Rey (teacher to social entrepreneur)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“I believe energy begets energy, positivity begets positivity. Small wins really lead to other things.” – Rey Faustino, One Degree

Amy (journalism to video producer)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“I think one of the biggest keys to transitioning is just talking to mentors who have been there before.” – Amy Montalvo, ONEPASS Productions

Jason (sales to ridesharing startup)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

Paul Graham was like, “This could be the Altair Basic.” – Jason Shen, Ridejoy

Yiaway (public finance to mayor)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“One of the important messages Harvard imparted on all of its graduates was that you should focus on tri-sector competence.” – Yiaway Yeh, Palo Alto mayor

Jonathan (White House to startup)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“If you make a line from the Oval Office to people’s offices in the West Wing, and you measure that distance, there is definitely a correlation with IQ.” – Jonathan Swanson, former White House staffer

Rachel (NGO to social entrepreneur)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“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

Linus (gaming to social entrepreneur)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“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

Wilson (McKinsey to social sector)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“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

Naomi (McKinsey to film finance)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“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

Jessica (McKinsey to chief of staff)

By Andrew Chen | Interviews

“I spend a lot of time thinking about scaling our organization and figuring out how to preserve the culture.” – Jessica Yuen, Khan Academy