mapping levels of agency to modes of transportation

learning to drive (literally and metaphorically)

Funnily enough, I started an initial version of this blog post right after I got my driver’s license (rightfully so, at 22). Finally having a license was a deep unlock: the ability to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without coordinating with anyone else. I could translate intention directly into action. This got me thinking about agency.

People talk a lot about agency and the importance of having it, especially today. At the core, to me, agency is being permissionless, proactive, unapologetically authentic, and making the free choice to do things on your own terms. But what people don’t talk about enough is that agency isn’t a fixed trait - it can be cultivated.

Reflecting on my journey, I moved through the world in different stages, starting from being a toddler in a car seat without much view of the road ahead, to sitting in the front seat, to taking public transit alone, and finally driving myself. I love analogies, and the more I reflected on it, I started to see agencies as levels I can map to different modes of transportation.

level 1: getting driven to school

If you grew up in a wildly sprawling suburb, you’ll deeply remember those elementary school years when you had to rely on someone to drop you off or pick you up if you wanted to go anywhere. When you’re just starting out in anything, it’s the same - you do what’s required and follow other people’s instructions. You’re along for the ride, but not steering.

This is where most of us are initially. Nobody magically knows how to ride a bike the day they’re born. It takes time to learn the basics and understand your environment before you feel comfortable taking control.

level 2: taking the bus

The next level up might be taking the bus or public transit. Here, you have a bit more agency to go where you want to, but you’re still constrained to the existing train or bus schedule. You can choose your destination, but not your route or timing. You’re operating within someone else’s system.

This was me a few years ago. Before I could do anything, I had to apply to be part of an exec team on a school club, get interviewed, and spend 10+ hours in 1:1s and team meetings just so I could have permission to do something. I could make an impact, but only through established programs and frameworks.

And I’m not discounting it - I don’t think I could have gotten to where I am today without it. Without the incredible people I’ve met, the mentorship, the structure, and helping me build the confidence that I can do it, at least with some training wheels.

There are some stomping grounds that are clear agency cultivators. They attract people who have potential but might not have the belief or confidence yet. I’ve seen many people go through the cycle of being a host of a Socratica node and completely flourish afterward, and because of that, it’s been the go-to thing I’ve recommended to any young person to do. Maybe the sandbox environment of being able to host and explore creative ideas helps, or the exposure to more ambitious individuals. However, Socratica has had the opposite structure of traditional school clubs - they’re effort-gated rather than application-gated, which helps people build the muscle of doing things without needing permission.

level 3: finally driving yourself

The most free level of agency is when you have your own car - when you’re finally in the driver’s seat. You don’t need permission from anyone - you can choose the route, the timing, and take yourself wherever you want to go.

An example of when I was able to do this was when I co-organized a personal computing hackathon in NYC, just out of personal curiosity. Here’s a snippet from my journal entry where I wrote about this experience:

“So I’m organizing a hackathon in a month, completely out of my volition, because it was something I thought should exist. Within a day of posting, a few familiar friends on the internet were kind enough to give money, buy cakes, give space, and all sorts of things to help make it happen. This wasn’t the first time - rabbitholeathon was another cool example of this.

Every time this happens, I feel perpetually in awe. Like what?? I can just do things, without people telling me to? I can share an idea, without permission or funding, and if it’s compelling enough, people will help make it real.”

I’m not saying organizing a hackathon or retreat is the most high agency thing a person can do, but it felt like a huge contrast to how I operated a few years ago, where I had to find a club or organization to run something like this through. I was able to translate ideas into action without waiting for permission, graduating outside of working in defined systems and environments.

agentic environments & walkable cities

You may have noticed I didn’t talk about walking! In the suburbs, cars are the default. But in San Francisco, I don’t even own one. In a walkable city, you can get where you need to without relying on anyone else.

The same applies to agency. The environment you’re in shapes how quickly agency compounds, and sometimes lets you skip steps entirely. If you grew up in a family with pre-existing connections to the industry you’re interested in, you might have a better sense of confidence in what’s possible, so you’ll naturally push yourself to do bigger, bolder things.

I’ve also been seeing a lot of tweets lately about how people’s startup journeys have accelerated significantly just from living in San Francisco. The energy of being around other founders is hard to replicate - it pushes you to do more. SF is the place where you’ll be congratulated if you’re unemployed - the norm is taking risks on early ideas. Because of what’s embedded in the culture, people naturally become less risk-averse and explore non-traditional pathways. The environment cultivates it.

Things also get easier as technology progresses - which is why I often see a lot of young people do amazing things that I couldn’t have even dreamed of doing at their ages. The first era was when the internet and social media democratized information, helping people break out of their local minima if they came across intellectual and ambitious circles online. The second era, now with AI, is democratizing learning and intelligence itself. More agency will be unlocked with the new generation’s widespread ability to create whatever they set their mind to - they just need to get behind the wheel and decide where they want to go.

parting words

Agency isn’t just a switch you flip - it’s a skill you can build over time, just like you work up to getting your learner’s permit.

If you need more structure and guidance, jump on the bus. Learn how those systems were built so you can iterate on top of them, contribute to them, and develop the confidence to build your own. The training wheels will come off when you’re ready.

While I don’t think I’m the best driver, I’m glad I have this skill under my belt and the ability to get to wherever I set my mind to. I’m incredibly grateful for all the learning opportunities and the people who’ve believed in me, giving me the confidence that I can do more.

Thank you for reading!

~mathu

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special thanks to jac, khushi, megha, jane, and chamod for reading early drafts of this!