Discover your 10% edge

How to be good or get good at something fast

Read Time: 4 min

Hi networkers,

Is 2024 the year you want to:

  1. Become a content creator?

  2. Or become good at something, and do it fast?

Whether it’s starting your own podcast, or landing an internship, if either scenario applies to you, then the 10% edge is something you need to learn.

🏁 Here’s the route for this week’s run:

🎙️ Your 10% Edge

💡 Momentum Dashboard

📍 Go-To Networking Events

TOPIC
Your 10% Edge

The idea behind the 10% edge is:

  1. You don’t need to be an expert in your field with years of experience to teach others. You just need to be slightly ahead of them.

  2. Vice versa, you learn better from those slightly ahead of you, compared to those with dozens of years of experience.

Using The 10% Edge

I first experienced this after completing two internships and returning to school for my last semester.

For 8 months, I worked at Scotiabank learning about private wealth, bonds, and other banking operations.

Now I’m back in class trying to solve an equation with more letters than there are numbers.

Something hit me.

I had learned more from my 30-year-old manager (who didn’t even study finance) than I did from my seasoned finance professor.

In other words, working for 8 months had provided me with more value than all my years of university.

My internships taught me a lesson. If you want to learn actual, real-world skills, it will come from finding people on your path.

Finding My 10% Edge

The next time I experienced this was when I discovered my own 10% edge. What am I slightly ahead of others in? It was internships.

In 2023 I started this newsletter but I ended up taking a 4-month hiatus due to writer’s block and imposter syndrome. (You can read about it here)

A big part of me coming back was remembering the 10% edge.

I didn’t need to be a best-selling author to write. I was just a little ahead of my peers, and that was enough.

If anything, my content was more helpful because students could relate to me better!

So that’s the 2nd lesson to take away.

If you’ve been thinking of starting your own thing, don’t be afraid of being unqualified, because all you need to be is slightly ahead of your audience.

Actionable Steps

  • Reflect on your career journey and focus on learning from those slightly ahead of you. Ex. other interns

  • Thinking of producing content? Determine what it is you’re slightly ahead of others in, and hone in on that area

Until next time, bundle up! 🧤

-Michael Ly

TIP/TOOL OF THE WEEK
Momentum Dashboard

We’ve talked about The 10% Edge being a great motivator for overcoming imposter syndrome.

But here’s another tool to give you daily inspiration. It’s a Google extension called Momentum.

Momentum is a simple yet powerful UI that overhauls your new tab page.

You get beautiful wallpapers with daily quotes and an option to set your focus for the day.

All in all, it’s a great productivity tool I’ve used to declutter my browser.

Check it out here!

Go-To Networking Events
📍Checkpoints📍 

Albourne's Virtual Recruitment & Networking Event

  • Time: Jan 16, 5:30 - 6:60 pm EST (Online)

  • Detail: Learn more about Albourne, their learning-focused and diversity-centered work culture, and their open Toronto-based internships in Operational Due Diligence during this 1-hour virtual recruitment and networking event.

  • Register here 

TTI Canada - Open House

  • Time: Jan 17, 1:00 - 2:00 pm EST (Virtual)

  • Detail: Get ready for an event filled with TTI highlights, expert advice, inspiring speakers, and engaging videos! It's the perfect chance to discover some of the exciting roles we will fully inform you on for a potential fit come graduation or as a summer internship/co-op

  • Register here 

Koru’s Summer ‘24 Internship: Info Session

  • Time: Jan 24, 5:00 EST (Virtual)

  • Detail: As a BizOps Intern you will have a unique opportunity to be exposed to a wide array of industries and be a vital voice about the Koru portfolio. You will have the opportunity to jump into the world of early-stage investing and explore first-hand how to think like both

    an investor and a builder.

  • Register here 

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