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Fireside Chat with Career Karma CEO, Ruben Harris
54:57 with TreehouseIn this Fireside chat, Dr. Toni Josato, Director of Learning at Treehouse, hosts a candid conversation with Ruben Harris, CEO of Career Karma. They discuss the power of community in creating opportunity and how to leverage your unique experience to your advantage.
Ruben Harris, if you did not know,
he is a bay area transplant from Atlanta,
0:04
Georgia, where he served as an advisor for
0:10
forge and organized Atlanta's
first healthcare hackathon.
0:13
Over the past couple of years, Ruben
has worked for academics, organizers,
0:18
politicians, and union leaders at Hustle,
Honor, and AltSchool,
0:24
focused on improving their personalized
outreach, healthcare, and education.
0:28
Ruben began his technology career
working in partnerships and
0:34
sales after writing a viral blog post
called Breaking Into Startups, about how
0:37
he moved to San Francisco without a job
and landed a position in three weeks.
0:41
After receiving thousands of emails
asking him how he broke into tech,
0:45
Ruben co-founded
the Breaking Into Startups
0:54
podcast to demystify the whole process.
0:59
Resulting in a social media
reach of over 3 million people,
1:04
200,000 plus downloads,
10,000 plus website
1:09
visits per month, and
over 100 plus reviews on iTunes, and
1:14
a Facebook community
of 10,000 plus people.
1:19
And invitations to be the contributor
to TechCrunch and Black Enterprise.
1:23
In 2010, Ruben worked on operational
improvements for senior living communities
1:28
after completing a double major in
business administration and music.
1:33
During college, Ruben worked
organized over 50 plus events for
1:38
nonprofit athletes and celebrities,
1:44
including the likes of Tyrese,
Kim Kardashian, and Jay-Z.
1:47
Rubin has been playing the cello for
25 years,
1:53
taught music, performed in venues,
and all over the world,
1:57
including Carnegie Hall, and
led to placements on Def Jam.
2:02
He is also an active member of the NAACP.
2:07
Ruben is currently the CEO and
founder of Career Karma.
2:10
Career Karma is a community of peers,
mentors and
2:15
coaches that will help you
land a dream career in tech.
2:18
You never pay a dime, he says, and
the only cost is pay it forward.
2:22
At Career Karma, you will meet
the people who are just starting out and
2:28
people who have been
several steps ahead of you,
2:33
where no prior knowledge is needed.
2:37
Ruben has got an extensive history,
y'all, I can't wait to talk to this man.
2:40
Please welcome to our fireside chat,
Ruben Harris.
2:44
What's up, Ruben?
2:46
>> What up, what up, everybody?
2:48
How you doing?
2:49
>> How are you?
2:49
So glad to see you?
2:51
>> I'm good, I'm good,
it was a cool weekend.
2:53
Nice to see you as well.
2:55
>> Yeah, cool.
2:57
Hey, man, we've got so many things
that we wanna talk to you about, but
2:58
first, tell us about this Career Karma.
3:03
What does Career Karma actually do?
3:06
>> Yeah, so Career Karma matches career
transitioners to job training programs,
3:08
so they can get high paying
jobs in tech in about a year.
3:13
We have an app on Android and
iPhone, we also have a web app.
3:17
And what makes our software unique is not
only will we match you with one of 450 job
3:20
training programs across the country,
3:24
that will get you a salary
of about 70 to $100,000.
3:27
But also, during the program, during the
job searching, for the rest of your life,
3:30
through a regular peer mentorship
group that we call a scribe, and
3:34
coaches that will give
you career guidance.
3:38
We currently have about half a million
people coming to us a month,
3:40
as you can imagine.
3:44
We've seen a pretty massive boom, now
that 52 million Americans have filed for
3:45
unemployment since the pandemic hit.
3:50
We're on track to be at about
1 million a month in the fall.
3:52
Anyway, long story short,
3:55
we help people go from low income to
high income in a short amount of time.
3:56
>> That's awesome and so timely.
4:01
So can you talk to us about what
drove you to start Career Karma?
4:02
You've got this background in music.
4:09
You've kind of dabbled
a little bit of everything but
4:10
what drove you to start Career Karma?
4:14
>> Yeah, I mean, we told a lot of
people that Career Karma is essentially
4:16
the product that we wish that
we had when we broke into tech.
4:20
We practice what we preach.
4:23
My brother went to boot camp,
my co-founders go to boot camp,
4:25
I went to a boot camp launch.
4:28
So career guidance,
4:30
career navigation in general is
something that a lot of people want.
4:31
Psychology is a big issue when it comes
to labor market transitions and so
4:36
we've always believed in people,
helping people.
4:40
I'm a true product of other
people giving me guidance and
4:43
support through my journey, and so
we just decided to productize that.
4:46
I would say I'm a misfit.
4:50
I went to a school that
you never heard of.
4:53
I say it's the best school you never
heard of, I had a 2.98 GPA, and
4:55
we're here right now, so yeah.
4:59
>> Yeah, absolutely.
5:01
You talk about folks that how
influential they've been in your life,
5:02
and I know that mentorship is
a huge part of Career Karma.
5:07
Can you talk to us about your philosophy
and your vow and how mentorship is valued
5:11
in your own journey and the journey of
the folks that you're trying to support?
5:16
>> Yeah, I mean, I think we talked about
how there's no such thing as a self-made
5:20
person that people don't get
anywhere without other people.
5:25
I say my first mentors in my life are my
parents and then it goes into my cello
5:29
teachers, cuz I've been playing the cello,
like you said, for almost 30 years.
5:33
And when it comes to Silicon Valley,
everybody talks about tech and
5:38
robots and automation but
5:43
they don't realize that most jobs
are offline and come through referral.
5:45
Most people aren't gonna get
a job through the website, and
5:50
only 20% of jobs are listed online, which
is why Career Karma is a social network.
5:53
And if you look at online courses,
5:57
hundreds of millions of people have signed
up for these things in the last few years,
5:59
but there's only a 5 to
15% completion rate.
6:03
That's not just to the psychology, but
also because when people get stuck,
6:06
they don't have someone
to ask the question to.
6:10
So we've always believed in creating the
causes that connect people to each other
6:13
so they can figure out how to
get to where they want to go.
6:17
What's up, Ryan?
6:19
>> That's awesome, Ruben.
6:20
We look at you, we see you,
6:22
we're hearing kind of the beginning stages
of your story, which is not for everyone,
6:24
right, but you're saying it's
a little bit something different.
6:29
But I wanna talk to you
about you being the CEO.
6:33
That's a little different than coming out,
being a junior engineer or even a manager.
6:36
So how do you feel your
versatile work experience has
6:41
prepared you for a role of CEO?
