There is a law in construction: You cannot build a penthouse on a foundation of mud. Yet, in the career world, everyone is trying to build the penthouse first.
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Junior devs want to learn AI before they understand Memory Management.
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Junior marketers want to go “Viral” before they understand Copywriting.
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Junior founders want to “Scale” before they have “Product-Market Fit.”
The Concept of Competence Debt
When you skip a foundational step to get a quick win, you incur Competence Debt.
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Example: You use a template to build a website because you didn’t want to learn HTML/CSS.
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The Cost: Three years later, the site breaks. You don’t know how to fix it because you never understood how it worked. You are now helpless.
The “Boring” Checklist
The original post mentions that clients presume you know the basics. These are the Table Stakes. If you don’t have them, you are not a Professional; you are a Liability.
In 2026, the “Walking” skills (The Foundation) are:
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Clear Writing: Can you persuade without confusion?
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Basic Logic: Can you spot a fallacy in an argument?
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Financial Literacy: Do you know the difference between Revenue and Profit?
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Human Psychology: Do you know why people say Yes?
The Bruce Lee Rule
Bruce Lee said: “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Advanced skills are just basic skills applied with high speed and high precision.
The Protocol: Pay the Tax Early
Don’t rush to be “Advanced.” Spend 6 months mastering the thing that feels “too basic.”
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Read the documentation, not just the tutorial.
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Understand the “Why,” not just the “How.” The tax is cheaper if you pay it now. If you wait 10 years, the interest will bankrupt you.
#DhandheKaFunda: If you are struggling with the advanced stuff, it’s not because you aren’t smart. It’s because you skipped Chapter 1.