What I Wish I Knew: Career EditionNecessary friction, a legislation tracker, and building bridges (Issue #299)Published inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min readJust now--A few weeks ago, we spotlighted the very Medium genre of what I wish I knew stories from people across all walks of life (therapists, data scientists, DIY home renovators, UX designers, parents) who were using Medium as an opportunity to share hard-earned lessons with the world (and with themselves).While we were putting together that issue, we stumbled upon so many great examples of this format that we decided we must dedicate an entire week to the genre. Each day will be on a theme and todays is career growth.VP of Strategy at a leadership development consultancy, Matthew Confer, shares a few lessons from the span of his entire career, including one worth keeping in mind this week: The Success Equation. Your success will be the summation of your efforts, your capacity to build relationships, and your ability to advocate for yourself, he explains. When he was starting out, he knew about the hard work part and underestimated the build relationships part: those relationships evolve over time, giving you new opportunities and collabs.Lawyer-turned-screenwriter Bharat Hari Dhakalia remembers when he tried freelance writing full-time, and how what was once his passion quickly became overwhelming: I was struggling to meet steep deadlines, writing content I did not want to write, to pay bills and rent to live in a city that only made me feel lonely and morose. What did he wish he knew? Making your passion your profession can backfire, and be careful what you wish for! (Probably not true for everyone to the same degree, but true for him.)Lastly, from the archive, heres a long list of 10 very specific things product manager Pavan Teja wishes hed known about launching great products. #3 concerns hiring: Please dont take If a person takes 10 hours to do a task, then 2 people should be able to do it in 5 hours approach. It would take 10 hours for them two to finish the task because there would be discussions and teaching involved.Those are just a few. If youre just getting started on Medium, I recommend writing one of these yourself: What I Wish I Knew About [insert anything]. Respond to this email if you do! Were going to feature more of these throughout the week. Harris SockelAlso todayA thoughtful essay from designer Michael F. Buckley on the cost of oversimplifying UX to the point where users dont have many active choices: Simplicity has its place. Removing unnecessary complexity is crucial for efficiency, usability, and accessibility. But the goal shouldnt be to eliminate all cognitive effort only unnecessary friction.Today is International Trans Day of Visibility, an annual awareness day that began in 2009 (created by Rachel Candall Crocker, a psychotherapist and activist in Michigan). The Movement Advancement Project on Medium tracks legislation affecting LGBTQIA+ visibility and equality in the U.S.If you want to figure out whether a wellness product might be a scam, dont take for granted that studies exist proving its efficacy find out who funded the studies! And remember that patents do not equal proof. Its not difficult to obtain a patent, and less than 3% of patents actually result in useful tech. (Bill Sullivan Jr) A dose of wisdomWhen a big change happens and you feel uncomfortable about it, ask yourself: Are you defending a wall or building a bridge? (Bahram H Yousefi, Dr.)