How to Set Goals and Achieve Them
One of the deadliest mistakes in a young person’s career is the absence of goals. Goals give you something to work towards, something to measure your success against, and something to give you structure. Setting goals is a brilliant catalyst for action. For example, let’s take two cases. In the first case, you get up […]
Where Do Praxis Participants Apprentice? April 2018 Update
From homeschoolers to college opt-outs and recent college grads, to young professionals looking to transition into a more dynamic career, every month a wide range of Praxis participants get started in apprenticeships at fast-growing companies. During the Praxis Bootcamp, participants learn about the different types of roles available, develop projects to learn and show their […]
Stop Trying to Escape Your Day Job to Live Your Dream
An Office Hours listener recently asked this question, “How do I build my dreams when I’m working full time at a job that isn’t related to my dream? I want to be a professional speaker, trainer, and consultant, but it takes a lot of time, travel and networking to build my practice. I feel like […]
16 Books That Shaped How I Interact with the World
Yesterday my friend Derek Magill asked the Praxis community, “What books have had the most impact on your career/education?” I love this question. Notice the use of the word impact. He isn’t asking for your favorite books, the books you recommend on a specific subject, or the books you agree with the most. He is […]
Why you Should be an Anti-Reader
It’s tinkering, luck, and action that led to discoveries like penicillin, fire, and better recipes for hummus. Indeed, few of the great discoveries and inventions that have increased human flourishing were the product of a complex plan. Likewise, the best opportunities in life are often things we trip into, byproducts of chance or a fortuitous […]
How to Send Effective Follow Up Emails
“I have two professional guests who agreed to be on my podcast. One of them a professor, the other an author. The conversations I had with both guests started out very well. Details were settled. All that was left was for me to tell them when works… No response. I followed up after 2 weeks […]
Wednesday Wrap-Up: A Discussion on Rational Choice Theory w/ Dr. Peter Leeson
Every week at Praxis, participants and alumni gather for Praxis Wednesdays, weekly group sessions designed to hone intellectual ability and build practical skills applicable to the professional world. These sessions cover everything from academic subjects — philosophy, history, and economics — to technical skills participants can use in their careers — such as writing, marketing, […]
Celebrate After You’ve Finished the Job
In When You Deliver Work Late, You Invite More Scrutiny, Isaac Morehouse writes: Here’s another reason to get your work done fast (yep, even (especially!) deep, creative work): you’ll get less scrutiny and fewer requested edits…Every day past expectation the project takes, the expectation for perfection ratchets up. From your customer’s perspective, it goes something like […]
Why Non-Tech People Should Work in Tech Startups
“Software is eating the world.” — Marc Andreessen There are several factors that make tech startups the most exciting companies on the planet right now. Dramatically reduced cost of starting one, due to cloud computing. Penetration of software into every corner of every industry. Borderlessness. Instant, global reach. Near-infinite scalability. Explosion of venture capital and […]
“What Do Employers Want?” Is a Stupid Question
“Employers want degrees.” There are so many problems with this popular idea. It lacks imagination, ignores the things employers really want that a degree is sometimes a proxy for, and forgets that divergence from the crowd is more likely to make you stand out than sameness. But it’s worse than that. It’s misleading even as […]
How to Get Your GitHub Profile Ready For Job Applications
If you are going out for a development job or any sort of technical job, especially if you don’t have a lot of professional experience in the field, the best thing you can do is put some of your work on display. GitHub is the most popular place to do that. Here are the guidelines […]
What is Willpower and How Should You Use It?
Every year, The American Psychological Association releases the results of the Stress in America Survey. Regularly, respondents cite lack of willpower as the reason they fail to follow through on a healthier lifestyle and don’t meet their financial goals. So, what is this mysterious trait known as willpower and how do we increase it? For […]
Never Apologize For Flipping Burgers
“Take pride in your work at all times.” -Ford Frick I’ll begin with two brief quotes from two separate friends: Quote #1: “As a hiring manager, Chik-fil-a was always a slam dunk. Everyone I ever hired who had worked for them was awesome.” Quote #2: “It’s better to have to answer “100 happy meals” than […]
Why Professionals Need Philosophy
When most people think of philosophy their mind goes fuzzy. It conjures up images of dull textbooks, boring teachers, abstract questions like “the nature of the word ‘the’” or lifeboat situation hypotheticals like “do you pull the lever to kill 1 person or 5? It’s not really any wonder to me why most students and […]
Wednesday Wrap-Up: Philosophy Night with Steve Patterson
Every week at Praxis, participants and alumni gather for Praxis Wednesdays, weekly group sessions designed to hone intellectual ability and build practical skills applicable to the professional world. These sessions cover everything from academic subjects — philosophy, history, and economics — to technical skills participants can use in their careers — such as writing, marketing, […]