# why I left linkedin and started blogging

LinkedIn was supposed to change how we find jobs. Instead it became another social media platform filled with AI posts, humble brags, and features nobody asked for. As someone in high school trying to figure out tech, I've watched LinkedIn go from useful to annoying pretty fast. Like, really fast.

# The LinkedIn Problem

I don't know a single person who's actually gotten an internship or job through LinkedIn. Not one. Everyone I know who landed something real did it the old way: talking to people in person, sending emails, building actual relationships. The human way.

But LinkedIn keeps adding stuff. AI profile tips. "Creator mode." Premium subscriptions that lock basic features behind a paywall. Articles that nobody really wrote. It feels like they're just trying to keep people scrolling instead of actually helping anyone find work. It's become a content platform, not a job platform.

The content is the worst part. It's a contest to see who can write the most inspiring story about their Monday morning coffee. Every post feels fake, optimized for likes instead of real connection. The platform that was supposed to help everyone network equally just became another place where loud people with good marketing win. Same as every other social media platform.

# My Solution (That Failed)

This annoyed me enough that I tried to build something better. I called it Slate. Because I'm creative like that.

The idea was simple: give everyone the same tools for free. Resume builder, job tracking, company connections. No paywalls, no AI spam, no noise. Finding a job should depend on your skills and what recruiters need, not on whether you can afford Premium or know how to game an algorithm. Simple, right?

I built the landing pages, auth system, resume editor, user dashboard. I was excited. This felt like solving a real problem. Like I was actually going to make a difference.

Then reality showed up. As it always does.

I'm a broke high school student. I can't afford to host something I'm not making money from. AWS bills stack up fast. Vercel has limits. And the whole point of Slate was free access for everyone. I wasn't going to build another platform that sells user data. That defeats the purpose.

I had to shut it down before anyone even used it. Classic. Build something cool, can't afford to run it. The high school developer experience.

# What I Learned

Failing with Slate taught me more than if it had worked. I learned about infrastructure costs, getting users, how hard it is to compete with established platforms. Passion projects need more than just passion. They need resources, time, and usually some way to pay for themselves. I had passion, but not the other stuff.

More importantly though, I learned that sometimes the best way to share ideas isn't by building a product. Sometimes it's just writing about them. Sometimes words are enough.

# Why I'm Blogging Instead

Which brings me here.

I'm applying to colleges right now and the application process is frustrating. They give you 350 words per Personal Insight Question. Four questions total, maybe two extra info boxes. That's supposed to explain who you are, your growth, your whole journey. In 350 words.

It's not enough. How do you explain building projects, failing, learning, growing, in 350 words? How do you explain being SPL of a Scout troop, winning orienteering competitions, being on the mountain bike team, taking AP Physics and French, all while being a hard procrastinator who somehow still gets things done? You can't. Not really.

I have stories that don't fit in 350 words. Lessons from projects that failed. Thoughts on tech and building things that need more than a paragraph. Real thoughts, not optimized for algorithms. Stories about being a Scout leader, about physics being hard but rewarding, about procrastinating until 2am and somehow making it work.

So if college admissions people are googling my name (they probably are), I want them to find this. Not some polished LinkedIn profile. Not Instagram. This blog, where I can actually explain stuff without word limits or trying to game SEO. Just writing what I think, who I am, what I'm actually doing.

# What's Next

I still think the LinkedIn problem is real. Job searching shouldn't require paying for basic features. I still wish Slate worked out. But it didn't, and that's okay.

But instead of letting the failed project just disappear, I'm writing about it. Maybe someone will read this and build what I couldn't. Maybe an admissions officer will see I tried something hard and learned from it. Or maybe it just helps me think through what happened. Process it, you know?

Either way, this feels more real than LinkedIn ever did. This is me, unfiltered. No algorithm to game, no word limits, just writing.

First post. Feels weird writing this knowing college admissions people might read it. But that's kind of the point, I guess. Hi, if you're reading this. Thanks for actually looking beyond the 350-word essays.

Also, if you're from my Scout troop and you found this: yes, I know I'm supposed to be planning the camping trip. I'm getting to it. Promise.