9 hours ago
- Cold outreach played a key role in three major life changes: getting off Carnegie Mellon's waitlist, landing a job at GitHub, and co-owning a soccer club.
- Applying to CMU with additional material despite initial waitlist hesitation led to acceptance from a very low probability pool.
- A cold email to GitHub's Chris Wanstrath resulted in a junior developer job offer, despite the author's perceived lack of qualifications.
- A cold Twitter DM led to partial ownership of a soccer club, which expanded into Serie A involvement and sports investments.
- Failed cold outreach attempts are often forgotten, while successful ones are remembered, contrasting with gambler's recall bias.
- Success requires taking action: reaching out authentically and genuinely, avoiding insincere or self-serving approaches.
- Recipients of cold outreach should pay it forward by being open to unsolicited resumes and emails, expanding networks and reducing blind spots.
- The roles of sender and receiver can swap over time, emphasizing the non-linear nature of life and career progression.