Two Sides of the Coin

Meritocracy is a half-truth.

Having an education section on your resume only gets you so far. Showing up and contributing to the cause takes you farther, but the mindset that puts you on the map requires something no technical background will offer. If you don’t understand how people think and how to market yourself, you will always be a commodity.

Skill gets you in the race; story gets you the starting position.

My Wake-Up Call

I was raised by an engineer to become an engineer.

As a result, I had zero clue about the other half of the Navalian quote. The closest I had come was manning a pool toy kiosk at the local flea market in my teens. I don’t remember selling a single thing other than my sheepish grin.

I couldn’t market my way out of a wet paper bag.

Career fairs were painful. Networking and marketing felt performative to me. They seemed like an absolute waste of energy; a frenzy of mass delusion in which all you got was a load of free shirts.

All the technical prowess you possess is no longer going to cut it. If you lack skills in psychology, self-promotion, or marketing, then you’ll be invisible over the course of your career.

I realized this when I was unceremoniously laid off from my first industry job in 2016, but it didn’t truly stick until I resigned from the second one three years later.

You know yourself best. Education is also about learning to sell yourself better.

As an engineer, I know how it works. As a marketer, I am learning why it matters—to whom, compared to what, and when.

It took the harsh lessons from those experiences to land the best job I’ve had to date. I enjoy it not only because it fits with my personality, but also because I started actively highlighting my accomplishments. By regularly asking for feedback and course corrections, following up with progress updates, and providing proof of outcomes, I’ve learned to demonstrate my value.

In effect, I started putting everything into a perspective of marketing myself as a valuable asset as opposed to a useful cog.

Here’s how I actively make a case for being indispensable.

The Builder’s Marketing Playbook - 6 P’s

I’ve been at my current position for nearly six years.

From Day One, I’ve been applying these six concepts to make me stand out, stay visible, and become a subject matter expert in the eyes of my peers, my colleagues, and management at multiple levels.

If you want to give yourself the opportunity to operate at your best without hogging the spotlight, take action on these starting today:

Positioning - Clarify who you help, the outcomes, and the methods

It’s your promise in one sentence.

One sentence: I help [someone] get [result] without [pain] by [method].

For example: I help my company characterize our products without compromising on accuracy and quality by consistently scheduling, coordinating, and executing data collection and analysis.

If you’ve never done this, take half an hour to piece it together.

See if your manager can repeat it back to you.

Proof - tangible weekly progress

You provide something tangible.

It doesn’t matter what it is, but it has to be visible and easily referenced. It can be a demonstration of something, a note to your team, email threads on issues you contribute to, lessons you plan and build, or a prototype.

On a weekly basis, show consistent progress; a before and after, decisions made, or results from an experiment.

What’s the score? Do you have any summaries?

Products - your portfolio of effectiveness

This is catnip for corporate or upper management.

As invaluable as your services are, if you can’t prove it with a portfolio of accomplishments, white papers, or projects, you will definitely get canned. Heck even then, you could still be booted out…but you will have evidence to get your foot in the door of the next company.

Whatever you provide, it needs a problem, actions you took, and outcomes. The more specific the outcome in a monetary sense, the more exciting it is to the powers that be.

Can you list out the project as well as specific numbers?

Pop-Ins - be seen, be useful

If you’re just another worker in the system, you won’t stand out.

Check in with your manager. Make sure they know that you exist and that you’re working. At the very least, they should know your name and that you showed up that day. You’d be surprised how easy it can be to be a number if you keep your head down long enough (or not).

Communicate regularly with your boss and get to know those inside and outside the company that can potentially help make more impact.

Are there tangible ones that you can name?

Prompting - get feedback and shape the narrative

The previous four points are not going to cut it on their own.

Know who you help, what you provide, and have one piece of evidence.

You need a story; a narrative that highlights your accomplishments. It takes practice to tell a compelling tale so practice often.

Ideally, you want to ask your colleagues and bosses for feedback on what you’re doing. This forces a few things to happen: 1) they have to know what you’ve been up to, 2) they have to know the context in terms of the bigger picture, and 3) it gives them a chance to look good to their boss as well.

The best part about this is that you can uncover potential gaps that you can address.

What are some that come to mind?

Pull-Ins - summarize your monthly impact

You build on all the previous points to make a monthly summary or report.

It doesn’t matter how many hours you work per week if you’re there reading Reddit, watching YouTube videos, and staring off into space for hours. You need to provide results and progress on the projects you have a hand in.

A lot can happen in a month, and in my line of work it certainly does. Your memory is not perfect, and even a situation from a day or two ago can get fuzzy quickly.

Document everything from Day One. I’m in my sixth year at my current position, and I can do that.

Do you have a set that you can highlight?

The Objections I Overcame

Before my current position, I didn’t do any of the things I just described.

I worried about sounding salesy. But a clear paper trail of value isn’t bragging—it’s proof.

Clarify what you bring to the table and why you deserve to stay; proof of value always trumps the hype.

I’m a fierce introvert.

I’m an extravertive introvert. I love serial 1:1 conversations and interviews and intimate communication. I’m comfortable scaling this to a large audience as lifelong stage performer.

I recharge alone—but my track record speaks for itself.

I’m early in my career path.

It doesn’t matter. Building in public is unmistakable in what it leaves behind. My only regret is that I don’t have more digital proof to show my journey. I’ve been slowly creating all of it here over the past few years.

Don’t compete on merit alone. Compete on undeniable evidence.

It Takes Two

True mastery isn’t about building.

You must be able to demonstrate and offer it. Selling yourself and your abilities is a craft. It’s ethical, demonstrable, and can be learned. A full education requires both sides of this coin to contribute effectively and meaningfully.

The sacrifice it takes in time and effort is essential for both halves.

Sure, you can have a good life if you lack either. Most people are happy to do so, but those who grasp both sides make a mark on the world on their terms. Even a little effort to build both sides goes a long way.

Want to see what it’s like?

Try this: document one outcome and start one real conversation about its impact.