Torturous Chaos, Until It Isn’t

Jason Cohen is talking about bootstrapping startups here, but it might as well be about job searching in this market.

These things mean you haven’t yet succeeded, but neither do they prove that you’re failing. It’s always like this until it isn’t.

It’s like this with every client I’ve ever had who got a job.

They grind for many weeks, then we almost always have this long conversation about how tired they are of pushing. They’re feeling like giving up. Maybe this isn’t working, or ever will. Maybe it’s time to move back to America. Or Singapore.

And then… the next day they get an offer.

Not because that’s predictable. Not because anyone can promise that. No one can tell you when an offer will come, and definitely not that it will come tomorrow!

I’m not saying progress isn’t linear. It isn’t, but it’s not just that.

I'm saying the *feeling* of progress definitely isn’t linear.

It’s a torturous chaos until it isn’t.