Scalar or Vector: What Physics Taught Me About Building a Career

Physics Class Gave us one distinction early on that most of us filed away and forgot. A scalar quantity has magnitude only. A vector has magnitude and direction.

Speed is a scalar. If a car is doing 100km per hour, that number tells you how fast it is going and nothing else.

Velocity is a vector. A car going 100km per hour north is not the same as one going 100km per hour south, even though the speedometer reads the same in both.

I have found myself going back to that distinction a lot lately, not because of physics, but because of what I keep seeing in the careers of young professionals around me.

A good number of them are working hard. They are enrolling in courses, chasing certifications, moving into whatever sector happens to be attracting attention that year. A few years ago, it was crypto.