poster. I learned the basics of Photoshop over a weekend and delivered the poster on the said date. The client was happy. Two day later, I got another order from his friend.

I repeated the same framework and it helped me a great deal in my 20s. I’ve designed short film posters and logos, worked as a travel and wedding photographer,  and wrote ad copies and short stories as a freelancer. All these gigs paid me well. As a bonus, they gave me a great deal of life experience.

Today, as a marketer, I still use those skills to communicate better. Whenever I have an idea, I am able to communicate 100% of it with people I work with - in the form of mockups, storyboards, or wireframes. Sometimes, I don’t wait for others to design a marketing collateral. I roll up my sleeves and design it myself. I was reading “Pour your heart into it” by Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, recently and I came across an interesting quote to which I was able to relate instantly.

“Every experience prepares you for the next one. You just don’t ever know what the next one is going to be.”

No experience is irrelevant. If you have the chance to learn something new and exciting, do it without questioning too much about where would it fit on your resume. It would fit in, some day.