Broda Noel

Hi Makers, We now have a discussions section - yay! This means it's even easier for us to share information, advice and support each other I lead on community management for Makers meaning it's my job to help all of you and ensure you're getting what you need from the community. I'm currently in London, England. Where in the world are you and what are you working on?

Over the years several students and young, ambitious people have asked me how to break into tech. Everyone has a different path so I'm curious to learn how others landed their first job in this field. Excluding many tech-related side projects in my youth (selling electronics on eBay, modding Xbox's, building websites, etc.), my first real career in tech was an unpaid social media intern at a gaming startup called InstantAction during my senior year at the University of Oregon. I discovered the opportunity through a marketing club I was a part of and was fortunate to land the role. I was such a noob but learned so much. That led to a full-time job after I graduated where I eventually was promoted into product management. The key learning for me was the importance of getting real-world experience asap (ideally before or during college) and building good relationships (by doing great work) with your teammates. At InstantAction I met Andy Yang who eventually recruited me to join another startup in San Francisco. My life changed after that.

We've seen so many great productivity tools dropping lately, so we want to know, what's your #1 and why?