Compound interest in skills

The skills you build early become the foundation for everything that follows. Choose them deliberately.

Some skills are foundational

Writing clearly, thinking critically, communicating effectively—these skills amplify everything else you do. They're force multipliers.

Learning to program doesn't just let you build software. It changes how you think about problems. It gives you leverage over repetitive tasks. It opens career options you didn't know existed.

The compounding effect

Skills build on skills. Once you can write, you can write documentation, blog posts, proposals, books. Once you can program, you can automate, build tools, create products.

Early investments in foundational skills pay dividends for decades. The returns compound as you build more advanced capabilities on top of them.

Choosing wisely

Not all skills are equal. Some are highly specific and decay quickly. Others are broadly applicable and remain valuable as the world changes.

Prioritize skills that are durable (won't become obsolete), transferable (useful across many contexts), and compounding (enable other skills).