How does the Praxis apprenticeship differ from a normal, entry level job or internship?
Praxis is not a job placement company. While 96% of graduates receive a full time job offer upon completion of the program, the apprenticeship is much, much more than that. I like to say that Praxis participants receive 2 years of work experience in their 6 month apprenticeship. Where in a normal job, it might […]
Can I do Praxis if I don’t know what I want to do for my career?
“What if I don’t know what I want to do for my career? Can I still participate in Praxis?” This is one of the most common questions we get from people interested in the program. Here’s the short answer: absolutely. In fact, the majority of participants who do the program start off without that knowledge. […]
Four Things Better Than a Mentor
There’s a lot of buzz about mentorship. Find the mentor who will give you the edge to succeed! The more powerful the mentor, the better! Chill out. Mentorship is overrated. I’ve written elsewhere about how mentors don’t have the answers: “You should always remember that no mentor has the answers to your questions. They have […]
Meet Praxis Participant Charles Porges
Meet Charles Porges. Charles came to Praxis at 17, bored in highschool and looking for another option. He wanted real world work experience, financial independence, and the opportunity to sidestep 5 more years of schooling to build his career earlier. He joined the program and became an apprentice at GuildQuality. Where previously Charles was taking […]
How to Get a Job Next Week by Doing Highly Valuable Free Work (Email Templates Included)
For some reason, there exists this trope that “there are no jobs available” or “businesses are not hiring.” I consider this part of the epidemic of entitled young people expecting to be handed a job simply because they exist and sat through classes for 4 years. The reality is that businesses are desperate to hire. […]
Why Homeschoolers Should Stop Trying to Get Into College
I am constantly impressed by the homeschool families that I meet. Whether it is at speech and debate competitions where they blow the socks off of my own experience doing the same in high school or it is reviewing applications for Praxis of people who were homeschooled, they go above and beyond. By and large, […]
Kill Your Resume: Why Professional Side Projects Are the New Resume
Two young professionals are applying for the same job at a startup. Person one, a graduate from a respected university, has a resume he got professionally edited through a service online. The resume lists his education, competencies, and relevant work experience during some summer internships while he was in school. By all accounts, it’s a […]
Why a Professional Apprenticeship is Better than More School
Assumptions about college are being turned on their head. Real world experience is providing a better context for learning and a more direct path to life and career opportunities. College has value, but not the universal value most assume. The worst thing you can do is go as a catch-all or backup plan or default. […]
This Business Partner is Making Waves in eCommerce Food Delivery
I had the pleasure on Tuesday to drive down to Richmond, VA, and visit the facility of TemperPack, a manufacturing and engineering startup devoted to the creation of reliable, effective, low-cost insulation for services like Plated, BlueApron, and Omaha Steaks. The facility was a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of the city, but when you […]
3 Reasons to Work for a Company Before Starting Your Own
“Work for a company? But I want to be an entrepreneur!” You don’t need to wait for permission or credentials or tons of experience before you try launching your own venture. But neither do you need to quit everything and start one now if you’re not ready. Many aspiring young entrepreneurs feel like working for someone else […]
Career Common Sense that’s Actually Nonsense (How to Avoid the Conveyor Belt)
If you’re exiting high school you’re probably being given a lot of advice. You’re bombarded with stats about average earnings, degrees, majors, resumes, seizing this time in your life, etc. It’s all pretty standard, conventional fare: Go to the best college you can get into, get good grades, major in something with lots of job […]
You Can’t Rush a Great Career but You Can Rush Away from Boredom
Relax. No, seriously. Relax. You’re not behind the curve. You’re not missing out. You don’t need to discover your calling or passion or pick your career or industry right now or next month or next year or in ten years. You’re not late. You’re not going to be screwed if you don’t specialize soon. You […]
Why Startup Apprenticeships are the Best Way to Build a Great Career
Apprenticeships aren’t just for welders. Startups aren’t just for coders. The best way to learn how to do something is to do it. Whether it’s bike-riding, basketball, or business. You practice and engage the real world. You spend time around others who are better than you to work with and learn from them. That’s how […]
How Your Obsession With Options Is Blinding You To Opportunities
One of the first steps in your personal emancipation is to realize that the world is full of options, and the few things currently in front of you are not the only from which to choose. But there is a difference between options and opportunities. Options are theoretical. Opportunities are actual. Options are statistical probabilities. […]
The Faces of Resistance
“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” This quote comes from Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art which explores what keeps creators from actually creating. There are a lot of things that can keep us from doing what we have […]