6:46
>> Yeah, so I think the biggest companies,
at least tech-driven companies,
6:49
have two core responsibilities,
you have people that write code and
6:53
you have people that talk to users.
6:57
And the people that are writing code, it's
very important for them to understand what
6:59
people actually need, so
that you are building products and
7:03
features that serve them
to solve their problems.
7:07
So I think as a founder, it's ideal
that you have the problem yourself,
7:09
because you have personally felt that pain
and you can relate to that individual.
7:13
And in my opinion, the fastest way
to a CEO seat is in sales, and
7:18
my background working in
startups is in sales.
7:22
And the reason why I think that is
because my job as CEO is to communicate
7:25
the story of the company.
7:30
Make sure that the company is capitalized,
so I need to raise money.
7:32
I need to also make sure
that I'm hiring well, and
7:35
I'm essentially selling across the board.
7:38
I'm selling to customers, I'm selling
to users, I'm selling to investors.
7:41
I'm telling the story.
7:43
I'm on platforms like this to make sure
people are aware of what's going on, so
7:45
that if I'm reaching the right audience
that has this need, I'm able to solve it.
7:49
And I'm learning from things right here.
7:53
Like in the chat right now, people
told me I had my laptop in my lap and
7:55
it's gonna make them seasick.
7:58
So I gotta put my laptop down,
I listen to you guys, I serve you well.
7:59
I'm a servant, essentially.
8:04
>> Awesome, awesome, so yeah, listening to
that feedback, right, is really important.
8:05
>> Yeah,
>> Yeah, so hey, listen, I want to switch
8:11
gears a little bit and talk about,
we would be remiss not to talk about
8:14
the recent events that are happening right
now with COVID and Black Lives Matter.
8:19
So what would you say is your
number one concern now that,
8:25
essentially, millions of
Americans are unemployed and
8:31
find themselves out of work?
8:37
>> What a lot of people don't realize
that most people that are losing jobs
8:40
are women and people of color.
8:45
And most people have a smartphone but
less than 50% of black and
8:47
brown people actually have a laptop.
8:50
If you look at, I believe the stats are
46% of people that are making $30,000 and
8:52
below have a laptop, so
everybody else doesn't have a laptop.
8:58
So when you think about
the digital divide,
9:02
most people talk about Wi-Fi,
they forget about devices.
9:05
And this is not just for boot camps or
programs like Treehouse,
9:09
this is for universities, right?
9:13
Universities are going through
a reckoning right now, right?
9:16
A lot of them wanted to reopen, they
spent millions of dollars to reopen, but
9:18
in my opinion, they're all gonna
have to go online, and eventually,
9:23
everybody's gonna be online or
a hybrid of both.
9:27
So that's why Treehouse has
been out of the game for
9:29
a long time with things like tech
degree and things like that.
9:32
And whenever you think
about when going online,
9:35
the device thing is going
to be a big issue, right?
9:38
You see libraries stepping in very well
with Wi-Fi, you see all kinds of other,
9:40
like New Jersey, they just spent
hundreds of million dollars for laptops.
9:45
And so usually,
when people talk about digital divide,
9:50
they talked about K-12, but
we gotta remember the adults, right?
9:54
Most of the people that come to
Career Karma actually 25 to 41.
9:58
So, people forget about the adults.
10:03
I mean, I think it's important for
the kids to learn for sure.
10:05
But the parents that are in
the household need to
10:09
also be able to provide too, right?
10:11
Especially the ones that are quarantined
with little kids, right?
10:14
And so, what I'm doing right now to help
people came as a result of me really
10:16
being pissed off about what happened
with the whole George Floyd situation.
10:21
Because I did this big rant saying that
I was going to raise $100,000 to help
10:26
our people, especially the activists
in the street to not just take over
10:31
the policy discussion but also online.
10:36
And some people saw that rant and
they decided to help us do something.
10:38
So what we're doing is this
campaign that we're calling
10:44
Reskill America: The Great
Rehiring Initiative.
10:46
Cuz we know that we're not just
not about police brutality.
10:49
We're mad about black
people not having jobs.
10:51
We're mad about most of our people dying
from COVID and a bunch of other things.
10:54
So what we're doing is raising half
a million dollars and giving away 5,000,
10:58
5,000 to people that have been laid off or
11:02
furloughed due to COVID-19 that want
to enroll in job training program.
11:04
So that we can give them the tool that
they need in order to get a high paying
11:08
job in a year.
11:11
And once they get hired by
whoever then they can give that
11:12
laptop back to somebody else, right?
11:15
So this is like the fishing rod and
we're teaching people how to fish.
11:17
And we've had companies like Square,
GitHub, come through and give laptops.
11:20
Colin Kapernick himself and
gave a check as well.
11:26
So we've raised about $200,000
in the last few weeks,
11:30
and we're gonna keep doing that.
11:33
>> Ruben, that's awesome,
I love to hear it.
11:36
I think a lot of times, folks get
paralyzed with not knowing exactly
11:39
what to do, or putting some money and
some strategic plans behind it.
11:43
I mean, you're doing an awesome job,
I appreciate it.
11:48
But what do you have to say to others or
11:51
other companies out there and
how they should just deploy their
11:54
resources in terms of towards
Black Lives Matters issue.
11:59
Because this will this will
die off eventually, but
12:03
what would be your recommendations to
those companies who really want to do
12:06
something that provides change?
12:10
>> Yeah, I think that's a great point.
12:12
I like that you said this
time can die off, right?
12:15
This is the difference between
chronos timing and kairos time.
12:19
Chronos time is chronological, kairos
time is the opportune moments as nothing,
12:22
this is the opportune moment for action.
12:27
And I do feel like this moment, this whole
Black Lives Matter moment is different,
12:30
because you see people from all
demographics globally, rioting and
12:35
protesting, and
you see people still processing right now.
12:39
However, and
you also see a lot of really nice pledges,
12:42
if you go to the Axios article there's
like I think $1.6 billion in pledges made.
12:46
The problem with these pledges that
have been made, in my opinion,
12:51
is you don't know who the right
point of contact is that has
12:54
made the pledge in order to take
advantage of these resources.
12:57
A lot of the resources
actually only get deployed to
13:00
people that they've
already funded already.
13:05
The grant process to even get
the money is slow unless you have
13:09
the connections for it.
13:14
And people are hurting now,
the need for speed is of the essence.
13:16
And I think that corporate social
responsibility departments,
13:22
contracting departments are in
a unique position to do something.
13:27
And I do think that the efforts
to de-fund the police and
13:31
all these other things related
to policy are important.
13:33
But that's gonna be slow,
we know that's gonna be slow and
13:35
in my opinion is probably
not gonna happen.
