Adam Braus is a man of many hats - engineer, entrepreneur, educator, and that's just the beginning. How did he successfully motivate himself to take on skills and achieve in so many areas? His newest book, Motivate: How to Defeat Distraction, Ignite Interest, and Secure Success (2021), is his answer.
In this season finale of In the Making, Braus returns to the show to discuss high-achieving productivity habits with Zain, and the two also delve into more questions such as follows:
If you want to unlock the achievement of yourself and those around you, then this episode is for you!
Topics SJ Discussed:
Intro
Welcome Maker Nation, my name is Zain Raza.
I interview change makers and world shakers in the field of technology.
And in this episode, I want to teach you the ways of the Force :)
But seriously, my guest today is nonetheless very special SJ Lee.
In this episode, I was blown away by the story of how SJ Lee became an SWE, and I hope for students you’ll be able to take a lot of lessons from SJ on how to enter the XR industry and give you a crystal ball of what happens after you get that first job after school.
Connect w/ SJ Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangjunglee/
Connect with Ivan:
GitHub: https://github.com/izou3
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-zou/
Book Recommendation:
Rich Dad Poor Dad (1997) - overall guide on finance and wealth by Robert Kiyosaki: https://store.richdad.com/products/rich-dad-poor-dad-what-the-rich-teach-their-kids-about-money-that-the-poor-and-middle-class-do-not
Ivan's Question:
Where do you think technology is going in the next few years, and how will you make an impact on that progress?
In this interview we hear from Mayank, a Candian developer who specializes in tools such as the following:
"He's currently building an EEG system from scratch in the hopes of creating the first wide-spread BCI wearable. He's spoken about his work at multiple conferences, won countless hackathon awards, and used technology to drive innovation at various tech companies." (Mayank's Linkedin)
Not impressed? If it were not enough to be at the very edge of computing as we know it, our friend Mayank also happens to be just like you and me: a college student.
Please enjoy this next installment of In the Making, as Zain and Mayank dive deep into what it takes to accelerate your learning in new technologies, tailor your experiences so you're taken seriously in the job hunt, and much more in terms of making the most out of both your technical skills, and your drive to make a positive change in the world.
Resources:
Growing up in Salinas Valley, Nicolas never thought he would become a software engineer. In his first roles as a field worker, baker, and eventually a college student, he learned from his family and community the value of hard work, camaraderie, and education, and took on the ambitious CSin3 program to become a developer.
In this episode, Nicolas speaks with Zain about taking an accelerated program for students to gain a CS degree in 3 years, what's it like to develop on the Android platform, his most valuable teaching experiences, and more. I highly recommend this episode to inspire and level up the creator and educator in you!
Meet Nicolas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nlarafonseca/
What's it like to be a TA at Make School? Find out from the seniors in the Class of 2021!
We'll go over:
And more!
From the time she was little, Miriam always felt she was a little out of place. Growing up in an orthodox Jewish community, she wasn't like other girls - she loved to run, to explore, and most of all - to embrace the uncertain.
She began self-teaching herself app development at 13, however things just didn't seem to "click". Miriam struggled to find her path in CS, until she came across what was then an all-new college in San Francisco (albeit not yet accredited) - Make School.
In this episode, Miriam sits down to talk about the challenges new coders faced early on, the rewards and challenges of becoming the teacher she wished she had at Stanford, and various other projects she has begun since leaving Make School.
In this episode, Genji shares his unusual and underprivileged origin story and how he rose above the lure towards a life of crime, and instead found his way into game development, one of the most vibrant areas of software engineering and arguably the most community-driven. Listen in as Genji shares the art of telling stories "through action", his inspirations, and more!
Genji is a senior at Make School, a software engineer with a focus in Back-end web and interests in Machine Learning. He's looking for a 2021 summer internship. If you would like to connect with Genji or learn more about his story, check out his portfolio website: https://www.makeschool.com/portfolio/genji-tapia
In this episode we share another profile from Make School's 2021 cohort - get ready to meet Liya Tilahun, an international student and Make School senior. From leaving her family in Ethiopia to rubbing shoulders with Microsoft engineers for a summer passion project, Liya's story is a harrowing journey that shines a light on the loneliness of college, the culture shock of moving to San Francisco, and eventually punctuates with the rewards of hard work and self-organization.
