Day 2: Passion yields success

Today was our last day in San Francisco, and even though we were here for such a short time, I feel like I've learned more than I would in a month sitting in a classroom. Meeting with incredibly successful companies and being able to learn how they got where they are and what they are doing day-to-day has been quite an amazing experience.

Perks are amazing on the Google campus. Food is free, they give free massages, there is a sand volleyball court and pool to enjoy yourself, they have hundreds of bikes to ride around from building to building and I'm sure there are so many more.


Despite all these perks, the thing that keeps people happy and working for the company is the atmosphere. I realized today after having been to six different companies in two days that every company has a personality. Personalities range from serious and strict to comfortable and relaxed. All of the companies we visited had different personalities, but each was very professional and had employees who were passionate about what they did. Passion yields success, and when it comes down to it, if you don't have passion to do something, no matter what perks a company throws your way, odds are you aren't going to accomplish anything life-changing.


To sum it up, here is what I learned during the San Francisco portion of the trip:

• Find a company that matches your personality
• Do what you are passionate about
• Get going on your career before you graduate through internships or other similar opportunities

At all the companies we've talked to so far, interns are the main pool of people used for hiring new full time employees. Internships are the easiest way to get your foot in the door of a great company and network with people who will help you in the future. Find that company that matches your personality. Make sure it gives you the freedom to be passionate and work doing what you love. Then search your little heart out for an internship or some opportunity to get into that company. I promise you won't regret it! In fact, I'll slap a Braden Guarantee on that. (All donations to the "Thanks Braden for the great advice I now make a lot of money in my career and want to pay you back with a large sum of money" fund are graciously accepted.)

Here is the video recap for day 2:

San Francisco was a great place to see some amazing companies. I'm very excited to move on to Seattle now and learn even more.

Braden Thompson