Office Hours

The Office Hours Season 3 Finale was streamed live via Zoom. T.K. and Isaac answered live listener questions, chatted about current life events, and determined the answer to a very important question: Who is the GOAT?

We're coming to the end of Season 3. For this episode, we're kicking it back to some of our favorite moments from the entire show. But first: Season Finale Announcement: Isaac and T.K. are recording the Season 3 finale LIVE on Thursday, July 25. They'll be talking about Praxis and Crash, and answering live listener questions as they come. Want to join? You can register for the live online recording at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p-oIr2GnTlu1JlO4bY2PBg Hope to see you there!  

More questions from Praxis participants are the focus of this episode. This brings up the subject of the rational mind versus the gut instinct. Then we throw in a flashback from another early Praxis participant wondering how to get things done.

The questions for this episode all came from current Praxis participants on Slack. Entrepreneurship is a key subject during the conversation- they cover the biggest obstacles they've faced while starting Praxis, and advise a wannabe entrepreneur how to embark on a first venture.

Is this a self-help show or a Q&A podcast? You decide. The topics of conversation range from fear and hopelessness to gestures that stir the soul.

From the books each host is reading to a question of what to do when you feel underrated, this episode is full of Twitter-worth quotes that will be sure to make you stop and think.

Kicking it off with some rapid-fire questions, Isaac and TK confront issues like what to do when your managers don't agree and the etiquette of working after hours. From there they move on to giving advice to their younger selves and sharing their favorite personal development tips.

It's all about relationships in this episode. TK and Isaac kick it off by discussing relationships between parents and their teens, followed by listener questions on how to talk to your boss about rebranding, and how to leverage your way into a specific role you want.

From a story about TK's broken heart to a discussion on whether someone can change their identity (ex. from untrustworthy to the complete opposite,) this episode of Office Hours is once again full of insight that will inspire your life and career.

From self-help and Venkatesh Rao to side hustles and mistakes at work, this episode hits many of the core questions that all professionals have at some point in their careers.

How do you choose when you're going to do a speaking gig? Have your feelings ever been hurt by someone disliking you for something that's unfair? What's the best way to create value when you first start at a company? These and more questions are covered in this episode of Office Hours.

In this episode of Office Hours, Isaac and T.K. cover the possibilities of what college could be. Is it redeemable from within, or is the system a failure by default?

Isaac and T.K. dive into March's college admissions scandal, as well as the topic of Quora and what makes a good question. Then they tackle the question of what employers can do to make potential employees excited about working with them.

In this episode of Office Hours, Isaac and T.K. dive into politics, the downside of being a dreamer, how to manage side projects while still doing your job well.

Sports analogies take the lead in this episode as Isaac and T.K. draw a comparison between baseball and career. From there, they discuss being pigeonholed in your interests, how to solve problems when you don't have lots of money or resources, and more.

Before going into listener questions, TK and Isaac talk about what they've been working on since Season 2 ended. The biggest update is Crash, the new career launch platform that the Praxis team is building. From there, they go into three topics: whether you should read what is "smart" or what interests you, letting go of projects, and whether it's dumb to leave what looks like a perfectly good job.

Isaac and TK close out Season 2 of Office Hours doing an rapid fire AMA style episode with listeners' questions.

Next week is the LAST episode of Season 2 of Office Hours before Season 3 returns sometime next year. For the finale, Isaac and TK are doing an Ask Me Anything version of Office Hours. Send in any questions you have -- professional or not -- and we guarantee an answer! Email your questions to tk@discoverpraxis.com. This week on Office Hours, Isaac and TK debate the NBA before diving into listeners' questions. Questions covered this week: How do I find a balance between pushing myself to extraordinary things and being realistic? How can I show my work when I’m ashamed of my work? Also covered in this episode: Experimenting and adjusting to feedback and constructive criticism  How showing your work can alleviate any shame or perfectionism you feel towards it How to start small and work your way up when showing your work How daily challenges can be more beneficial than long-term goals Apologies for TK's low audio around the 12 minute mark! It comes back at around the 23 minute mark.