13:38
We need to fund things that get resources
to people now and give them power.
13:40
And a lot of times these pledges that
we've seen that are dollar pledges
13:47
are actually donations in kind,
which aren't bad.
13:51
But just keep that in mind that
it's not always valid figures.
13:54
And then the people that are in diversity
positions you need to give them power to
13:57
where they can make non-contested
decisions without other people's authority
14:01
that aren't diverse, but you can make
the hire and send the wire quickly.
14:05
>> Absolutely, right,
14:09
because there's no significant value
we can provide instant, right?
14:10
Relevant, timely, support, that's awesome.
14:16
So you mentioned earlier,
you touched a little
14:19
bit on universities and
higher learning and
14:24
online learning and
how universities coming to see,
14:28
they're being exposed I should say.
14:34
And having worked in higher ed for
many years,
14:38
I've been touting this for years, right?
14:41
But what are your thoughts on higher
online education, distance learning,
14:44
and even working remotely, right,
so is this our new future?
14:50
>> Yeah, I mean, I want to give a huge
shout out to Chip Paucek, the CEO of 2U.
14:54
I think he's been ahead of the game
talking about online education for
15:02
a long time.
15:07
So, Dan Rosensweig who's the CEO of Chegg
who has a lot of thoughts on the future of
15:07
education.
15:12
So y'all can look up the latter
stuff that they've been doing.
15:13
And there are several others
that I could give shout outs to.
15:15
But I think that there's
the two major trends right now.
15:19
There's the unbundling
of higher education,
15:22
which Ryan Craig's did
a really great article about.
15:24
And then there's increased demand for
15:27
skills based training to
high in demand careers.
15:29
Historically, there's been this big
debate about what's the point of college,
15:32
is it to get an education and
socialize or for it to get a job?
15:39
And people have had arguments about that
for years, but I would say these days
15:43
the only reason why most people are trying
to get an education is to get a job.
15:49
So the ROI for a degree for
our tech degree, or
15:55
a MOOC or bootcamp is in question, right?
15:58
Do you get me a job, period,
that's the ultimate measure of success.
16:01
And if you're gonna charge me for
what am I getting,
16:07
in addition to the job outcome,
what makes you different?
16:11
But at the end of the day, everyone
kind of teaching the same thing and
16:14
preaching the same thing
that you're gonna get.
16:18
So you got to think about those.
16:20
I'm not gonna too deep into my
thoughts about all of that.
16:22
I do think that that something that
college has a great benefit for
16:27
is the socialization aspect.
16:31
And I think that's something that
we really need to think about,
16:33
especially since we're in
a quarantine mode right now.
16:36
Sorry about the beeping,
you got to hear that background noise?
16:39
>> Very little.
16:43
>> Okay, very little,
just double checking.
16:44
Yeah, so the reason why I bring this up
is because now that we're in quarantine,
16:46
I think that we are social creatures and
isolation is a very big issue.
16:53
When we have high unemployment,
suicide is a big issue.
16:59
If you're dealing with older people,
our elders, right?
17:02
There's 50,000 people every day for the
next 19 years, isolation is a big issue.
17:06
I used to work in
the health care industry.
17:10
So we really, really got to figure out
how to address those those issues.
17:14
And so when it comes to when
it comes to universities,
17:20
I think that I think that I like what
Southern New Hampshire University
17:23
is doing right now actually
partnering with boot camps.
17:28
Where they are actually giving
you a college credential and
17:32
giving you a job outcome.
17:35
I think that's really cool.
17:36
Kenzie Academy is doing it with
Washington Governors University,
17:37
Butler University, and
you're starting to see hybrids of that.
17:41
I like seeing what, I guess,
you didn't ask this question but
17:44
what corporations are doing as well
to provide their own credential.
17:47
I think there's an over
emphasis on credentials.
17:50
I think we have to,
I think that's where people get it flawed.
17:53
I don't think that a potential
is not going to get you the job.
17:57
And that's because most
jobs are offline and.
18:00
So I just think that we're gonna see
a lot of consolidation from universities,
18:03
many universities shutting down.
18:07
We're gonna see a lot of companies getting
a lot of universities getting bought.
18:09
I think you're gonna see a lot of
collaboration with corporations and
18:13
with short form boot camps or carrying out
some kind of outcomes driven model, yeah.
18:17
>> Yeah, I agree with you wholeheartedly.
18:22
It's what the research is telling us,
right?
18:24
And so we're going to have to have
a lot of folks doing some paradigm
18:27
shifting I think to stay around.
18:32
But we've kind of talked about all
these things happening here recently.
18:34
I think what folks probably really
are interested in Ruben is just getting
18:40
started.
18:44
You have these ideas and
they kind of come and
18:44
go they come to these kind of talks and
festivals and do these interviews.
18:47
But for them, when did you first
began to have your interest in tech.
18:52
What fed you to learn more?
18:57
>> Yeah, a couple of things that
didn't mention that you did ask me
19:00
before as well was like,
my thoughts about remote work.
19:04
I don't know if you guys saw today, but
Google just made a big announcement about
19:09
how they're letting people work
from home all the way till 2021.
19:13
A lot of people talking
about going back to normal.
19:16
I don't think that there
is going back to normal,
19:18
I think that COVID-19 has completely
reshaped our entire world.
19:22
And so we have to be aware of this
new reality which does lead into your
19:27
question that you just asked me just
now about why I went into tech.
19:31
So, I think I told you I graduated from
the best school you've never heard of
19:36
University, had a 2.98 GPA,
and when I was in college.
19:41
And that's not that I'm dumb,
I just was throwing parties in.
19:45
>> [INAUDIBLE]
>> But,
19:51
I knew I wanted to go into
investment banking, but
19:56
I didn't know what it
took to get into that.
20:00
And when I was in college everybody
wants to go into finance or consulting.
20:03
In tech, everybody wants,
now everybody wants to go into tech.
20:08
And so I was always aware of where things
were going, where things were going,
20:12
like what, like not just everybody
wants to break into tech.
20:17
What are the roles that are in tech?
20:21
Who are the major players?
20:23
What are the companies that aren't?
20:24
Same, what are the ones that
aren't Google or Facebook?
20:26
Who are the people that
are giving them money?
20:29
How did they get big?
20:30
Blah, blah, blah, right?
20:32
And so I would go to a lot of meetups.
20:34
I went to the Atlanta Startup Village
in Atlanta Tech Village in Atlanta.
20:36
I went to 1871 in Chicago,
like all when they were all coming up.
20:39
And just really just meeting people, going
to the happy hours, like really going to
20:44
events like this that you all are doing
on Treehouse Festival, right?
20:49
I mean, there's 126 people here, right?
20:53
And you never know who you're gonna meet.