Growing up in Ethiopia, Liya Tilahun never saw herself becoming involved in Computer Science. Upon coming to Augustana University in South Dakota, she originally planned to go into biology. However, thanks to her open mind Liya eventually learned about Make School through MLH - and the rest is history...
Learn More about Liya: https://www.makeschool.com/portfolio/liya-tilahun
A deep dive into the life of Tony, a recent Make School alumni who grew up in Romania, before spending the last part of high school in Oregon, and then in turn arriving in San Francisco to attend Make School.
Tony shares many memories of what it was like to overcome thyself and develop new ways of living on your own - please take a listen! It will provide you with another perspective on the realities of life at Make School>
Connect with Tony on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-cioara/
Episode Outline:
RESOURCES:
YC Lecture referenced in the episode, on Talking to Users: https://youtu.be/MT4Ig2uqjTc
Hope this helps! - Zain Raza
Make School has helped transform me from the inside out, but it did not come with struggle. In this podcast, Zain Raza shares his personal experiences in throughout his junior year at Make School, in which he questioned himself in three of the following areas:
1. Physical Lifestyle
2. Emotional Well-Being, and the Response to Fear
3. Spiritual Conscience
Enjoy! If you find the episode valuable, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Thanks so much Makers, I wish you a blessed week - Zain
A deep dive into personal development, based on the renown book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989), by Stephen R. Covey. Guest starring Aleia Knight, a rising senior at Make School in the Data Science concentration.
Connect with Aleia:
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleiaknight/
Personal Website: makeschool.com/portfolio/Aleia-Knight
GitHub: github.com/RobotGyal
Blog: medium.com/@aleia.knight
Email: aleiaknight@gmail.com
Buy the Book (not affiliated): https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Anniversary/dp/1511317299
iOS engineer Matthew Harrilal was a quiet, unassuming young man when he first heard about Make School from his older brother. The New York City native is now an alumni of the program, and comes on the podcast today to share his reflections on what it was like to grow up in Spanish Harlem, and mistakes that are made by Make School students as they seek jobs, among other things.
If you're interested in how an introverted kid from a multi-cultural background and a big heart becomes a software engineer, then I believe this episode will be of value to you!
Connect with Matthew on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewharrilal/
Additional Resources on Support Vector Machines
Walkthrough Example by Alice Zhao: https://youtu.be/N1vOgolbjSc
Explanation by Siraj Raval: https://youtu.be/g8D5YL6cOSE
Make School's SVM Lesson, in DS 2.1: https://github.com/Make-School-Courses/DS-2.1-Machine-Learning/blob/master/Lessons/SupportVectorMachine.md
Sklearn Documentation: https://scikit-learn.org/stable/index.html
Make School's Tutorial on Machine Learning Classifiers: https://www.makeschool.com/academy/track/ds-2-1-classification-tutorial
Tensorflow Crash Course by Free Code Camp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/massive-tensorflow-2-0-free-course/
Google Machine Learning Crash Course: https://developers.google.com/machine-learning/crash-course/
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES on Traction (2015), by Gabriel Weinberg: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01705KMG4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_C3XIEb3HY92XE
Gabriel Weinberg speaks with Eric Ries, the author of The Lean Startup (2011) and The Startup Way (2017): https://youtu.be/woPMw-mkpDM
Gabriel Weinberg Speaks at Startup Grind: https://youtu.be/8q3F4UT0NSA
SKIP AHEAD to 11:55 for the actual interview with Joel to begin!
QUESTION TO THE AUDIENCE
Listen to the end to hear Joel's Question of the Week. If you would like to reach out to Joel with your answer (or otherwise), please use the following:
Joel's Email: joelyawili@fb.com
Joel's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/i-am-joel-yawili/
Correction:
In this episode I mention Joel as having a certificate in workplace harassment. Precisely, it is an Emtrain Certificate titled Preventing Workplace Harassment. To check you can see it on his Linkedin profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/i-am-joel-yawili/