Talking With The Experts

Experts are experts for a reason. They’ve spent their time researching and putting their passion into their field, and more often than not, experts LOVE to talk about what they are passionate about. I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t want to talk about their favourite hobby or loved job. If you catch someone who loves to talk about the knowledge you need, you’ve got a gold mine!

Sometimes it can be hard to determine who is going to be helpful to you, no matter if it’s in the form of a book or a face-to-face meeting. Just don’t give up on someone too quickly, as it may take some time for the person you are speaking with to get comfortable with you. Remember to be respectful and patient, rather than pushy. They are offering their time to you, after all!

Most people will be hesitant to spend money on a book when you are unsure how useful it will be, but to that, I would always suggest audio books, podcasts, and the library. These are often excellent resources for exploring authors or personalities free of charge, and if you don’t have a library card already, I would always encourage having one! Small bookstores, in addition to libraries, may also host local authors to go over their works, and depending on the advice you are looking for, might be exactly what you might need.

“But Dan,” I hear you say, “sometimes I don’t even know what I’m looking for. How am I supposed to find the expert that I need?”

Let me be straight with you. There is no catch-all, easy way to figure out who your experts are. It’s trial and error, but that should be more than okay to you. Even if you don’t find the answers you were looking for right away, you will still get a bunch of interesting and potentially valuable information as a result. Don’t discount it! You never know when knowledge will come in handy! Even if it doesn’t appear to be related to what you need now, there may come a time when it becomes relevant.

Speaking of experts, if you’re looking for information on leveling up your career game, you’re already in a good place! Our resident career guru, Luki Danukarjanto, has dedicated himself to helping anyone, young and old, find the next steps in their careers. He offers one-on-one consultations, workshops, and even wrote a book on stuff you wish you knew earlier. As someone who has used Luki’s services, I know that the majority of people will get something from his expertise. I can certainly attribute the job I took in copywriting to him and his advice, as he helped steer me in the right direction.

No matter which experts you manage to start a conversation with, learn all that you can, and who knows, maybe you will be that expert for someone else someday.