What’s Your Unfair Advantage? 🏆

Mine has taken me where I am right now.

Naval Ravikant calls it Specific Knowledge.

And no, it’s not something you can learn in school.

It’s that unique blend of skills, interests, and experiences that make YOU irreplaceable. Think about it:

• 🏆 It’s what you’re naturally great at.

• ❓ It’s what you’ve mastered through curiosity, not obligation.

• 🌌 It’s something so niche that it’s almost impossible to automate or outsource.

Let’s break this down.

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Credit — Midjourney

🎯 What is Specific Knowledge?

It’s the thing people come to you for.

• 🎨 The designer who creates UI that feels like magic.

• 🎈 The marketer who knows exactly how to make a campaign go viral.

• 👨‍💻 The engineer who can untangle a spaghetti codebase without breaking a sweat.

It’s not something you can copy-paste.

It’s a product of your DNA + experience + obsession.

A good way to think about it is by trying to remember what things you were attracted to when you were a child.

Your specific knowledge sits at the intersection of those things.

In my case:

• 🎮 I liked playing computer games.

• 👷‍♂️ I liked building with LEGO.

• ✍ I liked writing.

So, it feels natural that what I do right now that sets me apart from most of my peers involves:

• 💻 Working as a software engineer.

• 🏫 Building products and services.

• 📝 Writing about my experiences.

And the natural intersection of all that is this newsletter, where I:

• 🧠 Write about having a balanced career in tech.

• 📚 Create resources, challenges, and services for you.

• 💡 Build a community of smarter engineers (pun intended).

See how it goes?

It should feel natural to find your specific knowledge.

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❓ Why Does It Matter?

Because generalists compete while specialists thrive.

If you’re trying to be “good” at everything, you’ll always be replaceable.

But specific knowledge? That’s where you play a game no one else can win.

🔍 How to Find Yours:

What do people ask you for advice about?

Pay attention to those “Can I pick your brain?” moments.

That’s your clue.

What feels effortless to you but challenging to others?

If you’re solving problems for fun while others are pulling their hair out, you’ve found your edge.

What did you love doing as a kid?

Sometimes, the roots of your specific knowledge are planted early.

👉 Example:

Let’s say you’re a software engineer who’s obsessed with optimizing workflows.

While others focus on building new features, you’re creating tools that save teams hours of manual work.

Now, you’ve turned that obsession into:

• 📝 A blog where you share automation tips.

• ✨ Consulting for companies with inefficiencies.

• 💰 A niche skillset that companies are willing to pay a premium for.

🌿 Here’s the Truth:

The world rewards people who lean into their specific knowledge.

Not those who try to be average at everything.

So, ask yourself:

• What’s your unfair advantage?

• How can you double down on it?

Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear what makes you unstoppable. 🚀

Alberto

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P.P.S… We have a Premium Content Library now with all our resources for paid members.