Questions covered this week: How should you respond to family members or close friends asking you to hire them? How do you stay above office politics in an environment where gossiping is the preferred method of building social capital? Also covered in this episode: Everyone has something to offer you and you should see every interaction as an exchange of some kind Whether or not we have a moral responsibility to remain in toxic relationships Recognizing that no one owes you anything and you owe nothing to anybody will help you realize your own agency when making choices The idea of considering your non-negotiables when decision-making  Telling the truth isn’t as detrimental as we think it is Most people will not tell you your weaknesses Not everyone is worth building social capital with Links referenced in this episode:  Chuck Klosterman  48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene If you’d like Isaac & T.K. to give their two cents on your toughest professional challenges, email your questions to tk@discoverpraxis.com to be answered in upcoming Office Hours episodes!

This week on Office Hours, Isaac and TK answer these listener questions: 1) How do I balance doing great work with needing to meet deadlines? 2) How do I balance my initial excitement over a project with the annoyances of dealing with demands along the way? Also covered in this episode:  - Being better than the good expectations of others - The notion of realizing your potential is actually a trap - How constraints can enhance your creativity  - The importance of framing expectations when agreeing to do a project - How to trust your past self -- reminding yourself that you chose to commit to something because you were excited about it. If you're no longer excited, trust your past self and that you committed for a reason - How your language automatically changes when you don’t see yourself as a victim in the world

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac discuss TK's new video series, "TK's College Tour of Bad Arguments," before answering listener questions about the purpose of social media and whether or not you should aim for quality or quantity in your marketing work. Questions covered this week: 1) What is the purpose of social media? 2) Should I aim for quality or quantity in my marketing work? Also covered in this episode: - TK's new video series that launched last week -- "TK's College Tour of Bad Arguments" and the response he received from Professor Gardner on Twitter - Isaac and TK's thoughts on some of the feedback they have received from people criticizing them for being too "anti-college" - The difference between demonizing college and demonizing bad arguments for college  - How the strategies of Christian Apologetics can be applied to college opt-outs Links referenced in this episode:  - Episode 1 of TK's College Tour of Bad Arguments - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqvfeR-MvI4 If you’d like Isaac & T.K. to give their two cents on your toughest professional challenges, email your questions to tk@discoverpraxis.com to be answered in upcoming Office Hours episodes!

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac discuss their take on Kanye’s SNL performance before diving into listener’s questions.  Questions covered this week: Is it possible to go too far with the permission-less mindset? Am I required to do everything my boss asks me to do? Also covered in this episode: How the subtle stigma surrounding opting out of college could be considered similar to the subtle stigma around interracial dating The value of leaning into your weirdest, most unique traits How important is it to be balanced in regards to learning a little bit of everything as opposed to going all-in on something specific? How to both follow orders at your job and go the extra mile  Links referenced in this episode:  Why Haven’t You Read This Book?  Legends & Losers Podcast

In this episode of Office Hours, Isaac and TK debate the value of debating. Then they jump into answering listeners' questions about how to know when you're ready for something, if self-improvement is overrated, and how to explain yourself to naysayers. This week's questions are: 1. What does it mean to be ready for something? 2. Is it ok if I’m happy with myself and I don’t believe myself needs to be improved? 3. How should college opt-outs explain themselves to the haters and naysayers?

This week on Office Hours, TK confronts the idea that he may be a gnostic, Isaac discusses the difference between experiential knowledge and book knowledge, and then they answer listener questions about what kind of questions to ask an interviewer in a job interview and whether or not it’s worth it to persuade unmotivated friends to act on their ideas.

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac talk about some of the biggest lessons they have learned from helping young people launch their careers, and then answer listener questions about how to both be honest with your kids about their dreams and letting them learn hard lessons through experience. 

