https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08v67oUvpqQ Building a brand is important. So is sharing what you are working on and creating opportunities with marketing. But when you are working on branding and style you can’t forget about creating more substance. To maintain the balance between substance and style Isaac uses a simple heuristic. Two parts substance, one part style. For every one thing you are sharing and talking about publicly, you should be working on something else behind the …
Actionable ideas to kickstart your career
5-on-5: The Challenges & Rewards of Writing Every Single Day
The five Praxis participants who contributed to this post have all participated in our bootcamp’s 30-day writing challenge. During this challenge, they write and publish something every single day. Here are some of their stories and reflections on the practice of daily writing. 1) What's the funniest or most creative thing you ever did to keep your daily blogging streak alive? James Walpole, Praxis Alumnus (Longest writing streak 110 days and counting): I’ve been going to a lot of …
Don’t Trust Willpower, Shape Incentives | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP03gFw_g6g Willpower has limits. If the rewards or punishments are high enough, and you're in a situation long enough, you will eventually reach your limit. But we live in a time where we have massive power to structure the incentives in our own lives. We can find new social circles, jobs, and past times that have incentives in line with our values. We can structure our lives so we don't need to rely on willpower. If you take action and shape the …
5 Superpowers I Got From Month 1 of Praxis
When I first applied to Praxis, I was really focused on the apprenticeship. I was ready to jump in and get to work at a fast-growing start-up. I’ve been in the program for a little over a month, and I now see how the bootcamp is truly an invaluable part of the program. The time, community, mentorship, and skill-building activities the bootcamp offers are crucial to putting me in a position to crush it at my apprenticeship. Here are five “superpowers” the program gave me in month 1: SUPERPOWER …
What Do You Do Best in the World? | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MbfPshHl0I What do you do better than anyone? It is a question you should be finding the answer to. You should be looking at your life and your work and asking yourself, what is the one thing that I do better than everyone else? Once you have the answer you have a path forward. A direction to take your life's work. Check out the new episode of Forward Tilt now on iTunes, YouTube, direct download and all major podcast platforms. In this episode: …
Have Your Cake and Eat It | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-U4Ig0nMUI “You can be fast and erratic or slow and steady.” “You can have a small remote team, but it won’t work with more than five employees.” “You can think quick and shallow or long and deep thought.” The world is full of common wisdom, dichotomies and life lessons. Some are true and valuable, but many aren’t. Accepting them without question can close down real possibilities in your life. You need to figure out if they are true for you. You …
Ask and Then Shut Up | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLZyB4uMh84 When you're new to sales or fundraising, you have the temptation to fill space after you make a big ask. It feels awkward to sit there in silence, but no matter how it feels, wait. Sit there and let the other person talk next. No matter what the answer is, asking and then shutting up works because it leads to a clear reply. Even if it is a no, you will know where you sit, and you won’t be left interpreting what a "sounds good" style answer …
5-on-5: Working at a Praxis Apprenticeship
We asked five Praxis participants to give their answers to five questions on a single theme. This edition’s topic will focus on what it’s like to do an apprenticeship with one of our business partners. 5-on-5: The Praxis Apprenticeship Experience 1) Describe the kind of work you do/did at your Praxis Business Partner? Michael Gaines, Praxis Participant: I've worn many hats at GlockStore. No work is beneath me, and that's what I've shown to my boss. If there's a need and I can help, …
5-on-5: Becoming a Successful Dropout
We asked five Praxis participants to give their answers to five questions on a single theme. This edition’s topic will focus on the rewards, challenges, and lessons that come with dropping out of college. 1) Why did you opt out of college? Simon Fraser, Placement Advisor: I quit college halfway through my sophomore year. I was growing a business at the time which was contributing to most of my personal and professional growth, and my classes were becoming a distraction. Imagine being …
There Is Probably a Better Path | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvPv9qgQr7s Derek Magill guest hosts this episode of Forward Tilt to share a story from a conversation with an aspiring brewer. This was a college freshman with the goal of opening a microbrewery--in the first year of a four-year college program studying political science. He was taking on debt and spending a massive amount of time attending lectures on political science when his goal was to be an entrepreneur in the beer business. Stories like this are …
You Will Never Be the Perfect Job Candidate | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPxw4gNT96A Lots of young people throw away job opportunities because they aren't perfect candidates. They look at job descriptions, see missing bullet points in their own experience, and talk themselves out of applying. They feel like they are stuck between either giving up on the opportunity or pretending like they are the perfect candidate. The reality is much more than a choice between quitting or embellishing. Understanding how companies write job …
Placement Update: May 2017 Apprenticeships
Praxis has been growing steadily. As we place more and more Participants in growing businesses, success stories have been popping up more consistently than ever. We regularly place Participants in marketing, sales, operations, and generalist roles throughout the country. During their apprenticeship, they learn what it's like to jump into a fast-paced startup environment. They don't need experience or hard skills unless they go into a really technical marketing or coding type of role. All they …
Human Patterns and Emergent Order | Forward Tilt Podcast
The most well thought out, efficient, and scientific plans will always fail if they ignore the patterns and tendencies of the end user. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b80XwF3Qh8 From credit card security to sidewalk design, to building a company, if you are creating something you need to account for the patterns of human behavior and how difficult they are to know in advance. On this week’s Forward Tilt, Isaac explores some examples where human behavior can override planning and how to …
Don’t Underestimate Social Capital | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUZ0Zjnr20A Most young people don't understand the vast power of social capital and what it can mean for them over the long term. They are quick to ask for favors and connections but rarely give back to others and invest in their networks. It's not just young people though, people of all ages overlook the power of building social capital. They get caught up fighting for opportunities for a 10% return while overlooking the ways that investing in their …
Living with Integrity | Forward Tilt Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgAHxJJa_zA Integrity is being undivided. It is definiteness of purpose and singleness of mind. To live with integrity, you need to understand yourself and then act in line with who you are. This isn’t easy. It can be hard to gain that much self-knowledge. Even when you have a deep understanding of yourself, there are many decisions in life that involve picking between imperfect options. Living with integrity in these situations is about making a choice …
