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. […]
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 […]
How to Navigate Being on Thin Ice at Work
One of the biggest issues a young person in the workplace will experience is developing a strong sense of judgement when running on thin ice. Even the best and most competent young worker can mess up and will be forced to prove to supervisors and mentors that they can step up to the plate and […]
Don’t Rush to Careerify Your Interests
There is nothing wrong with turning your interests into a career. In fact, it can be one of the most wonderful and fulfilling ways to live. Doing what you love for a living is great if possible, and it’s a lot more possible than people realize. Don’t mistake me for saying it’s a bad thing. […]
When to Stick with Something and When to Quit
Here’s a simple heuristic that has been monumental for me: If you love something you don’t need any reasons for doing it. If you hate something you’d better have damn good reasons for doing it. This is about the burden of proof. If you’re doing what you love and what makes you come alive, you […]
5 Things I Learned Traveling Solo at 18
Ever felt unsatisfied with college? Many young people have. Ever felt unsatisfied enough to drop out, buy a one-way ticket to Guatemala, and travel for four months without a cell phone? 19 year-old author and traveler Jake Heilbrunn is the only person we’ve met who can say “yes” to that question. Jake wanted more than […]
Reinventing the Apprenticeship for the 21st Century
The apprenticeship was once the go-to way to prepare yourself for a career. You would graduate from whatever formal schooling you had and go work closely with somebody who had learned all the things you wished to learn — oftentimes the hard way. After some time working with this person and applying your passions and […]
How Can I Do This Faster, Better, Cheaper?
The number one question you must ask yourself if you want to think entrepreneurially is: How can I do this faster, better, and cheaper than the standard options? That’s it. All of the best products out there are able to do something the other people are doing but do it better, faster, and cheaper. Uber […]
Dropouts and Opt-Outs: Ralph Lauren
“I never went to fashion school. I didn’t know what a designer was. I knew I had something, but I didn’t know what it was. And it could just have easily been nothing.” Ralph Lauren is an entrepreneur and clothing designer, and one of the best. His clothes are classically elegant, transcending momentary fashion trends […]