20:54
And I just put myself into that ecosystem.
20:56
I didn't want to be a big
fish in a small pond.
21:02
I wanna always find like,
what's the bigger, bigger opportunities,
21:04
because like the music industry is small.
21:08
That's what I was in before,
in a way smaller and
21:10
I always had big ambitions, right?
21:14
And so that's kind of how I
got exposed to everything.
21:17
The people that really gave
me my shot were actually
21:20
diversity groups to get
into investment banking.
21:24
So I gotta give a shout out to
sponsors for educational opportunity,
21:29
SEO, and they'll see those people.
21:33
I wasn't able to participate,
cuz I had graduated already, but
21:36
I sent out 1,900 emails.
21:39
And I sent 300 of them to SEO, and
21:40
they let me set up a booth
at Morehouse College.
21:43
I got to crash their career fair,
even though I didn't go to Morehouse.
21:47
And they actually let me in, and
21:51
I was able to get my first
shot to get into into banking.
21:52
And then I did same thing
to get into tech as well.
21:54
And we figured out how to make it work for
people inside a career calm,
21:57
and I can breakdown how we do that,
but that's how I did it.
22:02
>> Wow, so what you're saying,
a whole lot of tenacity.
22:06
[LAUGH] 300.
22:09
>> A whole lot of tenacity, yeah.
22:10
>> So Ruben, I can't imagine that
it was a walk in the park, right?
22:11
I mean, you're young,
22:13
you're an African American male.
22:17
What are some of like
the major challenges?
22:22
Give us the tea on this really,
22:27
that people face when they try to break
into tech, especially folks of color.
22:29
>> Yeah, I mean, I liked,
somebody put it in the chat.
22:34
I think they caught that I used the word,
underestimated.
22:36
I got that word from Arlen Hamilton,
shout out to Arlen Hamilton.
22:40
>> [LAUGH]
>> Because, I love it because it puts
22:44
the negative energy on whoever's
underestimating, right?
22:47
And it actually puts you in
a position of advantage, right?
22:52
Because if people are underestimating you,
then it should be easy for
22:56
you to exceed their expectation.
22:59
That's kind of like being a black cellist,
right?
23:01
You walk into a room, like nobody
expects you to walk up to the front and
23:03
be the principal cellist.
23:06
Right, they don't expect that, right?
23:07
So it's actually great for
people to be underestimating you,
23:10
because you're special, right?
23:14
Everybody knows how to code.
23:17
What's gonna make me choose not to
just shadow over somebody else?
23:18
That's who she is as a person, right?
23:23
So we teach people to love what they
may not have loved about themselves,
23:24
or take their perceived disadvantages and
turn them into advantages.
23:30
Because like growing up in Atlanta,
everybody's black.
23:35
I didn't know black people were
a minority until I left Atlanta and
23:39
until I started getting Audited Media
hitting me up, like telling me that
23:43
we were less than, or that we needed
to be treated like a charity case.
23:48
You don't hear me talking
about diversity at but
23:53
everybody in our community is black,
right?
23:56
>> Right, you're right.
23:59
>> I think leading through action and
winning and showing improvement through
24:00
actions, indeed, is a much more
effective way to get things done.
24:05
And since I know how the game works, which
is very similar to the music industry,
24:09
the way the music industry works
is that it doesn't discriminate.
24:15
It'll hire anybody, right?
24:19
>> Mm-hm
>> You can be black, you can be white,
24:21
you can be old, you can be young,
24:24
you can be a different sex,
you can be a different religion.
24:26
You could speak a different language,
as long as it sounds good.
24:30
But the hardest part about getting in
the music industry is not being a great
24:33
musician or a great artist, it's playing
your record for the right person.
24:36
And how do you get into
the music industry?
24:39
Not apply on Universal Records' website.
24:41
>> [LAUGH] No.
24:43
>> You gotta find a connect.
24:45
>> That's right.
24:46
>> Right?
24:48
>> That's right.
24:48
>> The same thing with technology.
24:50
That's why we create a community,
that's why we're on the social network.
24:51
>> Awesome.
24:54
So, that mentorship and
you have a connection, and
24:55
teach your folks really
the essentials of networking, right?
24:59
I think a lot of times,
folks don't have that effective skill, but
25:05
how essential and important it is,
like you said, to be connected and
25:09
hooked up with the right people and
not being afraid to do so.
25:14
So what advice would you,
or not necessarily advice,
25:18
but how do you think,
you mentioned music and
25:24
your your space and your time there music.
25:29
How do you think you having
a degree in cello performance,
25:33
[LAUGH] and
how does that intersect with technology?
25:38
What parallels were there?
25:42
>> That's a great question.
25:44
So let's just,
let's use that example, ,okay?
25:47
So how would I compete with
someone that has 10 years of
25:49
experience as an engineer, or
a salesperson, as a cellist?
25:54
Well, if I'm in a boot camp or
I'm in a tech degree and
25:59
I focus on building projects related
to music that I have personally
26:03
experienced as a musician, and
when I get to the job search, and
26:08
I focus on applying to companies
like Spotify or Pandora, or Patreon,
26:13
I have an advantage, because I can compete
against a salesperson or an engineer
26:18
that knows nothing about music,
because I am a professional musician.
26:23
And I know more about music
than the CEO of Spotify.
26:29
You know what I'm saying?
26:32
So you will have an advantage, right?
26:34
So some of you are like,
wait, what if I'm too old?
26:37
But you got life experience in something.
26:40
It doesn't have to be career-related.
26:42
You might be an expert at crochet, right?
26:46
And then whenever you build projects
related to crochet making and
26:48
do it yourself stuff, when you get to the
job search, apply to companies like that.
26:52
Cuz you know who's producing some
of the most mass in the world for
26:57
everybody right now during COVID-19?
27:00
It's Etsy, because it's a big
do it yourself community, and
27:02
people want to have swagged out masks.
27:07
So shout out to the people,
to the artists in the game, right?
27:10
So I think like, understand, so when I
was trying to, I'll give you an example.
27:14
When I was trying to get into investment
banking, I got that question.
27:19
What would a cellist have to do with
getting into investment banking?
27:23
So I had to paint the picture to them.
27:27
I would have to say things like,
I was I was born in California,
27:29
grew up in Atlanta.
27:33
I've been playing the cello
since I was four years old.
27:35
As you can imagine,
as a classical musician,
27:37
I often come in contact
with business people.
27:39
I met a guy who was in private equity that
told me if I want to learn business in
27:41
a short amount of time,
you should do investment banking.
27:45
So I just made the task for them.
27:48
You have to paint the picture for
them, right?
27:49
So whatever it is that you're trying to
do, you might have to tell your story
27:51
every time you're talking to somebody, but
you gotta make the connection for them.
