what is a tinkerer?
A tinkerer is someone who learns by doing, someone who is not afraid to fail, and someone who has mastered the art of debugging. In my opinion, the single best skill to have in your arsenal is the skill of being a tinkerer and here is why.
A tinkerer develops abilities that cannot be taught. The best of them all is a strong mindset focused on improvement. The tinkerer knows that building great things takes time and iteration. They know that building something great means starting with something not as great.
Most importantly, they understand that they may not know everything at the beginning but they will in the end. Perhaps the best example of this is James Dyson. In 1978, Dyson became frustrated with his vacuum cleaner losing suction and set out on a journey to fix it. His relentless obsession with solving this problem lead to 5,127 prototypes over five years. He did not start with a perfect formula but he created one with time and iterations. He is one of the tinkering greats.
tinkerers who changes the world
When I think of great tinkerers my mind immediately goes to Apple. I think of Steve Wozniak. Steve approaches engineering with a simplistic mindset. Throughout his career he carried the vision of solving complexity with simplicity. He was obsessed with reducing the number of components he used in his designs. It was his ability to test, learn and adapt that supported this. His tinkering ability helped Apple survive their early days without massive capital. He was able to utilize off the shelf parts from standard electronic stores to build and sell the Apple I before the invoice was even due.
Edwin Land is another example of a great tinkerer. He was a high agency pioneer who spent his childhood taking apart household appliances to understand how they worked. Over his career Land had a patent count that not many could compare to, 535. He believed science to be an adventure rather than a set of rules. The story goes that his daughter had asked him why she couldn’t see a photo right away after it was taken. That question led to years of experimentation that opened the door to the Polaroid camera and a reimagined photography industry.
my journey
Tinkering is best when it feels natural and fun. When I was young, I took a keen interest in how tech worked. I remember begging my parents to buy me this outdated Palm Pilot just because I was curious about how it worked and what it could do. When the iPhone came out I watched countless videos online just to see what it was like. At the age of 10 I understood the phone so well I was helping people set it up without ever owning one myself.
Over many years I developed skills in problem solving and understanding the best ways to utilize technology. I started playing around with AI & automation as it became more available, building little tools that could save me time in my work. Eventually this led to someone asking me to do it for their business. I really didn’t see it coming. What started off as something that was a fun hobby could actually become work. It shifted something for me and got me hooked even more.
When I think of my time tinkering I never really understood what it could do for me. I learnt some skills but I had no clue how they could actually benefit me. But I believe this is the whole point. Tinker to learn and develop only. No strings attached. No expectation of where it can lead. Ironically, that’s exactly when the opportunities show up. When you truly understand how things work, people will start to notice. When you tinker with things that you love too, that is a powerful situation to be in.
why now?
Tinkering is in our nature. From a young age we are naturally curious and want to find out everything. With time and as life moves, we get too comfortable. Cruise control sets in and we start to just accept the way things are. We outsource our creative problem solving to someone else. I am writing this article purely in the hopes that I can remind someone to start tinkering again. There is no age limit to this and the opportunities are endless.
We are in what I would say is the golden age of tinkering at the moment. We have AI technology that empowers individuals more than ever. The only limit to what you can create is your own creativity. You don’t need funding, a team, or years of training anymore. A single person can build tech that can change an industry overnight. With that being said, if you are a tinkerer, this is your moment. Your willingness to experiment and learn can actually change your life.
closing thoughts
Tinkering gives you confidence, critical thinking, ambition, problem solving and an understanding that anything is possible in life. We are often told that formal education is the only way to learn. Although I believe in education, I know this is only a small part of it. Having the initiative to learn by doing takes you to the next level. This is free education and with no permission needed. Go study the subject you care about most and solve problems along the way.
The tinkerers have been and will be the ones that changed the world - you should be one too. After all, why shouldn’t it be you?