“The best thing young people can do early in their careers is to learn skills that excite and fulfill them on the weekends.”

Work Only If You Are Learning

Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham supported Kong’s tweet, noting responses that equated work with earning an income. He <a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1404118661888102402" rel="noopener noreferrer">replied </a>, “for the ambitious, they are far from identical.” Kong <a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/ImNotJK/status/1404461625189355524" rel="noopener noreferrer">clarified </a> that work “can mean different things: could be a project that you own at your day job, could be a new skill you need for advancement, could be a side hustle you love.”

Work Can Mean Different Things

Work means something different to everyone, which is why Kong’s tweet was polarizing. For example, <a dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/theChrisDo/status/1383077674684358657" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Futur CEO Chris Do tweeted </a>, “my wife and I can’t agree on this. Can you work hard and make sacrifices if you love the work you do? She only considers it work if you hate what you do. Therefore I haven’t been working [for] the last six years. Thoughts?”

It's Only Work If You Hate What You Do

The author of Creative Doing explains how a polarizing tweet led him to examine how best to advance your professional life without obliterating your actual life.


You should never work on weekends unless you’re doing one thing

Hans Adrian