I am really happy where I am right now. It’s hard to think that not too long ago, I was in my parents' basement dreaming of working in the big city and building an awesome product —– stuck in a rut of sorts. I'm going to share the values that I feel helped me get out of that rut and move beyond the basement.

1. You Must Have Passion

Passion is your fuel, you need passion! It’s the only way you will be disciplined enough to be able to fight down the odds. If you’re not thinking about it day and night, living and breathing it, then it might not be for you. Passionate people enjoy the company of other passionate people, you want to know passionate people… see where I'm going with this?

2. ‘No’ is a Statement, Not An Answer

Before I decided to take a different approach I tried to get into YSDN two times and Ryerson Image Arts once. It was at the end of my second interview at YSDN that I was told to stop learning on my own until I get the first few years of a BA out of the way, then try applying again.

You will meet a lot of different people along the way, many of which will not share your passion. Politely thank them for their opinion, then visualize yourself in the future telling them they were wrong. You’re on the fringe with your scary, self-disciplined ways, and you are going to be going against the grain of many people.

3. Get Out There And Mingle

A lot of people in my life have just finished university or college and want to get started doing something they love, but how? From my experience handing out resumes and the like won’t get you nearly as far as mingling with the people in your industry.

I'm lucky that there is a very visible technology community in Toronto and tons of free or almost free events all of the time. I met my first employer at a free event, and I met John and Malgosia at a moving party for the company that organizes that event.

I always thought the best events were the free ones, my opinion changed this summer though. I attended a conference that was worth every dollar. I've also attended some other conferences that were not worth their weight in silly clown noses. I will say that for the most part, you get back what you put into these things.

Take a chance, get out there and meet people! Even if it means spending some money that you might not have. I'm sure you've spent money on less important things.

4. Don’t Turn Down Any Opportunity

My first job in Toronto was at a company called TSOT, their product was a social network for fraternities, not really something I'm personally interested in. However, for a guy with pretty much zero programming experience at the time it was a rare opportunity. If I brushed it off, I might still be in basement land.

5. You Know Nothing

Humility is your best friend! You are surrounded by people who know a lot more than you, and if you aren’t then maybe it’s time to smarten up. As soon as you start to feel comfortable, be terrified. You’re not all that great at whatever it is you do, and you have a lot to learn from a lot of people. Embrace it, love it.

Another part of this is accepting criticism gracefully. It’s only criticism, you don’t have to act on it, but it should always cause you to think twice. If you don’t listen to other peoples' opinions about your work then you are missing out on a huge amount of opportunity. The twist to this is that you can really learn a lot about someone in the way that they deliver their criticisms to you.

6. Don’t Let The Haters Get You Down

You are always going to encounter toxic people that simply don’t like you. Maybe they are jealous and feel threatened by you and your kind or maybe they were born without genitalia and are just generally miserable, or maybe you can be a bit of a condescending asshole at times. Whatever the case, being pissed off is not going to help. So bitch about it on Twitter and move on.

7. Stay Absolutely Positive

You’re doing what you love, after all! And if not, then why not?