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac talk about the importance of incentives for learning and then answer questions about using Glassdoor reviews, the skills the Praxis participants learn, and who Praxis is and isn't for. Questions: - Should you take online reviews of a company seriously before applying for a job? - Is Praxis only about soft skills? - Are you willing to admit that Praxis isn't for everyone? Are there people who are better off in college? Topics Discussed: - Our new application process - Just in time learning vs. just in case learning - Learning as a way of hiding - Letting your work brag for you - How to get value out of Glassdoor reviews - What are soft skills? - Praxis isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean they should go to college

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac answer questions about gap year programs and saving for your child's education. Then, Isaac gets fired up about the argument that "not everyone is cut out for college." Questions: - Do gap year programs really address the need for college alternatives? - Would it make me a selfish parent to not save for my child's college education? Topics Discussed: - The significance of TK and Isaac's locations today - Gap year programs - Comfort with being misunderstood - Taking responsibility as a parent - Educations savings plan - Bad arguments for college - Don't base your career on what works for 'the average' person - Degrees don't magically get you jobs - The gap between what college grads think they can do and what employers think they can do If you’d like Isaac & T.K. to give their two cents on your toughest professional challenges, email your questions to tk@discoverpraxis.com to be answered in upcoming Office Hours episodes! _____________ Praxis is a twelve-month program that places young people with startups to apprentice, learn, grow, and walk away with valuable career skills. Learn more at: http://discoverpraxis.com/ Apply now at : https://www.discoverpraxis.com/apply

Questions:  How to people in their 40's and 50's compete with all the young talent out there when making a career change?  You guys talk a lot about how to leave an organization, but how to deal with a great employee leaving from your organization?    Topics Discussed:  Reconciling the extreme confidence of a champion with the playful attitude you need to get started in a new discipline  Building confidence through experience It's almost always easier to learn from a fellow beginner than from an expert Don't eliminate opportunities before you actually have them Not assuming what employers want  Turning disadvantages into advantages  Working through the loss of a key team member  The motivation of overcoming challenges  Recent book recommendations   

On this week's episode of Office Hours, TK and Isaac talk about the proper way to take advice, living with loneliness and answer listener questions on becoming more optimistic and what to do when you get laid off. Questions: - How can I become a more optimistic person? - What advice would you give someone who works hard and does their job, but still gets laid off? Topics Discussed: - Advice is an invitation to explore - The social cost of opting out of college - Loneliness and boredom - Knowing when to pursue an idea - Not resisting negative thoughts - How to bounce back after getting laid off - Living in a way that creates opportunities - Bringing new energy into your work If you'd like Isaac & T.K. to give their two cents on your toughest professional challenges, email your questions to tk@discoverpraxis.com to be answered in upcoming Office Hours episodes! ---------------- Praxis is a twelve-month program that places young people with startups to apprentice, learn, grow, and walk away with valuable career skills. Learn more at: http://discoverpraxis.com/ Apply now at: https://www.discoverpraxis.com/apply

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac talk about how teenagers can use the pursuit of their interests to build a body of work and dive into questions about pursuing a career in the school system and managing complicated marketing projects. Questions: - What advice would you give to teens about building a body of work? - I love to teach, but do I have to do it in traditional high school? - How can I tell my high school students without upsetting my employer who preaches the college gospel? - I have a big project at work that needs a lot of buy-in from others. How do I stay organized and get stakeholders to help me? Topics Discussed: - Building a body of work as a teenager - Demonstrating discipline through your interests - There are lots of jobs in education outside of the traditional school system - Don't limit your platform to your profession - Living out your values instead of pushing them on others - Staying organized when you're working on a complicated project - Glamor vs reality of working in marketing - Overlooking opportunities

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac start things off on a provocative note. Inspired by a recent conversation with an Uber driver about historically black colleges, T.K. delves into the topic of race and discusses the question of “Is college the answer for black people?” T.K. doesn’t think so and he not only shares his reasons why, but he challenges his dissenters to debate with him on the topic if they’re willing to step up to the plate. Additionally, they talk about why getting things started is more important than getting things perfect and they answer listener questions on moving on from a job and dealing with managerial changes. Questions: - What are some creative or effective ways to help my employer find and coach my replacement? - How do I succeed at a company where the management styles are consistently changing? Topics Discussed: - Not waiting for everything to be perfect before you start a project - Momentum is more important that getting the details perfect - A rant from an Uber driver. - Moving on from a permission-based life - College doesn't make you who you are, you make you who you are - Not getting stuck with the old trappings of success - Finding and coaching a replacement for your job - How to give a conditional yes - Documenting your work before leaving - Learning from different management styles - Being a value creator, no matter the context or system If you'd like Isaac & T.K. to give their two cents on your toughest professional challenges, email your questions to tk@discoverpraxis.com to be answered in upcoming Office Hours episodes! ----------------- Praxis is a twelve-month program that places young people with startups to apprentice, learn, grow, and walk away with valuable career skills. Learn more at: http://discoverpraxis.com/ Apply now at : https://www.discoverpraxis.com/apply

