Early Career

[List of 30] Work Culture Wins

Random Observation/Comment #510: When did “culture” become a buzzword again? Culture is what makes and breaks a company. It’s an underlying mentality that shouldn’t even be a discussion, but yet always comes up as the first thing to fix. Clearly, we want happy people that work together towards getting things done while having a great time doing it. So how do...

[Lessons Learned] TEDActive Organization

Random Observation/Comment #504: TEDactive is like an adult summer camp. I never even went to summer camp, but I’m sure it didn’t have an open bar. I’m going to state an obvious fact here: TEDactive was a well-oiled machine that thought of almost everything for your attending comfort and enjoyment. It goes without saying that this isn’t their first rodeo...

Writing a Book

Random Observation/Comment #502: It doesn’t feel like work if you love doing it. As some of you may know, I’m working on a book that I hope to finish by the end of April. It’s a memoir and partial self-help jumble of advice called “My Life in Lists of 30”. If it wasn’t obvious, I love writing lists of 30....

Writing a TED Badge

Random Observation/Comment #501: Find a common ground where all of your interests become an intellectual discussion. To prepare for TEDActive this year, we were asked to create a badge with a section named “talk to me about”. These are 2-3 topics you’d love to kick off a conversation about and will be printed on your badge for all to see....

Public Speaking is a Marathon, not a Sprint

Random Observation/Comment #497: Get better at being a communicator. It’ll help with almost everything. Everyone wants a shortcut solution to everything, but real mastery and improvement takes time.  I always suggest taking the smaller steps towards becoming a better communicator and gaining confidence in public speaking by following these key ideas: Know your material. Speak about things you know and...

[A Big List] Online Learning

Random Observation/Comment #496: Sometimes you just need to learn to ask the right questions. The internet is already our tree of knowledge. Free online learning is an increasingly growing realm. I’ve thought about how free knowledge is now, and it’s kind of awesome you can pursue a life of continuous education and just take courses on stuff you’re interested in. The...

[Career Advice] Figure Out Why

Random Observation/Comment #494: Inspired leaders think, act, and communicate from “why”. What is your purpose, cause, and belief? Why do you wake up? Why should anyone care? These questions aren’t meant to make you depressed (even though they often do), but instead to make you evaluate your speciality, skills, and objectives. This is your life long mission statement that you hope to...

[Lessons Learned] Networking Strategically with Hobbies

Random Observation/Comment #493: It’s not about who you know, it’s about who knows you. When networking, make sure you’re clear to the value you can add professionally, and people will keep you in mind with your goals. The idea of a work-life balance always made me think that you need to trade off one for the other. This didn’t make...

[List of 30] The Value of Giving a Speech

Random Observation/Comment #485: The process of writing and practicing a speech is more valuable to learning than delivering it. There’s a certain mystical power behind preparing for a speech. All of a sudden, you’re put on the spot knowing your colleagues, friends, and bosses will be listening intently to you for the next 5-7 minutes. All your words will be...

[Career Advice] Big Companies vs Small Companies

Random Observation/Comment #450: All companies (no matter how big) are made up of teams of around 5-9 people. Why?  Because they’re effective at that size. You build camaraderie with peers and your ideas can be heard. For software, any larger is just too hard to PM. At a mock interview night, someone asked me “Do you think I should work...

[Lessons Learned] Organizing a Corporate TEDx

Random Observation/Comment #449: Find activities that encompass multiple hobbies and aim towards a true mission… like TEDx. Organize a TEDx or more events appreciated by your community if you want to be happy. TEDx licenses are granted to those who demonstrate a well-rounded theme that can provide multidisciplinary speeches, demonstrations, and general talks. It’s not meant to be a marketing ploy for...

[Toastmasters] Mentoring your Mentors

Random Observation/Comment #448: Delegation, Trust, and Growth is key to building a successful program. One person truly can’t do it all and it would be foolish to hold all your knowledge as a security blanket on your leadership role. Within Toastmasters, we’ve found that the mentorship program is the most customized and personable solution.  The agenda and reoccurring meetings provide...

