20h • General discussion
How this data analyst uses Medium to build his writing portfolio
### How this data analyst uses Medium to build his writing portfolio
#### An interview with Matt Traverso Ph.D.
You might not think that someone writing about transistors and heat pumps can find an audience of enthusiastic and engaged readers, but Matt Traverso would prove you wrong. He came to Medium to build a portfolio of his writing work for prospective employers, but discovered that writing on Medium became a fun and rewarding hobby in its own right.
I was curious what brought him to Medium, and how he’d found his experience here. “Beyond LinkedIn, I had zero social media presence. With no built-in audience to leverage, I couldn’t launch an independent site,” he told me. “My subject matter was too eclectic and my output too erratic, anyway. More importantly, I didn’t want to waste time building and maintaining a site when I could be writing.”
He shared more about what he loves about writing here, how he’s used community feedback to improve his writing, and his appreciation of using publications to get his story out to the right audience. Here’s what he said.
> This interview has been lightly edited and formatted. It is part of a series of interviews I conducted with Medium writers. Check out the topic page MediumInterviews for more.
### What first drew you to write on Medium?
I’m an analytical person. For years, I’ve run my own calculations on anything that interested me (for fun). I keep detailed spreadsheets to track all the strange mathematics in my life, whether that be home heating efficiency, the electrical grid in Hawaii, or bicycle physics.
One night, after charting some economic data, I liked the graph so I posted it to LinkedIn with a few bulleted observations. Among a lot of positive feedback I got from my professional network, my sister directed me to Medium, which seemed a better fit.
At the time, I was between jobs. Technical writers work in highly specialized fields and my work was entirely protected by intellectual property laws. I had no public-facing portfolio to demonstrate my skills so I turned to Medium to build one. After publishing articles on a few different topics, I was able to link my Medium profile on my resume and direct prospective employers to my stories.
### How did that initial experience feel compared to other places you might have considered?
While I originally published on LinkedIn, it’s a professional networking site that didn’t feel like a good home for long-form non-expert analysis. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that I was pestering my friends and business contacts with ramblings about windows and sprinkler systems.
Beyond LinkedIn, I had zero social media presence. With no built-in audience to leverage, I couldn’t launch an independent site. My subject matter was too eclectic and my output too erratic, anyway. More importantly, I didn’t want to waste time building and maintaining a site when I could be writing.
Medium was the perfect home for me because I could tackle any topic I wanted, then partner with a publication to connect my work to the right audience.
### Which Medium story of yours really resonated with readers? Why do you think it connected so well?
My most popular article was a humor piece on early retirement. Originally, I was planning a series of earnest personal finance advice. At the time, my feeds were showing me a lot of portfolio guides and crypto tips from hucksters. I had achieved a small degree of solvency and felt like I had a legitimate story to tell.
But then I dove into the economic statistics and found I didn’t. My success was a mix of luck and personality quirks, not skill. The system had arbitrarily treated me well and punished others.
Rather than dump the story, I pivoted and channeled my frustration into a single satirical piece parodying the get-rich-quick scam articles and career guidance.
The article got boosted and immediately took off. I guess I wasn’t the only one fed up with the clickbait charlatans. I think those that stumbled upon the story appreciated an acknowledgement that fiscal solvency is impossible to plan for and may not be as great as it sounds, anyway. It was and remains a refreshing alternate take to prevailing wisdom on work ethic.
### How has writing on Medium influenced how you approach sharing your ideas?
I certainly didn’t expect writing to be fulfilling nor worth my time. Remember, my initial goal was financial: I needed a portfolio to land a new job. Instead, Medium became a rewarding hobby with its own revenue.
### Has reader engagement changed how you view your own writing?
One of the best parts of participating in a collective of like-minded people on Medium is that I can find answers to many of my long-standing questions. When I needed more information on carbon footprints, a commentator shared a link. Other authors have shared their own home experiments and I was more than happy to apply their advice to my situation.
### Would you recommend Medium to a friend or family member who was interested in publishing? Why or why not?
Of course! I recommend Medium to anyone with a story to share. I find it the perfect platform to express yourself without necessarily having an existing audience. Partnering with a publication that can help promote your work can help connect you with like-minded people.
### As you reflect on your time writing on Medium, how has it played a part in your overall story as a writer?
Despite working professionally as a (technical) writer for years, producing hundreds of pages of content every month, I never considered myself an author. I was an analyst who solved problems. Writing was just a means to communicate the solution.
Now on Medium, I’m able to pursue only subjects that interest me. I’ve worked to keep the writing compelling to general audiences by developing a voice apart from the clinical academic setting where I was trained. The feedback I get in the comments helps me develop a more engaging tone. Reader interest points me in new investigative directions and shape how I approach my analyses from the get-go.
Matt is a technical writer and data analyst who earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Northwestern University. He is also a certified Project Manager (PMP). While he has professional expertise in semiconductor manufacturing and protein science, he prefers to study the math behind everyday topics like fitness, clean energy, and personal finance. When he’s not traveling the world, he bikes, bakes, and climbs up mountains with his partner and their dog in Oregon.
0
0 comments
How this data analyst uses Medium to build his writing portfolio