27:55
Right now,
you just told my story like it made sense.
27:59
I've been fired three times.
28:01
I've been laid off three times, right?
28:03
>> Right, speak!
28:04
>> Career Karma wasn't for
28:05
me, like we just dreamed up
overnight to make a lot of money.
28:07
It's a calling, it's a movement, right?
28:12
I have to do this,
I have to help a billion people now.
28:16
And so, but the story always has to
tie and actually resonate with people.
28:19
I think for the people that are on
this call and they want guidance,
28:25
they want mentorship, they want to
understand how to love what they may
28:28
not love about themselves,
they can go to Career Karma.
28:31
They could fill out Fast Track,
which is that CareerKarma.com/slash apply,
28:33
share their career goals,
share their needs and
28:37
be open about what their needs are so
we know how to help them.
28:40
And every single person will get connected
with the coach in a group called a squad
28:43
that will give them support,
not just before the bootcamp, but
28:46
during the program, during the job
session, for the rest of their life.
28:50
>> Awesome, you know Ruben,
I really, I'm thinking
28:53
about the young folks who don't
have hope right now, right?
28:58
I'm talking about newly
released from prison,
29:05
young sister with a baby, new baby,
29:10
didn't graduate from high school.
29:14
How can they look at you and
look at your story and still see hope?
29:18
What advice or
what can you speak to them to say, hey,
29:23
this too could be you, and be convincing.
29:27
Like how can, I've got all these
things stacked against me.
29:30
How could I ever even
rise to your occasion?
29:34
I don't even know what a cello is.
29:37
Talk to those groups.
29:38
>> Yeah, let me respond to what
Nikolas said in the chat really fast.
29:40
So he asked about like resources people
that already completed a boot camp, yes.
29:44
My brother actually runs something
called a job search master class.
29:48
We also have a portfolio workshop.
29:51
You can upload your
projects in Career Karma,
29:53
get connected to a network
of over 2,000 companies.
29:55
We have early assessments for
29:58
people that want to test their test skills
to see if they're ready for a boot camp.
30:00
But that's your answer.
30:05
Let me go back to Dr. Joe Sato.
30:07
How do I help people?
30:11
So first of all, I tell people,
I want to make sure that I'm irrelevant.
30:13
I think the best managers make
their people that they're managing
30:19
better than them, right?
30:23
And turn them into leaders.
30:25
I want to create other leaders and
have you all carry the torch.
30:27
And so, as a man,
I could never relate to a woman or
30:30
a mom because I'm not a woman or
a mom, right?
30:34
But I can connect you with other moms
that can relate to your struggle, right?
30:38
And so this goes back to the importance
of having the scribe, right?
30:43
So if you're a mom I connect
you with the moms who post.
30:47
If you're a dad I can do
the dads who post a lot.
30:50
If you're somebody that was formerly
incarcerated, I can connect you
30:53
not just to the people that were formerly
incarcerated and career karma, but also
30:56
to my homies that 70 million jobs Richard
Branson, shout out to Richard Branson.
30:59
I can connect to what's next chapter, this
slack Zalman I think now Dropbox, right?
31:03
I'm talking to Kenyatta Layel over there.
31:10
Checker has a bounce back to work program.
31:12
So we are the plugs right?
31:16
Because we meet to connect.
31:17
Have you ever heard a genius
say meet to connect?
31:19
Same thing, right?
31:21
And so we recognize that usually,
when people have career conversations they
31:22
lead with what school they went to,
what GPA they have, what certificate
31:27
that they have, but that's not
gonna make an instant connection.
31:32
And Dr. Joe Zato and I found out that
we grew up in the same neighborhood,
31:37
we already got an awesome connection.
31:40
>> That's right.
31:42
>> And
this is the first time that we've met.
31:43
So we probably would have
a much deeper connection,
31:44
if we grew up in the same
neighborhood right?
31:46
>> That's right.
31:48
[LAUGH]
>> Right maybe if we-
31:48
>> I was born in LA.
31:50
>> Knew the same person-
>> You never know.
31:51
>> In the same school right?
31:52
>> That's right.
31:54
>> Exactly, so, like,
what a lot of people don't realize is
31:54
that the 99% really got the power,
we just not all of us, right?
31:58
So we're just trying to
organize everybody and
32:03
recognize that we do have the power and
that there are other people like you.
32:05
If I could show you a map of all the other
people that were formerly incarcerated
32:09
that are now working in tech companies.
32:13
Now you find your people and
they could vouch for you and
32:15
skip the normal recruiting process, right?
32:18
How many rappers do we know
that have been locked up?
32:20
There are now big artists right?
32:23
>> Absolutely.
32:25
>> That existence and tattoo and
not just black people.
32:27
The black people too.
32:31
>> Yeah, all shades.
32:32
>> Yeah.
32:35
>> Awesome,
I'll keep wondering here though.
32:36
Is that a cello there by Ruben?
32:39
I'd like to hear a little something and
32:42
I'm sure the folks out there would
love to hear just a little something.
32:44
>> About what now?
32:48
Say that one more time.
32:51
Is there a little bit of what now?
32:52
Our cello is upstairs.
32:53
I could do that.
32:59
I can do that.
33:03
>> You could?
33:04
>> But.
33:04
>> But.
33:05
>> I could do that.
33:06
>> [LAUGH] I'm trying for y'all.
33:07
I know y'all wanna hear Ruben on his
channel, maybe sometime this week.
33:09
[LAUGH]
>> Maybe sometime this week.
33:14
>> Okay.
33:16
>> And the ace up the sleeve.
33:17
>> Okay.
33:19
>> But we can do that.
33:20
I'll do a special for you guys.
33:21
Let's make it.
33:26
Let's prepare it and we can make that.
33:27
All right, we'll talk.
33:29
>> I want to make sure I deliver 1,000%.
33:31
>> Absolutely.
33:35
Hey, I've got a couple more things
I want to talk to you about.
33:37
Are there any more questions you'd like
to take that you're seeing in the chat?
33:39
>> Let's see what questions
we got in the chat.
33:43
We got people saying, let's see, can you
speak to the reality of needing to pay
33:46
the bills to achieve
the roof over your head.
33:51
I think that's a great question.
33:54
>> That's a great question.
33:55
>> So most people that come to career
karma, they can't do it full time.
33:57
Right because paying bills is a reality,
especially for the parents.
34:03
So, there are programs that we work
with that have a living stipend.
34:09
Have you ever heard of the mini stipend,
so
34:15
living stipend will give you $1500 a month
while you're going to the program.
34:18
Some of the programs that we work
with will match you up with jobs that
34:24
are part time as well.
34:28
So, if you're doing a part time program,
34:30
you'll probably dedicate like maybe
four to six hours a day to it.