[Lessons Learned] Applying Agile Principles to Life

Random Observation/Comment #447: Don’t try to find a one-size fits all solution. It doesn’t exist. After taking a full week of training courses and becoming SCRUM certified, I learned quite a few remarkable characteristics about agile that I could apply to my own life. For those who don’t know, agile is a methodology around iterative development, continuous improvement, and complete transparency. In...

[Toastmasters] Your TED Talk Checklist

Random Observation/Comment #443: Organizing a TEDx (or any event involving a community where you share your passions and ideas) is a very rewarding experience. TED/TEDx talks are kind of a big deal. It’s not just a toastmasters speech in front of your peers or even a speech to your managers – it’s a recorded and mass-distributed video that could potentially...

[Toastmasters] My Speech Preparation Process

Random Observation/Comment #442: One should be honored to give a speech. It’s so rare these days to stand up in front of a crowd and address them with your guidance, knowledge, or story. When I completed my CC for Toastmasters, I mostly just reiterated blog posts that I wrote.  It was easy for me to speak about them because I...

[Lessons Learned] Managing Gen-Y and Millenials

Random Observation/Comment #440: Every year, I think I’m becoming increasingly Gen-X. Maybe values are not necessarily linked to the state of the world of when we grew up in it, but rather the responsibilities gained as we grow up. I’ve been managing Gen-Y interns for the past 4 years and I’ve found there are easy and difficult characteristics about this...

Final Thoughts to Interns

Random Observation/Comment #437: No matter the result of your difficult choice, look back and be at peace with your decision. I write a lot of early career advice in general, but if I were to summarize what I think an intern should focus on right now, this would be it: Learn to summarize your internship.  If I haven’t drilled this...

[Career Advice] Early Career FAQ

Random Observation/Comment #435: Although careers are never cookie-cut, we should reflect often on our lessons learned, growing skill sets, and overall professional branding. After contributing as a panelist for an event, I’ve been getting asked more questions about my early career path.  It’s not really a secret, it’s just a strategy. Q: What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve...

[Lessons Learned] Knowing your Career Drivers and Interests

Random Observation/Comment #433: Know thyself. It’s certainly something not emphasized enough this day and age. Stop trying to copy someone else! Depending on your personality, stage in life, and overall outlook, you will have different factors that drive your career.  These factors include: Material Rewards. It’s important for you to have possessions, wealth, and a high standard of living. (Look...

[GetMomentum] Prioritizing

Random Observation/Comment #429: I feel old when interns tell me they want to be like me when they grow up. I still haven’t grown up yet. Right? … Maybe? #usinghashtagstostayyoung Let’s say you’re like me and you love making task lists in the morning to know what to expect to get done by the end of the day.  Now what?...

[Lessons Learned] Writing Business Emails

Random Observation/Comment #427: My job at the Cooper Admissions department was crucial to my business email etiquette. Communication is almost 75% of my current job, so it single-handedly taught me to follow-up and have an easy-to-read format. I write business emails like I blog. I give a short 3-sentence paragraph in the beginning as a background, use a lot of lists in...

The Education Revolution: Advice to Students of All Ages

Random Observation/Comment #422: Schools are overrated. Education is essential, but learning comes from passion and interests that cannot be forced or taught. Ever since I graduated, I have been unbelievably grateful for my diploma. It has kept doors open on many of my opportunities and it is that one thing my parents had completely right about my future when they...

[Lessons Learned] Analyzing My Habits

Random Observation/Comment #419: It’s just as hard to start a habit as it is to break one. Take it one day at a time… Habits are just tendencies to do things the way you’ve always done them. It’s not exactly a routine in terms of actionable items, but more like a process in which one reacts to various situations. Understanding...

[Lessons Learned] Being a MOUSE Mentor

Random Observation/Comment #416: Mentorship is a two-way street. I often learn as much from the students as they learn from me. Recently, I was given the opportunity to participate in a semester-long mentorship with the MOUSE program at Baruch College Campus High School (BCCHS).  Each school has a slightly different program, but our set-up is driven by a history teacher...