College Experiences That Helped a Founder at an Early Stage Startup Succeed
Jorrel attributes career success to treating college as a "sandboxy" environment for experimentation, diving into numerous student organizations and ventures with the understanding that the risk was minimal, but the potential benefits, like valuable connections in venture capital and tech, were tremendous. College was seen as a unique place to "experiment and do things" without heavy consequences, and the early recognition of this opportunity proved invaluable.
Entrepreneurship, Project-Based Learning, Networking, Experimentation, Venture Creation
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jorrel Sto Tomas
Entrepreneur, Founder
Early Stage Start Up
UC Berkeley
N/A
Economics, Political Science, American Studies
Technology
Business Strategy
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. College is a special place for sandboxy ventures with limited consequences for failure, making it ideal for experimentation.
2. Joining random student organizations and starting own ventures can lead to valuable connections with future professionals.
3. Experimentation and project-based learning in college can significantly contribute to future success as a founder.
Transcript
What did you do in college to set you up for success in your career?
In college, I was known as the guy who was always doing projects. I think college is a really special place where your ideas and potential ventures are in a very controlled, "sandboxy" environment.
Being able to acknowledge that early on, I just did as much as I could. I joined a lot of random student organizations and activities, and I started my own groups and ventures.
I knew that the consequences of failure were only losing time, but the benefits could be tremendous. A lot of the friends I have today, who are in great positions in venture capital or the tech world, are people I met because of these projects.
College is truly a place where you can experiment and do things, and that's what I decided to make my experience all about. I got lucky; if I hadn't recognized that early, I don't think I would have gotten as far as I have.
So, if you're in college and you're doing the same thing, continue doing that if you want to be a founder.