> - one of the keys to success is being likable. skills/talent alone won't carry you to the top. they can take you far, but if you want to be a star, you gotta know how to hustle. i.e., networking, getting your name/face out there, being likable. if, like many on HN, you want to be an entrepreneur, never stop selling yourself.
My experience has been that this has little to do with being likable. In my experience, most less-technical people prefer confident behavior. Behavior that I (and many technical people) would characterize as arrogant.
If I was advising a younger self, I'd point out that self-aggrandizement, to a certain degree, is acceptable and even good. I seemed to figure it out on my own, though.
but, uh, yeah. being confident enough to promote yourself, on the balance, seems to be more important than not being an asshole. (now, if you can promote yourself without being an asshole, that's even better. I'm just saying, if you have to make a choice, it seems that being a self-aggrandizing asshole seems to be better than being quiet and shy, I mean, as an Entrepreneur. As an Engineer, the equation is somewhat different.)
My experience has been that this has little to do with being likable. In my experience, most less-technical people prefer confident behavior. Behavior that I (and many technical people) would characterize as arrogant.
If I was advising a younger self, I'd point out that self-aggrandizement, to a certain degree, is acceptable and even good. I seemed to figure it out on my own, though.
but, uh, yeah. being confident enough to promote yourself, on the balance, seems to be more important than not being an asshole. (now, if you can promote yourself without being an asshole, that's even better. I'm just saying, if you have to make a choice, it seems that being a self-aggrandizing asshole seems to be better than being quiet and shy, I mean, as an Entrepreneur. As an Engineer, the equation is somewhat different.)