In this weeks episode of Office Hours, Isaac and TK talk about how you don't find, but earn, the lifestyle you want and then answer questions about working with a challenging manager and handling imposter syndrome.   Questions: - What do you do if you feel like you are being poorly managed? - I'm three months into a new job and don't feel like I'm doing a good job. Is there anything I can do to improve my confidence? Topics Discussed: - Value creation is crucial to living a remarkable life - Earning your lifestyle - Your job doesn't have to meet all your needs - Being a good employee, no matter how good your manager is - You can't separate ideas from execution when pitching them at work - Imposter syndrome is better than indispensable syndrome

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac talk about the importance of being able to read between the lines to give people what they want in personal & professional life about if dressing professionally is important early in your career. Then they dive into listener questions on writing, norms for job search rejections, and "vulnerability" on social media. Questions: - Do you consider yourself a good writer? What is your writing process? How did you improve it? - Is it normal for a company to not let you know in the application process if you don't get the job? When is it too aggressive and how should I ask for feedback? - You guys have spoken critically in the past of airing out failures, flaws, and insecurities on Facebook and social media. Are you open to the possibility that it is good thing because people connect to honesty and transparency? Topics Covered: - Secrets as the secret to entrepreneurial success - Reading between the lines to become a better worker - Dress codes as a game - Don't focus on your status, focus on the work - Focusing on free work instead of job applications - Being ignored is a form of feedback - The problems of seeking a universal prescription - Cheap attention on Social Media ----------- Praxis is a twelve-month program that places young people with startups to apprentice, learn, grow, and walk away with valuable career skills. Learn more at: http://discoverpraxis.com/ Apply now at : https://www.discoverpraxis.com/apply  

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac discuss, doing something vs. being something, following career values when you've got lots of options, and knowing when to stick it out in a hard job vs. quitting and moving on.    Questions:  - My career values are to be challenged and to make a positive impact. How is it possible to get clarity and direction, when those values can be met by paths in hundreds of fields.  - I'm currently working in Outback Australia as a kitchen cook at a resort. I have a couple months left on my contract, but am not enjoying my work. It is very stressful and I feel detached from my coworkers. I took this job to extend my visa, and have already met that requirement. Should I stay or go?    Topics Discussed:  - Revisiting the life coaching question from last week. Is it really that bad to pursue a life coaching career?  - If you want to do something as a career, just start doing the thing for free. - What does it mean to have a positive impact in your work?  - Works vs. doesn't work instead of right vs. wrong.  - Don't confuse options with possibilities  - What does it mean to not do stuff you hate?  - Results vs. processes    -------------  Praxis is a twelve-month program that places young people with startups to apprentice, learn, grow, and walk away with valuable career skills. Learn more at http://discoverpraxis.com/ Apply now at https://www.discoverpraxis.com/apply

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac discuss the tendency to overlook opportunities to leverage work, when the time is right to make a strong prediction, and the law of attraction before jumping into listener questions.    Questions:  How do you ask a good question? What are the key elements every good question needs? What is your personal stance on how much happiness should be prioritized in life? I want to be a life coach, but it seems like a crowded field. How do I get my foot in the door?    Topics Discussed:  Overlooking opportunities for leverage early in your career  Getting out of a job status mindset  Michael Jordon's game seven guarantee  The law of attraction How to approach a theory that could improve our lives  Don't ask generalized questions  Happiness vs. joy Monetizing your interests   ----------- Praxis is a twelve-month program that places young people with startups to apprentice, learn, grow, and walk away with valuable career skills. Learn more at: http://discoverpraxis.com/ Apply now at : https://www.discoverpraxis.com/apply

