The Economics of Learning IT: Cost vs. Reward

If I Had to Start Over — Here’s What I Wouldn’t Do ✨✨

Looking back, there are decisions I would avoid if I had to restart this journey from zero:

• I wouldn’t try to master every tool at once. Focus produces results; scattered learning doesn’t.

• I wouldn’t delay certifications after studying for them. Passing exams early creates momentum and confidence.

• I wouldn’t walk the path alone. Communities, mentors, and networking shave years off your learning curve.

• I wouldn’t underestimate the business side of tech. Understanding value—and how to communicate it—is just as important as technical skill.

These lessons shaped my perspective: learning IT isn’t cheap, whether in time or money. But when done with intention, the return on investment is unmatched. Tech rewards skill, persistence, and clarity.

If I Had to Start Over — Here’s What I Would Do Instead ✨✨

If I could restart my tech journey with the knowledge I have today, I would take a much more strategic and financially efficient path. Here’s exactly what I would do differently — step-by-step — to maximize learning, reduce costs, and see real returns faster:

1. Start With Certifications, Not College

College gave me structure, but certifications would have given me direction. If I had no money today, I would begin with CompTIA A+, Network+, or a cloud certification like AWS CCP. These are faster, more affordable, and directly linked to job skills.

2. Build 3–5 Real Projects Immediately

Projects open doors faster than degrees. I would build small, practical projects aligned with the role I want, such as IT support, cybersecurity, cloud, or DevOps.
Projects show employers that you can do, not just study.

3. Share My Journey Publicly

I would build in public from day one. Posting what you’re learning attracts opportunities you’re not even looking for — mentors, job offers, freelance work, and community support.

4. Join Tech Communities Early

Communities accelerate growth. I would join Discord servers, tech groups, and study cohorts where everyone is learning together. Collaboration saves both time and money.

5. Get a Mentor Immediately

I would not wait years to find guidance. A platform like ADPList can connect you to world-class mentors for free. One conversation can save you months of confusion.

6. Attend Conferences and Networking Events

Even if it meant spending a little money, I would network earlier. The relationships you build in tech often bring returns bigger than any class or coursework.

7. Apply for Roles Before I Feel “Ready”

I would start applying as soon as I had skills — not perfection. The job market rewards action, not hesitation.

8. Track My ROI From the Beginning

Time is an investment. Money is an investment. I would measure both. Which certifications pay off? Which skills lead to interviews? Which projects attract attention?
Tracking ROI turns learning into strategy.

Tool of the Week: Text App — AI-First Customer Service That Scales

Text App is a powerful all-in-one customer service platform that brings live chat, ticketing, automations, and AI agents into a single workspace. Designed for businesses that want to scale support without scaling headcount, Text App uses its own AI system — Text Intelligence — trained on your business knowledge and customer data to deliver fast, accurate, context-aware support across every channel.

With self-acting AI agents, unified customer data, and built-in live chat and helpdesk tools, Text App doesn’t just respond to customers — it completes tasks, nurtures leads, resolves issues, and hands off complex conversations to humans when needed. Leading brands like Adobe, PayPal, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and McDonald’s rely on Text to power real-time support and unlock measurable revenue growth.

Why It Stands Out

Text App blends automation and personalization better than traditional support tools. Its AI searches your knowledge hub, pulls customer history, and generates tailored answers — all while keeping your team focused on the high-impact work that drives conversions and satisfaction.

Key Features:

• AI Live Chat: Real-time support with AI handling most conversations.

• AI Agents: Fully autonomous, context-aware assistants that resolve issues and drive sales.

• Helpdesk & Ticketing: Manage email and inquiries with speed and structure.

• Multichannel Support: Messenger, email, Shopify, and more — all in one inbox.

• Knowledge Hub: Train your AI with your content, policies, and product information.

• Customer Data Platform: Every reply enriched with unified customer data.

• Campaigns & Automation: Trigger personalized outreach based on user behavior.