34:32
And then some of the programs will match
you with a job so you can also learn.
34:36
I'm working on figuring
out other solutions.
34:41
There was one boot camp that we work with
that matched with a staffing company
34:44
that would allow you to work for a very
big company on doing customer service so
34:49
you can learn the soft skills and
and the tech skills.
34:54
But we will help you figure out those
types of solutions in addition to giving
34:58
you a device.
35:02
But it's not a problem that
we have fully solved yet.
35:03
But there are there are roles.
35:06
I would just sign up for part time
program, look at the living stipend, and
35:08
then we'll do what we can to help
you figure out the part time job.
35:13
Let's see if there's other
questions in the chat.
35:16
I like taking questions from the chat.
35:18
Let's see.
35:25
How old is too old to start coding?
35:25
Is that a serious question?
35:28
There's no such thing as
too old to start coding.
35:30
I think a lot of people
feel late to the game.
35:33
You might feel late to the game.
35:37
But I want you all to know that
you are like extremely early.
35:38
Half the world's not
connected to the Internet.
35:40
Elon Musk is trying to
shoot rockets to space.
35:43
You ever heard of Starlink?
35:45
The whole point of Starlink is to
get global Internet connectivity.
35:47
So think about everything that has
happened with only half the world
35:50
connected to the Internet.
35:54
Do you know what's going to happen
when the entire world's connected to
35:56
the Internet?
35:58
4 billion new people are going to
come online in the next six years.
35:59
All right, yeah, I mean,
36:03
I think 75% of mobile traffic
is gonna be driven by video.
36:05
If you're on video right now, I mean it's
not all about mobile no more now that
36:09
we are in our home offices
because of quarantine.
36:14
But the point is, is that the app store
was only invented in 2008, right?
36:17
You all actually hella early, right?
36:23
And people are living longer.
36:26
>> Yeah.
36:29
>> Right, I was born in Loma Linda,
California, which is a Blue Zone.
36:30
You know what the Blue Zone is?
36:34
The Blue Zone is where people live for
hundreds of years.
36:35
All right, so, in my opinion, 50's the new
30, at least that's what I tell myself.
36:38
I just turned 33.
36:43
>> [INAUDIBLE]
>> [LAUGH] So
36:44
that's how I
36:49
feel about it.
36:53
Somebody said I started learning at 26/36
years old to two to three months boom
36:58
in there.
37:02
He's trying to testimony.
37:03
See, I'm not lying.
37:05
Shout out to Ann on the call.
37:06
>> All right, that's right.
37:08
Hey listen, I know a 79 year old no,
she was 89 year old woman that says she
37:10
didn't start back to school to learn
things till she was in her 70s so.
37:16
>> I tell people you don't
have to be the hare.
37:21
You can be the tortoise.
37:24
Tortoise won the race.
37:26
Nothing wrong with that.
37:27
>> Absolutely.
37:28
>> You might be Mike Tyson about
to fight Roy Jones right now.
37:29
Right he looks good too.
37:33
So don't quit.
37:35
>> Don't quit, don't quit.
37:37
That's right,
you heard it y 'all don't quit.
37:39
[LAUGH] So Ruben it's a lot,
I even going through my program.
37:42
I got through studies.
37:48
It's been experience imposter syndrome,
right?
37:49
I think it's fairly common for
folks in venturing into something new.
37:52
Can you talk a little more about
kind of some of those psychological
37:58
elements that people just have to
consider when they're wanting to
38:02
start over in a new career or
transition into a new career?
38:07
>> Yeah, I mean, imposter syndrome
is a very real thing I think.
38:11
I think you said something about
tenacity earlier like I think.
38:16
I think one of my strongest traits
is resourcefulness and tenacity and
38:20
being able to like,
decide to do something and
38:25
have this confidence to go all the way
through and just like run through walls.
38:27
I think trusting your
struggle matters right,
38:32
being able to trust your struggle matters.
38:36
I think trusting the process
also matters too.
38:39
And recognizing that
rejection is part of it.
38:43
Right, so I've like you said like
when I tried to get into banking,
38:47
I had to send out 1900 emails.
38:52
But to get into tech, I probably sent,
I don't know, maybe 5000 emails,
38:55
but to raise money as a founder
I had to raise thousands and
39:01
thousands of emails to right,
it doesn't stop.
39:05
And what you'll realize
about your results,
39:08
people have probably heard
about [INAUDIBLE], right?
39:12
80/20, right?
39:16
So like 80% of your results are gonna
come from 20% of your efforts.
39:17
And so if you follow that math, right,
and only one out of five of your emails
39:20
are gonna respond like increase your
numbers by sending more, right?
39:25
Get more rejections, right?
39:30
>> Right.
39:32
>> Cuz like somebody will respond
that might not lead to an interview.
39:32
And then out of the interviews,
how many interviews are you having, right?
39:37
How many of those are gonna
lead to a second interview.
39:40
>> Right.
39:42
>> When recording talent,
39:42
some people get stuck in all these
like these I'm not ready yet.
39:44
I'm not gonna apply until I'm ready yet.
39:49
There's a very famous
quote by Reed Hoffman,
39:51
who is the founder of LinkedIn that if you
are embarrassed about the first version of
39:54
your product you've launched too late.
39:59
You are the product that
the company is like.
40:01
As an artist, right, do you know how many
artists are really good musicians that
40:04
starve just cuz they don't
know how to sell themselves,
40:08
they don't know how to present themselves?
40:11
And so
you have to learn how to get launched.
40:14
There's a lot of mediocre
artists that are very wealthy.
40:18
And I'm not gonna throw shade
at some mediocre artists,
40:20
because I love all the artists,
I'm not gonna do that.
40:24
>> [LAUGH]
>> But there's a lot of mediocre artists
40:27
that are really good at distribution
that are getting paid right now.
40:31
And so for the people that are like, man,
I'm not ready yet, just get the interview,
40:34
get the coding challenge and fail.
40:39
>> Right.
>> That's okay, because the lessons
40:41
are going to keep coming back to
you until you learn them, right?
40:43
And what I want you to do when
you fail that coding challenge,
40:48
I want you to complete it, and
I want you to send it back.
40:51
There's a guy in here, his name's Kahan,
he did that, he works at Tesla now, right?
40:53
And every time he got rejected
from this coding challenge,
40:59
he would complete it and
send it to them anyway, right?
41:03
That's the best interview
practice you're gonna get.
41:06
>> Absolutely.
>> And this is important,
41:11
but get real interviews and lose, right?
41:14
>> Right.
41:18
>> There's a great book called
The Inner Game of Tennis, right,
41:19
and in the mindset that you need to have,
41:22
and when you're playing tennis, but
I'm not a tennis player, right?