This week on Office Hours, Isaac and TK take on the idea that the Warriors are ruining the NBA, talk about the how organizational success is viewed differently than individual successes, and answer listener questions. Questions:  My younger brother is 19 and lives at home with our parents. He doesn't have a job and hasn't taken any steps into the real world. I've started to talk to him about going to college. Do you think college, where he could be around young people and grow up step by step, is a good step for someone like my brother?  I do administrative work and there is no way to get around HR and the requirement for a degree at the types of companies I am applying for jobs with. I would love to change careers, but don't have the energy after work to invest in it. How should someone like me move forward?    Topics:  Has Golden State's dominance ruined the NBA?  Prejudice against organizational success  Respecting actions more than decisions  How necessity leads to discovery and development Approaching roadblocks with creativity Using projects to build your reputation  Portfolios aren't just for artists Don't argue for your limitations argue for your possibilities  

In this live episode of Office Hours recorded at FEEcon, Isaac and TK kick off season two of the podcast by talking about envy, competitiveness and take questions from the audience. Notes: - Is envy the most destructive vice? - Falling into comparison traps. - If other people achieving things makes you less happy, you are in a dangerous place. - How celebrating the success of others opens up new possibilities for you. - How you can use competitiveness to make your life better. - Learning to connect overcoming short-term pain with achieving long-term goals. - Use free work to move towards your career and not worrying what others think about it. - Learning selfishly Questions: - Is it possible that comparing yourself to others can lead to positives? - How do the philosopher mindset and the athlete mindset correlate to entrepreneurship? - How do you draw the line between doing free work that is advancing your career and being used? - Advice for hiring and managing people that have more experience than you? - How do you break through the argument that people can't teach those who don't share your life experience? Full show notes for each episode are available at discoverpraxis.com

The final episode of season one of Office Hours. In this episode, TK and Isaac answer the remainder of the questions that were submitted during the season--35 in total--and offer advice and recommendations on how to overcome professional challenges.    Questions:  - How do I find a job that values me as an employee?  - How do I find freelance clients?  - How do I improve my time management?  - How do I learn to sell and advertise myself as a valuable professional - How do I find what field I should pursue?  - How do I prioritize my work to become more efficient? - How do I improve my confidence overall?  - How do I restart my career after losing a job I held for twenty years?  - How do I write a proper cover letter?  - How do I apply my skills in a productive and secure way, so I can legally protect my screenplay from plagiarism? -  How do I get a part time job while in high school?  - How do I prevent perfectionism from getting in the way?  - How do I get better at networking?  - How do I find work that is both rewarding and flexible?  - How do I finish writing a book when I keep tearing up pages and throwing them away?  - I teach private music lessons right now, but don't know if I can do it as a career. How can I find out?  - How do I confidently sell myself in an interview?  - How do I make connections stick in the long-term?  - Should I try to move up in my retail job or chase my job of being a screen writer?  - How do I find the right work environment?  - How do I identify painful problems or strong desires in the marketplace?  - How do I maintain seriousness and professionalism on the job as a 16-year-old?  - Should I get a job in programming or continue to pursue a career on YouTube?  - As a leader, how do I deal with the growing culture change that values employees feelings way more than their actual performance?  - How do I overcome my fear of talking in front of audiences?  - How do get people to take me seriously in business as a young female?  - How do I take my emotions out of business decisions?  - I love learning, but I haven't found the one thing that makes my passions flare in the workplace besides my love of learning?  - I'm not sure I'm in the right profession, what do I do?  - How do I create a work lifestyle that allows me to be my own boss and travel while creating value for the world through my skills for writing and editing?  - I got fired yesterday because I wasn't properly trained, what do I do?  - My sixteen year old son is an inventor, what are some post school opinions?  - I work remotely, 3000 miles from the rest of my team. Because we only communicate in writing, some of coworkers have gotten the wrong impression of me. I get along well with the other teams in my business. Should I give up on trying to get along with everyone?  - How do I deal with brain fog and staying focused?  - How do I find something that I'm both passionate about and good at? 

