NETWORKING!
I'm a techie, and "schmoozing" is not my thing.
But at the bottom line, once I learned to build my personal network of contacts, and expand my horizons outside of a few other techies, success became a lot easier.
Often, techies are not the best team players. Many of us (including myself) did not play team sports in school, nor associate with the "jocks" and "beautiful people." Subject to frequent scorn and taunting, the "weenies" hid in the corner and kept to themselves. At night, hiding in a room with a computer all night with pizza and Coke was the essence of nirvana. Online conversations and anonymous "handles" prevented others from knowing that you had a band-aid on the nose bridge of your black-plastic glasses.
News Flash: It takes OTHER PEOPLE to be successful. Even the most recluse, expert programmer cannot succeed until someone else BUYS THEIR WORK.
The toughest thing I did in my life was to learn how to come out of the shell. But since I did, success has been MUCH easier.
And if you're reading this and it hits home, but you don't know what to do, here's a hint: SMILE!
That's only the first step, but it really helps.
