Does this story sound familiar? You enter college knowing you are going to be paying a ton of money in tuition, fees, room and board, etc. Four years of it in fact. Not to mention parking, entertainment expenses, money you'll spend on girlfriends / boyfriends / friends in general. You'll pay for parties. You'll pay for textbooks. Shit, by the time college is through, you've paid a lot of people a wholeee lot of money.
Here's a word I want you to repeat over and over again: SCHOLARSHIPS.
Anyone who knows me well knows that while in college I was TENACIOUS about applying for scholarship. If there were war mongers of the scholarship application process, I would be Ghengis Kahn, except that I like women, not dudes. A student last week asked me where I found all of the scholarships I applied for in college when I was in school. Well, with no further adoooo.... here they are:
These five links allowed me to win over 10 scholarships in college. It remains one of my proudest accomplishments. And it can easily be a proud accomplishment of your own as well. Don't pay for school if others can for you. It just makes way more sense to not go into debt.
If you have a link to scholarships that you would like to share with everyone, let me know and I'll include it in the post. For example, if you were a Nursing major or ECE major, etc, let the people of the world know where you can apply to their scholarships and awards. Just post in the comments below. Sound good?!?! Soundsssss gooooooooooood.
I've been really diving into this Lean Startup way of thinking, and I can identify with it through and through. Mostly because of the scarily similar problems we've dealt with in building our own business, and also through the massive opportunities I see that await when looking through the correct lens. I hope that I can help influence young people interested in building a business / startup / product to dive into this as well. If it is able to help even one person learn faster than they normally would, I will have accomplished my goal. To make all of this easier to consume, please watch this video. Maybe toss it on in the background while you're hacking through homework, while you're lying in bed, while you're ready to relax and listen to something truly great. Then dive into it more for yourself.
For more information on Eric Reis and Lean Startup, check out his blog here.
"Yeah. You know what this is. It's a celebration, bitches." - Kanye West
I've been told that entrepreneurs go through ups and downs. There are days of happiness and days of sadness. The "wild roller coaster of entrepreneurship," as a friend of mine calls it, certainly has it's days of fun as well as it's days of pure terror.
But guess what? I hate roller coasters.
I love speed. I love to drive fast (alright Mom, you're right, I admit it). Give me a stretch of highway with no cops and no children to run over and I'll happily take my old Pontiac Grand Prix from zero to hero in the blink of an eye. But I hate rollercoasters. Mostly because I'm terrified of heights. Secondarily, because I've never liked the feeling of my stomach being someplace I believe it shouldn't be. And thirdidandily, because the idea of being strapped into something where I can not get to a bathroom, quite frankly, makes me nervous.
I decided over the past two months to learn how to transform a roller coaster into the Autobahn. And I am happy to say I believe I have found my answer in two words: Lean Startup.
It turns out that I feel in control when going fast, but I feel out of control when going up and down.
When I was growing up, there was a joke I'm sure you've all heard before that went something like this: The patient says, "Doctor, it hurts when I do this." Doctor responds: "Then don't do that!"
Traditional logic, and a smart doctor, might be quick to give you the same advice. If you feel out of control going up and down, then don't do that.
But how?
During the month of October I spent many days consulting with people I respected in the Boston community, with the goal of learning about their underlying business philosophies / life changing mentors / and life changing books and blogs filled with advice. Over and over again the "solution" did not come in a magic pill, but instead kept pointing towards understanding one particular segment of my business better and better: my customers. Not me. Not my employees. But the users of my service.
Time and time again I was recommended reading pertaining to Lean Startup, customer development, and validated learning. And so, I did what any young lad does when trying to learn. I immediately bought the following books as recommended by the experts I trust. And to any other young person in the city looking to understand the Lean Startup, I condensed these into an action plan for you.
Today, I finished Book #1: The Lean Startup by Eric Reis. I highlighted the book like crazy. Up, down, left, and right. That puppy is marked up beyond repair. And luckily, I now have what I consider to be one of the few Bibles of entrepreneurship.
To all you undergrads out there, wherever you may be. And to all of those startup leaders in Boston, NYC, the Valley, or Belarus. No matter if you're 20 or 25 or 30 or 40 or 80 years old, this is one of the few stamps of approval I have made towards something I believe will DRAMATICALLY and MEASURABLY affect my life in the most positive of ways. If for nothing else, I am writing this post to remind myself of the month in which I came to dedicate myself towards the transformation to Lean Startup. In future weeks I will dive into my thoughts on Reis book. But for now, I simply wanted to establish my game plan. If you have any other recommended reading, please send it my way. Who is here to join me?
Alright gangsters. I received a bunch of really great emails / comments / posts / everything from my recent resume post. Glad to see people are digging this and working hard to get out there and land jobs. Work. Ethic. I love it.
I got a lot of questions asking about the infamous "cover letter." The question I got most was: "How should I write a cover letter / what should go into it?"
Word. Let's solve this little puzzle.
First of all, I'll start by saying that I believe "cover letters" (an actual one-page letter that sits on top of a resume) are close to useless in my line of work. 90% of the time, a cover letter should be replaced by an email (with a resume attached). The other 10% of the time is most likely because you're applying COLD (aka... the "send and pray" method of applying to jobs) through a job board like jobscore.com or some other site. I'm not a big fan of applying cold . It wreaks of future failure, and in the world of probabilities, simply does not put you in strong contention. But, if you do have to apply cold, I suggest still using my same format below.
