I want to introduce you to Louie, who refers to himself as the awkward engineer. Louie’s story will inspire those of you who know you’re more than your job, who have bigger ambitions than the ones you’ve been recognized for, and who have endless knowledge but too few people to share it with.
In other words, almost everybody.
In his words: “Before I quit my high-paying job to work for myself, I was the youngest Senior Director in Walmart Engineering. I had the most promotions in the shortest amount of time and I climbed six levels in four years.” Louie built Pharmacy Tech for Walmart, with over $35 billion in annual revenue and over 100 million patients.
Louie’s always been driven—but was he happy? Like so many who are stuck in jobs that don’t light them up, money didn’t give him what he was looking for. Louie came from poverty. He ascended through the traditional system, but now he sought meaningful ownership in something he could create for himself.
Louie enrolled in Write of Passage in search of change. He set up his website, wrote his first draft, and published his first article. Then he did it again. And again. A few months later, he shared this tweet: “David teaches a course that can only be described as the Harvard of Cohort Based Courses…. The course and the caliber of people are incredible.“
Write of Passage launched Louie off the sidelines and into the world of ideas.
Write of Passage turned Louie into a creator. His audience grew so much that he recently ditched a steady paycheck to chase his dreams of entrepreneurship. Look at all he’s done since:
- Launched a newsletter: M&M (Memes and Motivation)
- Published over 100 essays
- Gained 18,000 Twitter followers in just under a year
- Sold 1,400 seats of his online course: “Timeless Career Advice for Engineers”
- Started a podcast: “Engineering Advice You Didn’t Ask For”
- Created ThreadX, a tool to give feedback on Twitter thread drafts
- Helped launch multiple SaaS businesses
Louie took 15 years of engineering knowledge and shared it with the world. Eighteen months later, his life is transformed. He found himself and his connection to others through writing. His practice and the community surrounding him have paved the way for his grand transformation. Not bad for an “awkward engineer.”
How much have you learned in five, ten, or twenty-plus years of working? What could you build if you shared it with the world? There’s valuable knowledge inside you. Writing unlocks your vault of inner wisdom. No more hoarding ideas. It’s time to start sharing them.
