Today I had a call with one of our PRO members. Let’s call him James.
James wants a job in data science. He’s been studying for months. Courses, certifications, tutorials. 30 minutes a day, sometimes more.
But something’s off.
He keeps asking: “Am I learning the right thing?”
That question is killing his progress.
Here’s what I told him:
Consistency is important. But consistency without focus is fake consistency.
You can show up every day, but if you’re constantly questioning whether you’re on the right path, you’ll never build momentum.
Focus has to come first.
And focus doesn’t come from guessing. Or blindly following a course curriculum. It comes from research.
Work backwards:
- Go on Indeed, Glassdoor, Seek, LinkedIn
- Find 50-100 job postings for the role you want
- Look at the skills they require
- Look at the industries, companies, salaries
- Identify the gaps between where you are and where you need to be
Pro tip: Validate your findings by checking Upwork. Look at two things: (1) what top freelancers list as their skills, and (2) what jobs clients are actually posting.
Warning: this takes time. Real time. 5-10 hours minimum.
But you’re setting your direction for months, maybe years.
Don’t short-change yourself. And don’t pick a direction because someone told you to.
Pick it because you’ve seen the evidence yourself. Then commit.
Once you know you’re learning the right thing, you can actually be consistent.
No more second-guessing. No more wondering if you should switch paths.
Now wouldn’t that feel nice?
Research → Clarity → Focus → Consistency → Results
Kirill
P.S. If you’re learning something right now but can’t explain why it’s the right thing to learn — that’s your sign to stop and do the research.