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So true. Keep the insights coming.

In moderation.

Peter Principle anybody?

Not necessarily. If you go in way over your head you also run the risk of getting so downhearted about whatever it is that you will just back off, and never go back to it again.

Agree with Harry. Fastest way to graduate from beginner is to get in way over your head.

Also the fastest way to crash and burn.

Risk and reward folks. The higher risk reward path almost alays come with a bigger chance of crashing. Thatls what makes it fun. In this case, you’l at least learn what you don’t know.

Risk and reward folks. The higher reward path almost always comes with a bigger chance of crashing. That’s what makes it fun. In this case, you’ll at least learn what you don’t know.

This quote reminds me about an article I read on success bias.

This is when we are given advice by already successful people after making the assumption that it is solely the strategy and not the circumstances that lead to success.

Naturally, all the grads who are in way over their head are either in deeply debt, homeless or dealing with their inability to manage or assess risk. That’s what “in way over their head” means. You need your head! :)

I’m all for positivity, but cannot stress the importance of Eric W’s comment – failure is a necessary component of success.

So I guess in a way you are right, get way in over your head, fail and then learn from it!

Well, in that case, I say it depends on the situation and how delusional the person is that is putting themselves in way over their head. for example.

if you are putting an amatuer in who is young strong and good with a bunch of professionals, who is undoubtedly in over their head, i am for it. however, if you are pitting a college grad against a bunch of seasoned negotiators, they are going to walk away with their head bitten off.

depending on the talent and experience of the person and secondly, on their personality, their resilience you can better judge.

If this sort of advice makes you shake and sweat, it’s probably not for you. On the other hand, if you want to tap into your potential, if you want to see what you’re truly capable of, then may as well set the standard high and get into what you believe is way over your head. You may be pleasantly surprised that the water’s not that deep afterall. : )

This is what I’m currently doing (in my first job out of college). I had a choice between working on many different teams and products at a large software company. Rather than picking an easy-sounding one that matched my current skill set, I chose a very complicated one in an area where I only have a small amount of experience. I did this for almost the exact reason you mentioned in your quote: throwing myself into the deep end would hopefully force me to grow and progress quickly.

It’s been a trying few months as I struggle to wrap my head around an extremely complicated system, and at times, I have felt very discouraged. In the past couple weeks though, there have been signs that I’m starting to turn the corner.

My hope is that, 12 months from now, I’ll be able to look back and be extremely happy with my decision. This post has definitely added to my confidence.

There’s “over your head” and there’s “stupid”. “Over your head” just means being in a place (physical or metaphorical) that’s unfamiliar and holds inherent challenges. I’ve learned every programming language I know by just jumping into it feet first and building something. Initially I had no idea what I was doing, but by the end I had a good grasp on the material.

“Stupid” on the other hand would be taking your life savings and investing it in a startup to create iPhone applications when you don’t even know how to use a computer all that well. There’s people every day that jump into some business they know nothing about just because it’s “hot” and they crash and burn hard because they didn’t have the requisite skills.

So yeah, get “over your head” but keep your head while you do it.

The number of absolutisms I read on this site is extremely high and leads me to think that the writers lead lives (or, more likely, want to lead them) with no sense of relativism. I get the impression the writers are not confronted with moral dilemmas where the possible decisions or paths have strong positive and negative outcomes and, so, out come the black and white dictums. I find it a bit fascistic, in the sense of ‘you’d do well to follow us, those who don’t are outcasts’.

Every once in a while there’s a useful item about design or project approach worth thinking over. But items like this are really old hat and truly un-universal.

Totally agreed, but don’t recommend trying this in an interview. “Why do you think you’re a fit for this job?” “Oh because it’s way over my head! I love challenges!”

this kind of implicitly goes against your other advice from yesterday about not quitting your job.

@Anonymous Coward:

Hardly. This advice is referring to working on things that are more difficult than you’re comfortable with. Yesterday’s advice was about developing projects on the side rather than quitting your job.

Their only relation is the fact that “getting in way over your head” is an appropriate metaphor for both. The meaning behind the metaphor is completely different.

At my first job, my managers would call it “Sink till you float.”

I love how we all try to pick apart everything that is posted on this site. Such is the sad life of blog commenters who aren’t able to lead something on their own.

It’s so easy to consult. Much harder to actually pull it off.

Nobody is perfect, but overall 37s is putting some great content out for everyone to chew on based on successful experience. I don’t agree with everything, but most of it has helped shape my views for the better.

Keep it coming, the community needs this.

I agree somewhat. Its much easier to say this if you end up succeeding.

But if you dont make it – i.e. if you end up sinking in the “sink or swim” analogy, it can be really frustrating at first and that frustration shouldn’t be taken lightly. Frustration for failures shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when trying to mentor younger people who may be used to succeeding.

This is my mantra this week. I’m working on a complicated slice of a pre-beta open source project (my first) on a platform I’ve never used. It’s the mental equivalent of hanging onto an inner-tube being pulled behind a motor boat… and equally fun :)

Easy to pick at every little word, but I take this “realization” to mean that the easiest way to go beyond beginner status is simply to start...jump into the project (whatever) with your whole self.

Getting in way over your head can be the smartest thing you ever do- you don’t have to be suicidal about it -it’s putting yourself up against a wall, and finding your own ingenuity and intuition by working through a situation (whether physical or mental) where you have no way out.

Every fiber of your being has to be directed at what you are doing…it’s overcoming fear by putting yourself into a spot where failure “is not an option.” (sorry about the silly cliche, but it’s true here)

Not recommended for those learning to box

Wow, I came back to this little post because I think it’s awesome. It’s interesting to see so many people get so deep in the replies. I guess overly passionate readers are better than passionless readers. ;)