Questions: - What do I do if my degree has pigeonholed me into a career I really don't want to be in? - What are some ways you can frame a short-term outlook on employment while making a value proposition? Topics Discussed: - The inspiration of Top Gun - Pushing pause during success stories (before success stories become success stories) - "That must be nice" moments are the outcome of that must be ugly efforts - You are never pigeonholed - Don't do stuff you hate - The dating analogy for work - When it's weird to make the implicit explicit - Social intelligence and the importance of context - Season finale next episode For more visit www.discoverpraxis.com

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac talk about the popular but misguided approach by most popular “How to get what you want” advice, when is a blog post TMI, and learning how to follow through with ideas. Questions: - How do you know if your blog posts are TMI? How do you balance writing about personal topics with writing where coworkers and potential future employers might read it? - How do I become more than just an idea guy? Topics Discussed: - No one cares about giving you what you want until you are creating value for them. - All rules are negotiable if you are valuable enough - What is value creation? - Value creation isn’t always monetary - Taking feedback from the marketplace - There is a price for everything that you say - How being valuable gives you more flexibility with what you create - Learning how to implement and execute ideas - Don’t let FOMO dictate what you work on If you are a fan of Office Hours and looking to take a big step forward in your professional career, visit discoverpraxis.com

Questions: - Is the social value of college unique to that environment? Can you replicate it outside of college? - What if you aren’t an entrepreneurial self-starter, should you go to college? Topics Discussed: - A great iTunes review - All problems are knowledge problems - Moral knowledge vs. pragmatic knowledge - Answers to questions you don’t have aren’t valuable - Is college actually valuable socially? - Age segregation in school - Do people go to college for the social value? - Horizontal vs. vertical networks - Going to college to feel normal - What a degree signals to employers - Success won’t come from you doing what you’re told - Being an adult

Questions: - How do I find my tribe? - Should you be careful when sharing self-help advice? Topics Discussed: - The fear of failing alone - Our capacity for self-deception - Breaking norms - Parents motivation for sending kids to college - Who gets blamed when our choices go wrong - What financial guru’s do vs. what financial guru’s advise - When people give you advice, they give you advice they think you can handle, not what they necessarily think is best - Neediness attracts neediness - Exploring your interests instead of focusing on finding a tribe - Theoretical man - Fear of being seen as privileged

Questions: - I’ve been working at my current job for two years and want to leave my job without burning any bridges? - Can following your curiosity go to far? Topics Discussed: - Is the title “entrepreneur” being devalued - Your identity and what your job is - Sharing things that interest you - How do maintain a good relationship with your employer when leaving a job - Using the golden rule to answer your own questions - Having a divided mind - Committing to projects for a finite period of time

Questions: - I’m thinking about investing in one of Tai Lopez’s courses? What do you guys think? - I have free time at my job but don’t know how I can create more value. How can I move forward? Topics Covered: - “You should get in touch with ____” - Swearing in branding - Branding is not just about attracting the right audience it’s about repelling the wrong audience. - Everybody gets one-star reviews - Thinking like an owner - Fear of getting stuck doing low-level tasks - Unless you are doing great at your job, you can’t say it’s easy - Not waiting for permission to create value - You get high-value work by doing low-value work

Questions: - How much time per day should an entrepreneur spend reading? - Businesses tell me I’m overqualified for entry-level jobs, but I come across as too risky for mid-level jobs, how do I handle this? Topics Discussed: - The danger and usefulness of labels - The broadness of marketing - How picking a major messes with your career - Focusing on projects you want to solve, not roles you want to have - Learning by working on specific projects - Just in case knowledge vs. just in time knowledge - What it actually means when businesses say your overqualified

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac talk about why "family emergency" is a not a good approach to no showing things, how to balance professionalism with social media as a resource, moving away from home, and simple ways to come up with more ideas. Questions: - What’s the right balance between using social media for advice and being discreet to remain professional? - I’m 17 and my parents are going to kick me out when I’m 18. What do I do? - How can you get better at creating ideas? Topics Discussed: - Being specific instead of saying "family emergency"  - Be skeptical of social media likes - What is professional depends on the context - Asking questions to relevant groups - Taking ownership of whatever situation you’re in - Being a time billionaire - How your brain comes up with ideas - Creativity as a discipline

On this week's episode of Office Hours, TK and Isaac explore why young people often dismiss and fail to do things they think are easy, and then answer questions about making sales at work and when is the right time to leave a day job to pursue a passion. Questions: - I work in retail electronics. Everyone in my position has a sales quota, and my sales are terrible. What can I do? - I work in marketing at an SEO agency, but my goal is to be a public intellectual. I’ve been at my job for almost 3 years, but it is not what I’m passionate about. How do I know when I should pursue my passion? Topics Discussed: - Saying it’s easy raises expectations - The challenge of completing something you have the skill to do - Measuring value from difficulty - Your boss/manager always wants you to succeed - Modeling other peoples success - Feeling dissatisfied with your current work, vs. feeling excited about new opportunities - The value of seemingly - If you want to get paid to do something, you’ve got to do things like your getting paid, before your getting paid to do them.

