Education - More Than Just Getting a Job (Austin Spark League)

@SparkLeagueATX #EdTech nick@austinsparkleague.com 04.22.15
Education
More thanjust getting a job
By: Nick Hahn

Education
More thanjust getting a job
By: Nick Hahn
Let's talk about education
In today’s world: Education has a more important job, than to just get us a job

educator
I amnot an

educator
I amnot an
• Love to share my knowledge
• Including the mistakes I’ve made and learned from
• Mentor those who I can help

designer
I ama

designer
I ama
• Design - Not to just make things look pretty
• I’m hired by clients to…

For as little Time + money
Discover + Design

For as little Time + money
Discover + Design
• Challenging + fun + fulfilling
• But, I didn't learn that I loved this in school

Tech sales
• At 18yo
• Professional sales job

Tech sales
• Connecting people + technology
• Path started at Gateway

refined process

refined process
http://blog.makingwaves.com/design/why-lean-facilitates-exceptional-user-experiences/
Lean:
Learn
quickly
• Revolves around: "Lean" to validate assumptions
• Goal: learn quickly & often.

refined process
http://blog.makingwaves.com/design/why-lean-facilitates-exceptional-user-experiences/
Lean:
Learn
quickly
• Right now, any endeavor you start, you're the dumbest version of you
• and it's the same way when choosing a path in life

geek
I ama

geek
I ama
• Gadgets, cars, games, any technology
• If you’re looking for any of these, give me a call 

dad
I ama

• 2 beautiful girls, the oldest is finishing up Kindergarten

WithAdultperspective
Public education

• We spend 12-16 years being educated
• Longer than almost anything else we’ll do in our lives
Public education

• We’re taught to focus on the next step of our lives
• But not look at the long-term, big picture
Public education

• What is this long-term metric of success?
• We’re not asking what will bring us satisfaction and life happiness
Public education

Public education
• Could we apply these lean principles to life?
• Explore what paths might make us happier earlier in life?
• Especially when there is so little risk to do so at younger ages

sxsw
at

sxsw
at
• At SXSW this year – heard a head of a college speak. He said:
“my customers are not the students, but the employers who will hire them“

sxsw
at
• What is his metric of success? Placing students in a job after college.
• Not thinking about “what makes my students happy in the long run”.

Expectations:
• But this should be expected, it fits perfectly with our cultures expectations of us:

1. Grades A+
2. College
3. Job
4. Mate
5. House
6. Kids
7. Repeat
Expectations:

Millennials
• They do not believe in “Getting a good job = being happy in life”

Millennials
Don’ttrust employers
expect to stay in their jobs < 3 years
Source: Forbes - Job Hopping Is the 'New Normal' for Millennials

Experiment
Time for an

1. Standup
2. Find3 new friends
3. Pick a time keeper
Do this:

1. In high school, what did you think you’d do “as a grown up”?
2. When did you pick a major? Did you switch?
3. Your first job?
4. Did your path differ than you thought it would?
5. What would you do differently?
In 2 minutes:
Tell your story – Education to Career

Results?
**What did we learn?**
1. End up in the careers they thought they would?
2. Switch majors?
3. What were the trends?

Find their path
Helping others

Find their path
Helping others
• I’ve started something new, with a great co-founder
• We’re driven to fill a gap of something we wished we had in school…

• We call it Austin Spark League

• And we have a clear mission:
• To help people, especially early in their lives find their spark

2 week summer program for teens
• We’re launching this summer with our first program

• We’ll immerse high school students in the product development lifecycle
• Have them explore real problems in their lives and ideate on solutions

• Through project-based learning, they’ll collaborate to test these ideas
• And along the way learn fundamental skills of programing, design, biz dev

Goals:
You: encouragedto help others findtheir path
Me: Find thosewho wantto help me do the same

thanks

Education - More Than Just Getting a Job (Austin Spark League)

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Education - More Than Just Getting a Job (Austin Spark League)