41:25
But it talks about how to
think about competition.
41:29
If somebody is exposing your backhand and
41:31
you just keep getting
exposed in the backhand,
41:33
you shouldn't feel bad as a competitor
because you're making them better.
41:35
I'm gonna hit you in your weakness every
time until you get that backhand right.
41:38
You know what I'm saying?
41:44
>> Absolutely.
41:45
>> And
there are companies hiring every day.
41:46
I want everybody to sign up to
the Strictly VC newsletter.
41:49
And you will see daily updates of
companies that are raising millions of
41:53
dollars from venture capitalists,
and for people that don't know what
41:56
a venture capitalist is,
that's somebody gives companies money.
41:59
Anytime a company raising money,
they're hiring.
42:02
Send an email to the CEO or the hiring
manager, find their contact information,
42:04
cold email them, Strictly VC, everybody is
talking about this, the newsletter now.
42:09
>> I know.
42:14
>> Strictly VC,
[CROSSTALK] every time they're hiring,
42:15
send them an email, right?
42:21
And don't just lead with
professional things.
42:24
Figure out what they said that they're
trying to do in the future and tell
42:27
them how you are gonna help, [INAUDIBLE]
spent time in education, right?
42:31
Lot of ed-tech companies raising money.
42:34
Coursera just raised $130 million,
Campus Lodges just raise $120 million,
42:37
Master Class raised $100 million dollars.
42:41
Hit them up, let me know you're teacher,
they'd probably be interested in that.
42:44
I'm a teacher that knows how to code?
42:48
Yeah, I'm about that life,
you see what I'm saying?
42:50
>> Don't tell Ryan that.
42:52
[LAUGH]
>> Exactly, exactly, holler at Ryan.
42:53
I've seen Ryan hiring.
42:58
Look at his team, his team is magic.
43:01
>> Yeah, he's preaching y'all.
43:02
Ruben Harris, awesome, awesome, awesome.
43:06
I mean,
you hit it right there on the head.
43:09
And I think, I'm trying to stress it
here and I hope folks watch this and
43:11
watch it again once we get these
loaded up, but it's an art form, but
43:16
the tenacity and the drive and
the hunger, you gotta want it,
43:21
people, it's not gonna just come to you,
you gotta want it.
43:26
And so what other things could you tell
folks that if they're just unsure,
43:30
they think they have it, but
they're not really sure if they could
43:35
have the agility necessary or
the sustainability necessarily?
43:40
But what would you say to
them to assure them that tech
43:45
would be a good start for
them if they're on the fence?
43:50
>> How you gonna know if you don't do it,
right?
43:56
It's like,
I'm unsure if I'm gonna be able to do it,
43:58
how you gonna know if you don't do it?
44:02
It goes back to, if you aren't embarrassed
44:05
about the first version of the product,
you launched too late.
44:08
Don't launch when you're ready,
launch before you're ready, right?
44:13
And when it comes to choosing companies,
that matters too, right, so
44:18
spend time understanding
the ecosystem system.
44:22
And I know to your point,
I am oversimplifying,
44:25
it is easier said than done.
44:29
My brother and
I are complete opposites, right?
44:31
My brother did it,
you could hear his story on the podcast,
44:35
I'm gonna send you hist story as well,
he breaks down the job search very well.
44:38
I have a podcast too, by the way,
it's called Breaking Into Startups.
44:42
Check it out,
I'm about to drop a podcast today.
44:45
But my brother really is the epitome
of someone who doesn't have
44:47
the natural confidence but
builds himself up to have the confidence,
44:51
but have constant motivation.
44:57
Who is in your circle, right?
44:59
Who is in your circle, cuz if you're
surrounded by negative energy,
45:01
it's gonna be very difficult to
overcome those mental blocks, right?
45:05
And I know, sometimes you might be
quarantined with a negative environment.
45:09
So figure out how to exit, virtually,
45:15
to the clouds to find a positive community
online, because that exists, right?
45:17
You got to find your people.
45:23
Like I said, we are social creatures.
45:24
And if you don't have the natural
motivation to have somebody that's gonna
45:26
knock on your door and wake you up at 6 AM
to work out mentally and spiritually and
45:30
emotionally and physically,
then you need to find that circle, right?
45:35
We got that circle here as well.
45:40
So I think i think
that's what I would say.
45:41
Watch your circle, do it anyway.
45:44
What I tell people on Career Karma,
if you ever feel like quitting,
45:46
you could always hit me up.
45:50
I'm available.
You could tweet me as well.
45:52
It's just my name on Twitter.
45:53
Holler at [INAUDIBLE] Ryan,
they're here too, right?
45:55
Thinking of positive people,
you see that smile?
46:01
You see that energy?
46:03
I never met her but I can tell she is an
awesome person, you see what I'm saying?
46:04
>> Ruben,
I'll send that check to you later.
46:08
[LAUGH] I think too, it's so crucial,
I tell my boys, I've got three sons.
46:11
It's a level up there or two, because
if folks that you're hanging out with
46:17
are where you want to be
are on that next level,
46:22
then they're not the circle for you.
46:25
And sometimes, as hard as it is, we have
to leave those other folks behind so
46:28
that we that we can advance and
that we can get to where we want to be.
46:33
Also, I think it's part of you know
what you're talking about too.
46:38
>> A lot of people are talking about
trust or struggle in the comments.
46:41
I want people to know why I got that.
46:45
So I moved to the Bay Area in 2014,
December 2014.
46:46
I knew zero people, and
my first week was hard.
46:52
I got rejected from every
company I applied to, but
46:57
I thought I was a perfect fit there.
47:02
I was gonna have to pace myself cuz
it got me a little emotional, but
47:05
there's a graffiti wall that said trust
your struggle on it, and I was in tears.
47:08
Hold on.
47:14
>> It's all right,
it's all right, it's real, y'all.
47:18
This is, it's real, when it means
something, you feel you feel it.
47:25
>> You feel it.
47:30
I got in the Lyft car, the Lyft driver was
like, now tell me about the graffiti wall,
47:34
he was like, there's a lot of things
in life that you can't control.
47:41
The only thing that you can
do is wake up with a smile,
47:47
do your best, and that's it.
47:52
And what's most important is
to keep going and not quit.
47:55
If it doesn't work out, it wasn't meant to
be, so it wasn't the right time, right?
48:03
A lot of times, those things that didn't
work out, you'll see why it didn't
48:10
work out, why those companies that
you didn't get into shut down.
48:15
A lot of those investments that I
didn't make ended up being a really
48:19
f-d up people.
48:24
I believe in God, so I see those
rejections as God's compass, right?
48:25
You gotta trust that guidance.