This weeks Office Hours is all about new opportunities. From how to find and connect with great companies in a new city, to how to create opportunities for yourself on the job by pitching improvements, to how to set yourself up for great opportunities in the future when you aren’t sure what you want to do. Questions: What’s the best way to find great companies to work for in a new city if they aren’t currently hiring? How to pitch improvements at work? "I have a good position at a company like working for. I’m happy for now, but not happy enough to know if I want to be here three years from now. How do you prepare for the next opportunity when you don’t know what the next opportunity will be?" Discussed in this Episode: Mushroom Coffee Is the value of college really about what you put into it? Creating opportunities at companies that aren’t hiring The best way to get connections by being the type of person that people want to connect with Change "we should" to "I did" Don’t assume that every inefficiency is worth fixing (efficient vs. effective) How to make sure you will attract good opportunities in the future. Imagining future unhappiness and a future lack of options How the school mindset creates work anxiety Don’t expect your job to give you everything you need and want If you don’t know what you want to do in the future, do things today that will open more opportunities in the future The myth that you can waste your time in a job Don’t be afraid of getting stuck at your job

In this episode, TK and Isaac break down three common professional challenges. From how to talk with your employer about the salary you want, to sending follow-ups, to the professional way to move on from a job.  Questions: - My employer wants to hire me full time and is asking me for a salary requirement, how do I answer? - I have two podcast guests, that have agreed to interviews, but aren’t following up to my messages about scheduling, should I take the hint, or keep following up? - I’m not satisfied with my job and I plan on leaving as soon as I find a better opportunity. Since I know I’m ready to move on, I was set to inform my employer of my plans. Do you think that is the best way? Is it unprofessional to tell your employer that you’re leaving? Topics Discussed: - Learning Spanish - Working out loud - Why are people only afraid to share learning stories and success stories - Asking for a salary - Following up to get what you want - How to leave your job in a professional manner - Thinking about how you want to tell your story when you are making decisions - Making the transition as easy as possible for your employer when you leave

In this episode of Office Hours, TK and Isaac riff on a recent blog post by Isaac about the idea of work-life balance and then answer questions about family and how to get better feedback. Questions: - How do I find my passion and make my family proud? - How do you ask more relevant questions and take action according to the answers? - How do you tell your family an important truth that you know will disappoint them? Topics Discussed: - The guilt lurking behind work-life-balance questions - What does it mean it to do good for your family - The danger of trying to make your family proud - Taking responsibility for your professional development - Asking for critical feedback - Why parents are invested in their kid's decisions - Respect is more important than approval - Being clear about what you want going into a hard conversation.  

This week on Office Hours, TK and Isaac answer four questions and run into overtime.    Questions:  - How do I get a job after a failed startup? - How do you answer a question about weaknesses in a job interview?  - I’ve been at my current job for three years and my boss has never brought up the topic of giving me a raise, is this a bad sign?  - I have so many things to do that I often feel overwhelmed and don’t get started on anything. How do I start working towards my goals?    Topics Covered:  - Non-zero days  - Daily challenges vs. a big end goal - Going from a startup failure to finding a job - What are employers looking for when they ask applicants about interviews  - “Learning is the process of doing what you don’t know how to do, while you don’t know how to do it”  - Do you really want to ask for a raise?  - Taking responsibility for assessing your own worth in a job - Getting overwhelmed by wanting to do to many things - “What you choose and how you do it matter a lot less than that you choose and that you do it.”  - Hypothetical overwhelm    Links:  - How to Read a Book a Week by Julian Smith (https://medium.com/@julien/how-to-read-a-book-a-week-20675f2e206c)  - TK telling the story of his first startup failing on the Isaac Morehouse Podcast (https://isaacmorehouse.com/2017/09/04/127-part-two-of-tk-colemans-career-journey/)