“People don’t tell you how much the world is slanted toward ‘no.’ The number of times we heard ‘no’ when building Teach For China was huge.” – Rachel Wasser, co-founder of Teach For China
Why this entrepreneur started a non-profit to provide mothers in developing countries with an innovative infant warmer he designed after selling his startup for millions
“The idea wasn’t to start a company. The idea was to get this product out to everyone who needed it.” – Linus Liang, co-founder of Embrace
How an engineer and McKinsey alum found his career passion in global health at the Gates Foundation
“I’ve realized how important it is in interviews to craft a story that conveys how your career transitions fit into a larger plan.” – Wilson Mok, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
How this liberal arts major found a finance trading job by networking with female traders on Facebook, then left the industry to shoot a documentary and start a company in microfinance
“I think I felt I had to do certain things coming out of school, but quickly realized that wasn’t the life I wanted to live.” – Rachel Cook, Microlending Film Project
How this former investor has applied investing insights to running a retail business (and what he’s also learned about how much harder it is than he thought as an investor)
“This is the most creative job I’ve had since graduating college, and it’s definitely where my energy comes from.” – Vijay Brihmadesam, co-founder of Tava Indian Kitchen
How a young law school grad won his first election in city politics (Hint: He knocked on every door in his district. Twice.)
“I knocked on 19,000 doors full-time for 15 months, and that’s how I won the election.” – Stanley Chang, Honolulu City Council, District 4
How a high school dropout and massage therapist became an MIT robotics engineer working at McKinsey and Pixar
“Pixar is unique in the way it balances the need for the artist to explore with the need to get things done.” – Naomi Davidson, Pixar Animation Studios
How a McKinsey alum volunteered her way to becoming the Chief of Staff at Khan Academy
“I spend a lot of time thinking about scaling our organization and figuring out how to preserve the culture.” – Jessica Yuen, Khan Academy
What made a P&G brand manager say “F” it and go full-time as a stand-up comedian, how he told his parents, and how he keeps his sanity and stays focused every day
“In entertainment, people think success is binary: you’re either Russell Peters or you’re working at Wendy’s. That’s just not true.” – Rajiv Satyal, Comedian
What an engineer, Stanford MBA, and pro photographer (who did a photo shoot with Barack Obama) has learned about careers and relationships (oh, he also founded a VC-backed social gifting startup)
“We’re building a social gifting framework that allows me to get a gift for you by crowdsourcing the creativity of our common friends.” – Dana Underwood, The Muse Factory