• Reports & Analytics: Monitor chat volume, CSAT, automation performance, and trends.

With brands reporting millions in added revenue and thousands of automated chats annually, Text App is becoming an essential tool for teams that want to scale support intelligently.

Quick Bytes 📊🔎

1. Death of Beloved SF Cat Sparks Criticism of Waymo
A Waymo robotaxi fatally struck a beloved neighborhood cat named Kit Kat in San Francisco’s Mission District on October 27, prompting grief, community memorials, and renewed criticism of autonomous vehicles. Residents created a shrine and posted signs—some blaming Waymo, others pointing out that human drivers cause far more fatalities. The incident was cited by local supervisor Jackie Fielder as she pushed for a city resolution allowing neighborhoods to vote on whether driverless cars can operate in their area, arguing that unlike human motorists, autonomous vehicles lack accountability. Waymo expressed sympathy and said the cat had darted under the vehicle as it pulled away.

2. The rapid growth of 'Buy Now, Pay Later' services is concerning.
Nigel Morris, co-founder of Capital One and an early investor in Klarna, warns that the rapid growth and opaque nature of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) lending signals deep consumer financial stress, especially as millions now use BNPL even for basic necessities like groceries. Default rates are rising, BNPL loans are often invisible to credit bureaus, and many borrowers juggle multiple unreported loans—creating “phantom debt” that traditional lenders can’t see. Regulatory rollbacks under the Trump administration further reduced oversight, leaving the true scale of risk unknown. While BNPL isn’t yet a systemic threat, Morris highlights dangerous conditions—rising unemployment, the end of student loan forbearance, and hidden consumer debt—that could trigger cascading problems across the financial system. With BNPL expanding into mainstream payments, embedded finance, and now business-to-business lending, and its debt increasingly packaged and sold like pre-2008 mortgage securities, Morris urges close vigilance before a broader economic fallout emerges.

3. Tim Cook has been Apple's CEO for more time than Steve Jobs was.
Tim Cook has now officially served as Apple’s CEO longer than Steve Jobs did across both of Jobs’s CEO terms. Jobs led Apple for a combined 5,090 days as interim and then permanent CEO, while Cook has surpassed that with 5,091 days as of August 1, 2025. Although Jobs never held the CEO role during Apple’s early years, he oversaw transformative products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad once he returned in 1997, along with major software initiatives and Apple’s revival. Cook’s tenure has brought new devices such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, and Apple silicon, plus a massive expansion into services like Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Pay, guiding Apple to record valuations including a $3 trillion milestone. With no successor in place, Cook appears poised to remain at Apple’s helm—and possibly even take on the chairmanship in the future.

4. Amazon's satellite network gets a new name and no longer focuses on being affordable.
Amazon has rebranded its satellite internet effort from “Project Kuiper” to “Leo,” signaling a shift from its earlier emphasis on serving unserved and underserved communities toward targeting broader commercial and consumer markets. While Amazon says the original name was always temporary, the updated branding and website language now highlight enterprise readiness, home internet use, and partnerships with major companies like Airbus and JetBlue, with previous commitments to affordability and low-cost access removed from public FAQs. Although Amazon publicly maintains that its mission remains unchanged, the new messaging places far less emphasis on affordability and rural connectivity, suggesting that the program is evolving into a more commercial competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink than the original access-driven initiative it once portrayed.

5. Tesla is trying to make its cars work with Apple CarPlay.
Tesla is reportedly preparing to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles after years of refusing to adopt the widely used infotainment standard, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. CarPlay is currently being tested internally, with a possible rollout “in the coming months,” though plans could still change. Instead of offering a full-screen CarPlay experience like most automakers, Tesla will integrate it as a window within its own interface and will support only the standard wireless version—not Apple’s newer CarPlay Ultra. The move is seen as a response to customer demand, as some buyers have avoided Tesla specifically due to the lack of CarPlay compatibility.