To mentor students who were as clueless as I was about life after university. It feels like tainted glass that you cannot see through
To inspire young people to venture into building startups and get into tech
To highlight various misconceptions you have about work, life, tech and startups
To market Shukran, Impact Africa Network and get life-long supporters of our cause
Who is this talk for
Those who want to build something new in their 20s
You are not satisfied with building things for other people. You want to build out your own ideas and bring them forth into the world
Be part of the next wealth-creation wave of our lifetimes
Digital technologies - startups
Other generations had the industrial revolution, working in corporate and government
We have startups, innovation
Give example of startups raising millions, IPOs, the top billionaire charts
Those who are working on something and feel stuck on what to do next
You have been working on projects but they never get used or don’t go beyond a presentation or documentation
Those who want to challenge the status-quo like:
Go to university, get a job, get married .etc.
Work at corporate before doing business
Doing big things is for people with money and experience
You cannot be a CEO at 25
Those who want a purpose-driven life
It’s not just about the money, you want impact, victory, glory, greatness
You want to tell a great story when you are old
You want a journey of a lifetime
To become one of the greats in your generation
Lessons learnt after 2 years after university:
Outcomes matter more than your brilliance and what you know
Imposter syndrome is a good thing - if used correctly, it can push you to work harder
Be mission-driven - you are young and can take risks on crazy ideas, you don’t need that high-paying job
Don’t follow passion, follow purpose. Purpose will give you passion
Find challenges and problems to solve
Build projects and not focus on interviews
This will not apply to everyone, but I am speaking to those who don’t want a conventional job. They want to build something new
Always have a direction - a poor 1st draft of a plan is better than none
This is a why, next steps, how and so on
Your mistakes and failures are your greatest points of reflection
Know your why (Steve Jobs video)
The people who know the how will always work for the people who know the why
It will take a while but if you ask yourself every day, you will come inch closer to it
The concept of towards zero. You will never get there, but every effort gets you closer to an approximation of it
Align your goals with the mission of your organisation
If achieve your company goals is not taking you closer to where you want to go in life, there is something wrong. It could be that you haven’t thought hard about what you want to do or who you want to become. You may also know but you are not being honest with yourself.
Think about the long-term trajectory of what you are doing
Be curious and learn new things
My story of using Docker
Have study time to just learn something new. Watch documentaries, read reports, explore Github repos
Read widely on many topics
Talk to amazing people
Project-based learning is the key
You are just as good as the challenge ahead of you
Tutorials and certificates are only a means to building something. They are not the end
Stacking certificates is for losers
Find and work with great people you resonate with and admire - you talk for hours, you can give feedback, you can work long hours
Find a boss or mentor who pushes you to your limits
Start with the problem, then the solution
In school, you are taught to do the opposite
You are made to be solution-oriented and answer questions correctly
What you are not taught is how to ask questions and identify problems to solve
It always starts with asking why
Building product is only 5% of the work. Building a business is the other 95% (Fine, if there is no product, there is no business but there is no future if there is no business)
Explain using the example fo Google - in order to take Google to the next level, they needed a business guy to build an organisation
A company’s main product is the organisation (this is the people, the processes, the distribution and so on). It is the machinery that gets the product to your consumers
Explain the idea state-machine
Selling
Go-to-market
Culture - what do people do when no one is looking
Strategies
Fundraising - you need money in the bank
Revenue - finance (Being ramen profitable)
Your relationships will suffer after university if you are not intentional
What I would do in university (even after)
Explore more ideas and build many projects to learn - Project-based learning
Avoid tutorial-based learning or exam-based learning
You are only as good as the challenge in front of you. Do projects to grow
Went for more networking events and hackathons
Met with more experienced people - alumni, mentors, industry-players, any external parties
Be more attentive in class (Explain Shukran Architecture here)
Three-tiered system
Database management
Analytics
Learn business by doing - attempt to build a startup (This is a whole other talk)
Question: What makes building something worthwhile? What is the effectiveness of your code?
Answer: Whether people used it and find value in it. Do they use it, how often they use it and what they say about it
Read books, listen to podcasts and watch videos that expand your knowledge - in your chosen field like startups, leadership. Relationships .etc.