Feeling Stuck? Stop Asking For Permission to Do Great Work

Okay, so I wanted to make this video because I see many people feeling stuck in their career. You know, have you ever caught yourself thinking if only I can get into this company role or school then I can finally do great work? I used to be stuck in this mindset, but I've come to realize that you don't need anyone's permission to do your best work. Instead, you can just do things. So, let's talk about why chasing

credentials is ultimately a dead end. real examples of people who have succeeded by skipping the gatekeepers and how to just do things in the AI era without seeking permission. If you are a young person or someone who feels stuck in their career, I think this video is a mustwatch. So, I've spent a lot of time chasing credentials. I have degrees from Brown and MIT. I've had jobs at Meta, Reddit, Amazon, and other leading tech companies. Now, don't get me wrong, fancy credentials can open doors, but

it's harder than ever to get into the best colleges and land a great job at a top tech company with a lot of these companies doing layoffs still. More importantly, chasing credentials blindly will ultimately lead to an unfulfilling career because of two things. Number one, you stop following your curiosity. For example, I wasted years doing consulting because I thought that's what the other smart kids wanted after college. And number two, you don't build real skills. Getting perfect grades and memorizing PM interview frameworks takes time away from developing real skills like building, selling, and writing. In today's era, you can just do things. For

example, Jay Young was a 19-year-old when he became head of growth for Noah Kagan, an amazing entrepreneur. He got the job by making a full deck that he co-demmed to Noah with ideas on how to grow his newsletter. Noah hired him over other candidates with better credentials. And now Jay runs his own business. As another example, Shopify is notoriously hard to get into. Their hiring rate is as low as 0. 3%. But Ashar, a Waterlue undergrad, found a way to reach Shopify CEO directly. He built an app helping students find study spots on campus and shared it on Twitter. His post went viral and got the attention of Toby, Shopify's CEO. I follow up with Axar over email

and confirmed that he got the Shopify job. One more example. Many years ago, I was leading product for a credit card marketplace. I was running a ton of growth experiments to optimize this marketplace. I found myself doing work that I didn't enjoy. So, that's why I

decided to start writing my newsletter to share my knowledge about the creator and consumer product space. And now, years later, over 100,000 people read it every week. And you can find a link in the description. You know, Naval had a

great quote that changed how I think about careers forever. Code and media are permissionless leverage. You can create software and media that works for you while you sleep. An army of robots is freely available. Use them. And AI has made this army of robots more accessible than ever. I use AI to help me in my PM job, to help me edit my newsletter, to research podcast guests, and so much more. So, instead of seeking permission from admission officers, recruiters, and even hiring managers, why not solve real problems for real customers? You know, I have young kids, and these days it seems like every parent is obsessed about getting their kids into Stanford and fan companies. They pack their kids schedules full of after-school programs and weekend activities. I want to teach my kids to think independently and pursue their curiosity instead. I'll even do their homework if it means that they can have more time to explore what they're actually passionate about. So, to wrap

up, I share this advice probably once a week with students and people trying to transition into product management. My point is, stop asking to have a call. pick someone's brain and grab coffee. Stop chasing the same schools and jobs that everyone else is chasing. Stop being proud of ex company or ex-title on your LinkedIn. Instead, don't wait for permission to do your best work. The only people you just seek permission from are real customers who want to pay you to solve real problems. This path isn't easy, but it'll make work feel like play and help you build real skills, relationships, and confidence that nobody can take away from you. I hope this video helped you if you feel like you're stuck. And please like and subscribe, and let me know in the comments if you found this helpful. Thanks so much.