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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.
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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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