48:31
If you're doing the right thing and
48:33
it doesn't work out, don't worry about it.
48:36
Don't worry about it, just keep going.
48:40
If you're getting rejected and
48:42
you're not doing your best
that's probably on you, right?
48:44
You always gotta do your best.
48:48
>> Absolutely, thank you, Ruben,
thank you for being vulnerable,
48:50
because it is something that matters,
and what's for you is for you, right?
48:56
And that may become my new mantra, trust
your struggle, because we all have them,
49:02
we all go through them, and it's what's
inside us that keeps us motivated,
49:08
knowing that what's for us will be for
us at the end of the day.
49:14
So y'all, I hope y'all take that to heart.
49:19
Saw a question down there,
thanks, and I'm a fan Ruben,
49:22
about my social media echo,
I'm just on LinkedIn, I'm working it out,
49:26
I'm on those other platforms
to hunt down my children.
49:30
But I'll learn to use those
a little bit more too, but
49:34
y'all can hit me up on LinkedIn currently,
so I appreciate the love.
49:37
>> And listen, one more thing,
back to the struggles in life.
49:42
I've never gotten anything
in life the first time,
49:48
all the way down to Y Combinator.
49:51
We did Y Combinator.
49:53
We got rejected the first time, I could
show you on our wall, I'm gonna show you.
49:55
This is.
49:59
This is the YC rejection
letter that we got.
50:00
We have it falling down a little bit
cuz the argument was falling apart.
50:05
But we applied again and
we got in that December, right?
50:08
So you frame your rejections, right?
50:13
You use that as a motivation.
50:15
I said, I tweeted something today,
what did it say?
50:17
Said something about chips on your
shoulder get chips in your pocket or
50:20
something like that.
50:24
But sometimes that rejection isn't
gonna get you hired, you know?
50:26
You wind up like LeBron is on record, but
50:33
a lot of people compare himself to Jordan,
right?
50:36
And a lot of people won't
give him the credit.
50:39
Lebron's a beast.
50:41
LeBron's not my favorite player,
but LeBron's a beast,
50:42
you gotta give him credit.
50:44
And that chip on his shoulder allows
him to keep going off on everybody.
50:45
Kobe, RIP Kobe, he talks about it a lot.
50:50
There's a great book called Relentless.
50:53
Read that, where you go into the dark
side, but not in a negative way, but
50:55
you just start going off.
50:59
I don't know if you guys watch anime.
51:01
There's a great anime called
The Rising of the Shield Hero and
51:02
when he goes off with that rage shield,
it's a whole another level.
51:06
So, anyway.
51:10
>> [LAUGH]
>> My podcast is called
51:12
Breaking Into Startups.
51:13
>> Breaking in, so
where can folks find you, Ruben?
51:14
I know you're everywhere.
51:19
And I know we're kinda running
out a little bit of time.
51:20
But I wanna make sure that folks
can hit you up at Career Karma and
51:22
on your social media.
51:28
>> Yeah, I'm on Twitter,
I'm on Instagram, I'm on LinkedIn.
51:30
It's just my name on everything.
51:35
I think digital identity matters.
51:36
And if you Google your name and
what you want doesn't pop up,
51:38
you gotta work on that.
51:40
So it's just my first and last name.
51:42
I see a lot of people
talking about Shield Hero.
51:43
Shield Hero is the perfect example
of somebody that's underestimated.
51:46
Everybody was trying to play him and you
guys saw how the Shield Hero leveled up.
51:50
If you haven't seen it, I'm telling you,
I highly, highly recommend it,
51:55
cuz it's gonna change your life.
51:58
There's some things that I don't
fully agree with on the Shield Hero,
52:00
but it's fire.
52:04
>> Awesome, all those.
52:05
>> All right.
>> Nice.
52:07
All right Ruben, we got,
we have a few more minutes.
52:09
Did you see any other questions or
wanna say anything else to the folks?
52:12
>> I also like My Hero Academia,
that's another one you guys can check out.
52:18
>> Okay.
[LAUGH]
52:21
>> Let's see.
52:22
[LAUGH] I think it's important to reflect
52:22
as well.
A lot of times whenever you all are head
52:25
down, focused on things,
you want to analyze what's going on.
52:28
So I always tell people, you wanna think
52:31
about where you were ten years ago,
where you are now, where
52:35
you wanna be at the end of the decade.
Every week, you wanna analyze,
52:39
you wanna be like, what went well,
52:44
what didn't go well?
But
52:46
you should repeat what you should begin
doing, what you should never do again.
52:48
And every day,
52:52
I think you should be executing on
a level to where you are producing
52:53
the equivalent of a week.
And every week, you should be executing
52:58
and producing to the level of a month.
If you're not executing or
53:02
learning at that level, then you're
not maximizing your full potential.
53:06
I think we get too caught up in this 40
53:10
hour mindset.
And I'm not saying overwork yourself,
53:13
by the way, I'm just saying most
people don't use their full potential.
53:16
And then during those 40 hours at work,
53:19
you're not using your full brain, right?
>> Absolutely.
53:21
>> Our brains are powerful, our bodies
53:23
are powerful, our gifts are powerful.
So
53:25
you need to learn how to fully develop
those and constantly iterating it and
53:27
growing deep from.
So I think our potential is one of
53:31
the most untapped resources ever.
And if we could maximize that, not just
53:35
as individuals but as a collective.
There's no telling what we're gonna be
53:40
able to accomplish.
>> Absolutely, absolutely,
53:44
couldn't have said it better myself.
This has been a delight,
53:47
an unexpected delight.
>> [LAUGH]
53:50
>> I appreciate you, Ruben.
53:52
I look forward to connect with you.
53:56
Cuz I believe you just delivered a master
53:59
class that goes way beyond tech and music.
That you've really
54:02
spoken some some profound words
that anyone could take and
54:06
grow from.
And I mean, I've taken away a lot here in
54:11
this hour with you.
And
54:15
just confirming, to be tenacious and
to be confident, and yes,
54:16
to be reflective.
And
54:21
I think these are all key
components of a great leader and
54:22
great leader you are, Mr. CEO.
I appreciate your time in
54:27
the Treehouse this morning, and
I hope you have a wonderful,
54:31
wonderful week.
And I'll be looking out to see if I'm
54:35
gonna hear that cello, so
>> For sure, we're gonna make an album for
54:38
sure, trust me.
>> Okay,
54:42
ya'll heard that.
He's gonna
54:44
make you happy.
54:46
>> It's happening.
54:46
>> [LAUGH]
>> It's happening.
54:47
Thank you so much for your leadership.
54:48
>> All right.
54:49
I appreciate y'all having me.
54:50
>> All right, thanks.
54:51
>> See you later.
54:52
>> See you later.
54:52
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