 I can't believe it's been five years since I graduated with a degree in computer science. And boy, my career has taken a lot of twists and turns for me to get to where I am today. However, there was this one mindset that I had starting out early in my career. It's still early, but at the very start of my career that I feel like I have to share with you all because it was so pivotal in getting me to where I am today. And that one mindset is saying yes now and not tomorrow. Yes is how you get your first job and your next job and your spouse and even your kids. Even if it's a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means you will do something new, meet someone new and make a difference. Thank you to DICE for sponsoring this portion of the video. DICE has a number of tech resources to help you find your next tech job on your terms. DICE recently launched a page for tech professionals new to DICE where you can gain access to thousands of tech companies and access the right tools to help land your new job like job matches, tailor to your skills and experience, personalized connections and insights so you can get hired faster. One of my favorite things about DICE is not only their job hunting and career growth tools, but they also have articles on the latest news within the tech industry. Like the Apple Vision Pro article that talks about Apple's latest VR headset along with other helpful articles like frontend developer interview questions, five big things to know that gives insights into what questions applicants might be asked during frontend tech interviews such as how are JavaScript and jQuery different? What is scope in JavaScript? How have you decreased page load time? All essential concepts that I needed to know as a frontend software engineer. Be sure to click this link that will also be in the description box. Take the step into the right direction if you haven't already and sign up for DICE today. And one thing I've quickly learned in these 27 years on this earth is that you can't think your way through life. You have to actually do something. So I know firsthand saying yes is not as simple as it sounds. Saying yes can mean that you're saying no to climbing the corporate ladder at the company you're currently working at or having a hard conversation with your manager who you've built a really good rapport with and letting them know that you're gonna be transitioning to another company. It could also mean you have to travel across the country to a state where you don't have any family aren't familiar with even across the world to a place where you don't even speak the language. It's not always easy to say yes but that could be the first step to changing your life and shifting your mindset forever. So I know we're talking in ideals and like theory but let me give you some quick examples of when I could have simply said yes I said no because I was too scared. So there were multiple internship opportunities I was offered when I was in college. The first was an internship opportunity that I received in North Carolina where I had free housing and was making a lot more than the company that offered me the internship than where I had been interning throughout my summers in college. Another was receiving an internship offer in Pittsburgh where it wasn't that far from home and I had a housing stipend. So it's kind of like the best of both worlds I get a chance to experience a new state but also being close enough to home where I can commute during the weekend. And of course, make more money. The third which probably is one of my most embarrassing say no moments is when I received an internship offer from a company in San Diego, yes, sunny San Diego, California for $38 an hour. That's actually more money than I made my first full-time software engineering job and free housing. But to most people, the answer would simply be yes. But to me, I was saying yes to life changing decisions. Decisions that could impact my future for the next few years after college graduation. So I wanna introduce this idea of weak ties and I'll also explain why they're actually important and will make saying yes sound a little bit less scary. You could think of weak ties as those people who you will be hesitant to say are your close friends. Maybe a weak tie is a coworker you have lunch with on a like maybe bi-weekly basis. But the key thing about weak ties is they give us a fresh perspective and weak ties also represent that you're actually getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing something new. New jobs, new information, new apartments, new opportunities, new ideas and even new people to date almost always come from outside of our inner circle, AKA our weak ties. So back when I started my career, all I cared about was being loyal, being loyal to the first company that gave me a shot and gave me an opportunity. And I'm still not opposed to that. However, that can't be the end all be all because a lot of things shift and a lot of things change especially when you go from being a student to a full-time employee. I know it can be really hard to say yes because you may have some strong ties or maybe even some weak ties that you're not aware of at your current job or just your current life situation ship. They could be a barrier that's in between the life you're in right now and the life you want. The moment you realize that weak ties are actually a very common part of your life, the more easy it will be to say yes to opportunities and not wait until tomorrow. As you progress through your life, you're gonna realize that people, apartments, friendships may only be in your life for seasons and that's okay. Change is normal and change is healthy. I noticed that there were a lot of people in my life that I thought were really strong ties but the moment I moved away, I didn't see them every day. Some people we started losing contact immediately and others, it was a slower progression but ultimately submised to the same fate except for a few people. And I would know I've worked four different jobs and lived in three different states since college graduation. I don't have any regrets with the decisions I made. I'm actually so happy I said yes to New Jersey and then ultimately said yes to New York City. I've made so many new friendships, so many new experiences, weak ties, an urban tribe that I'm currently building right now and I couldn't imagine my life had I said no. So take it for someone who's on the other side of that barrier, it'll all be worth it. Even if it's scary to say yes right now, you'll thank yourself later. ["I'll Be Right Here"] So if you're wondering why I'm wearing this vest with these water bottles, by the way, this is a Solomon hydration vest. It's because I'm really taking my running seriously and I'm about to run furthest run ever, which is 10 miles. I found a nice little ride on Strava and I'm really excited. I also am a little nervous. I feel like I should have been starting my run and it's already like 3 p.m. and it's gonna take me like two hours to finish it. I just wanted to give you guys an update on how running's going, so I'll let you guys know after my run how I feel. I'm gonna show you guys a running fit really quickly. Got the Solomon hydration vest. I'll be sure to link all these products down in the description box. Also picked up this really lightweight and really comfortable Nike like running tank top. Picked up my second pair of running shoes because one pair of running shoes just doesn't make sense of your training for any sort of long distance running. So I got these Mizono Wave Rider 27s. They're really comfortable and this is actually my first one I'm gonna do on them. So hopefully my feet don't hurt at all and I just feel like I'm running on clouds.