So, here's my advice for the 90% crew. Write your cover letter email / letter like this. THREE PARAGRAPHS gangsters. Three.
HERE IT IS
Hi Jim,
I would like to submit my application for the position of Associate Product Manager at CampusLIVE. I was recommended to apply by Bob Bobinski. Bob and I grew up together in Andover, MA and he is a close friend. I've been speaking to him daily to hear his input on your company, your market, and your recent developments. It all sounds very exciting.
I believe I am a great fit for CampusLIVE. While in college, I have worked hard to excel in athletics(as a three sport Division-1 athlete), academics (as a Finance and Engineering double major), leadership roles (as Co-Founder and President of the Entrepreneurship Club), community service (as Fund Assistant to the World Peace Nonprofit), and entrepreneurship (as Project Manager at Wyziwiz, Inc). I have taken it upon myself to venture far beyond the classrooms of UMass in undertaking leadership roles, and have done it with extreme persistence.
I understand that the position at CampusLIVE calls for someone who is a leader. Someone who can handle many things at once and who has initiative. I believe I have all of these attributes, and I would love to prove this to you. I would very much appreciate a few minutes of your time to discuss this position. Please let me know what day and time works best for you. I will make myself available for whatever is most convenient for you. Thank you sir for the opportunity.
Kind Regards,
Ryan Durkin
NOW THE RECAP
WORD! There are a few things I did there. And I'll write them out to make my points.
Intro:
I introduced the email with "Hi." Not "Hey." Not "Hello." Not "Dear" ... "Hi." Use "Hi."
Paragraph 1: Say why the HECK you're writing.
I began by saying why I am writing. "I'd like to submit my application."
I then mentioned a person who recommended I apply. If you are applying cold to all of your positions, you're bound to get a cold response back. Instead of going in cold... go in "warm." Find someone in the org structure who works there and get 10 minutes of their time. Impress them. And tell them you're thinking of applying for "x" position. If you can't impress someone within the company, how are you going to impress the guy running the show (who has dollars and cost saving on his mind at all times)? Get them to believe in you and use them as a reference. It will make a WORLD of difference. 9 out of 10 hires we make here come out of a recommendation from a current team member. 9 out of 10.
Show your excitement by actually saying the word "excited." --> "It all sounds very exciting."
Paragraph 2: Say what's so special about YOU and show you're a LEADER
Say that you are a great fit for the company. Don't wackweed around it. Say it. --> "I believe I am a great fit for CampusLIVE."
Then. Write one big long sentence by bolding topics that you excel in and then in (parantheses giving the bolded word some detail). --> Ex: "athletics(as a three sport Division-1 athlete), academics (as a Finance and Engineering double major)...". This is a really effective way to show that you are a renaissance man/woman in a short amount of space. After reading this paragraph, the job interviewer / HR person will be saying: "Holy smokes. This kid's a beast."
In the concluding line, mention that you are striving to "venture far beyond the classroom in undertaking leadership roles." Who doesn't love someone who is a nerd, but who also has work ethic across other areas of their life? Everyone loves that!
Paragraph 3: CLOSE THE DAMN DEAL
Mention that you realize the position calls for "a leader." Every company is looking for leaders... not followers. So say it, as straight forward as you can.
Mention that you know the position calls for someone who can "handle many things at once and who has initiative." This shows that you can clearly take on a ton of stuff and also are super excited to take on more work (without being told to do so, which is the KEY).
Challenge the interviewer / HR person to take you in for an interview: "and I would love to prove this to you."
CLOSE the deal! Close the damn deal! Your goal as an applicant is not to APPLY. It is to CLOSE. Close the deal by asking for their time. For a day and time that works for them. Tell them that it is at their convenience. And that you will work around their schedule.
End with "Thank you for the opportunity." A job is an opportunity. Show that you realize that by SAYING IT.
Signature: I always go with "Kind Regards" for first timers. If I know someone well, I end with Regards. Whatever your closing signature is, include it, and stick to it. I suggest "Kind Regards,"
Put your name after the signature.
BOOM. There you have it. Cover letters / emails in ten minutes or less. Shazam!
CALLING ALL DEVELOPERS: developers in startups, developers in college, developers in big-biznass, students interested in development, people programming in their basements, people coding in their bathrooms, people hacking in their attics, under bridges, in coffee shops, or completely buck naked running through the streets.
All you gangsters are welcome.
I'm real happy to be supporting a great event sponsored by the Mass Tech Leadership Council. On Tuesday, November 29th, powerhouse developers from in and around the Boston community will be converging at the NERD Center at One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA to meet with student developers (and students interested in development) from Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, UMass, BU, BC, Bentley, Babson, and more.
This is an awesome opportunity for young people in the community of Boston to learn from developers who have built successful companies and really neat technologies. They will share their lessons learned, what their users and customers are saying about them, and what unique opportunities exist in and around Boston. This is a great opportunity to hear from people building the future of Boston tech and learn from them.
For more info and to register, visit: http://1129techtuesday.eventbrite.com
Below is a flyer for the event. We hope to see you there!
My name is Ryan Durkin. I write so that I will never forget where I came from and what I stand for. I hope that this will motivate young people to realize their potential and become more productive than they ever imagined. That would make me truly happy.
My name is Ryan Durkin. I write so that I will never forget where I came from and what I stand for. I hope that this will motivate young people to realize their potential and become more productive than they ever imagined. That would make me truly happy.
