A recap of "Bootstrapping a career in web3 with Alisha.eth"
gm!
So here we are, my very first article to be published on the internet. You’ll see here in a second why I have chosen now and my inspiration for doing so.
I finally got around to watching "Bootstrapping a career in web3 with Alisha.eth" the other day and I highly encourage you to take a look. Nader @dabit3 and Pranav @impranavm_ interview Alisha @futurealisha about her journey into web3. I won’t recount her whole story here as I really encourage you to take a look for yourself (starts @ 1:00) but I find it generally quite similar to a lot of our paths to web3. Either through vocation or simply our innate curiosity we take a look at this web3 thing to see what it is all about and like so many of us, she got a taste and couldn’t turn back. Now how she got there and the valuable insights she’s gained along the way are really where this interview shines.
In a word, create!
“Everyone is valuable because if you can communicate your story then it will have value to someone” - Alisha.
This is, in essence, how she made it to where she is today. Prior to landing that coveted web3 gig, she created for months. Creation came in the form of podcasts, articles, connections, and friendships. This is a vital step in any endeavor but especially in web3. You are able to convey your growth - your growth of thought, your growth of skill, your growth of insight. And after a time of consistent creation, Alisha actually had some pretty great options eventually landing with the ever prescient ENS where she is currently the community manager.
Now, this penchant for creation is almost a prerequisite for success in web3. Web3 is moving so fast that job descriptions are not an accurate representation of a role (if that description even exists in the first place). This can often be the case with startups in general but it is ratcheted up to the nth degree in web3. This leads to the true fallibility of job descriptions as a way to make decisions in the space. If you look at a job description and match it to your desires you may be disappointed when the details of your job inevitably change. In contrast, if you take a job based on the people working on the project or, from a high level, the protocol or project itself then the details will work themselves out. Especially if you have a willingness to create.
Alright, so you have a willingness to create. Why is this so important? It comes down to the idea of ownership. Ownership is really the whole ethos of web3. You get to own your creation. You own your creation of data, your creation of ideas, your creation of community. To put it simply, you own your creation of value. It is why, as Pranav put it, a culture of taking ownership is so crucial. Many of the projects/protocols in web3 rely on a flat structure. The space is fast and messy and tangental so having a team that can rely on each other to take ownership of their work is a must. If they relied on traditional hierarchical structures to provide tasks and direction, nothing would ever get done. And the amazing thing is, taking ownership in your creation of value for a project actually translates to real financial ownership in the project. Contrast this with a traditional public company where ownership is afforded to shareholders. Now I am sure they have earned their share (no pun intended) but let us be honest, save the founders and early employees (if they are still involved) the current owners have nothing to do with the production of value from the company and, as a result, care about one thing, profit. Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with profit. I would go so far as to categorize it as a good thing. But being an owner removed from the inputs and outputs of a project your interests naturally gravitate towards the result of your stake.
This brings me to the last, and most important idea brought up in the conversation and that is the idea of stewardship. As the community manager of ENS, in Alisha’s view, she is simply a steward of the protocol that is serving the greater public. This helps frame this new idea of ownership whereby, as a steward, you are tasked with the health of the organization AND the community it serves. If the users of your protocol are now both contributors and owners the task of a steward becomes much more complex. As Nader put it, you are not only tasked with looking out for your own best interest but what is the collective best interest of the community. It is hard to figure out and very complex but will serve to be a much more fruitful future.
Ultimately, it is tough to be a hater when you’re also putting your work out there to be hated upon.
Hence why I have decided to start sharing my journey.
“Everyone is valuable because if you can communicate your story then it will have value to someone.”
I appreciate your encouragement, Alisha!
Thank you all for reading!
Until next time,
gmi
go make it ;)
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