Student Question:
Hello, I’m genuinely happy to have joined your knowledge community. I’m 32, female, ten years out of school — five years of finance experience and two-plus years as a corporate risk control specialist (not particularly skilled in that role; I’ve always felt finance suits me better, but I never followed through on getting certified). My company has been struggling these past two years, with salary cuts and layoffs. I’m now looking to re-enter the job market.
I remember reading in one of your articles — the general idea being that finding a niche for a side hustle online can be enough to ensure basic financial stability. I’m not naturally social. With that in mind, which direction would you recommend for re-employment:
- TikTok short-form video, which is the hottest thing right now
- E-commerce
- Going back to my previous finance work
These are the options I’ve been able to think of. I’d love your guidance.
Can a signature skill be deliberately cultivated? Is there a direction? How does one find it? I haven’t found mine yet.
Master Chi’s Response:
First: At 32, you can only move from strength to strength. You need to honestly analyze what you are truly best at. E-commerce and short-form video — both are quite far from where you stand right now. When I say “strength,” I mean a real, technical skill. This is an era that demands a signature skill. Without one, you are left competing for highly replaceable work.
Second: Your domain of expertise. You are still young. At 32, eight years of cultivating a signature skill puts you at 40 — exactly the right age to be hitting your stride. When you have no goal, make finding a goal your goal. That’s as far as I can take you here. After all, university graduates working as food delivery couriers have already reached thirty percent. If all you have is personal character — diligence, carefulness — and nothing else of real value, understand this: those are not signature skills. Anyone can be careful and hardworking.
As for your question about whether there’s a method or direction for finding a goal — I don’t have one. Because I genuinely don’t know what it’s like to have no signature skill. To put it plainly: our lives are very far removed from the experience of someone who has been laid off. We likely can’t truly empathize with each other.