Maven

How to Make Big Career Decisions

Uber

a16z

Andrew Chen

General Partner at a16z. Previously early-stage growth at Uber.

I'll share my personal story of how I chose to join Uber and refuse other offers.

Use my structured approach

Envision your future career goals and work back from there.

Make a plan for your "next, next job"

Figure out what you need to do to close your gaps and develop a superpower.

Find your superpower

Only two things determine how your life turns out — luck and the quality of your decisions. I'll teach you a decision-making process to help you master the second.

Make Better Decisions

Session 1. Why all decisions are bets: Uncertainty, Resulting, Bias, and Base Rates.

How to elicit higher quality feedback, the purpose of groups, creating an artifact of your decisions,

Session 2. Discover, Discuss, Decide.

Session 3. Applied group decision making.

Session 4. On Quitting: Monkeys and pedestals and kill criteria.

Learn strategies to help identify which decisions you can go fast or slow with.

Session 5. Decision Agility: When to go fast and when to go slow.

Session 6. Applied decision making exercise + program wrap-up.

Course syllabus

Monday, November 18, 2024

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Monday, November 25, 2024

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Monday, December 2, 2024

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Monday, December 9, 2024

Make Better Decisions 

Course Schedule

You’re an entrepreneur who wants to be faster and more effective across the dozens of decisions you make every day.

You’re an executive-level decision maker looking to accelerate your team’s success by teaching them how to make high-quality decisions.

You’re an investor who’s tired of letting volatility drive your decisions and ready to systematize your thinking.

Is this course for you?

You'll learn

Every decision is a bet on a forecast of the future. You have limited resources to figure out which prediction will have the best return in the long run. The solution: my 6-step process for better decision making.

How to make better decisions.

Why doesn't your gut make great decisions? The answer: cognitive bias. I'll show you how to get to the outside view — what is true of the world independent of your own point of view.

What gets in the way of making good decisions.

Teams don’t always produce higher-quality decisions — they just have higher confidence. You'll learn how to find out when people disagree and normalize dissent in groups.

Making effective decisions on a team.

There's a time-accuracy trade-off with decisions. I'll teach you my best frameworks for figuring out how fast you can go when making decisions.

Making faster decisions.

Beat decision paralysis. Master a repeatable process for making better decisions in business and life.

Cohort 5

Annie Duke

Cohort 4

Cohort 6

Design Thinking is a creative approach to finding clarity amidst ambiguity. In this course, you'll be guided through how to apply Design Thinking to your own career exploration. The course itself is broken down into four sessions: Ground, Diverge, Converge, and Plan which will help you articulate your values, explore the career possibilities available to you, design experiments to figure out what you want, and plan your short, medium, and long-term next steps. You'll walk away with more confidence about what you want next and a roadmap for how to get there.

Clarify what you want with the help of Design Thinking

Our course starts by grounding in where you're at today. Through a series of exercises, you'll reflect on your unique values, career experiences, and visions for your future. By the end, you'll be able to clearly articulate what matters most to you in your next step.

Ground

This session is all about going wide. You'll canvas out three potential paths for yourself, quiet your inner critic, and ask what would have to be true in order to pursue each. By the end, you'll have three distinct paths and a research plan.

Diverge

This session is all about making decisions. You'll synthesize what you've learned from your research and address some of your fears in making changes in your life. By the end, you'll clarify the direction you want to keep exploring.

Converge

Here's where the rubber meets the road. You'll make an action plan with short, medium, and long-term goals, and find accountability within the rest of the group. We'll talk about addressing the inevitable barriers along the way, and you'll leave with clarity and conviction for what's next.

Our course starts by grounding in where you are. Through a series of exercises, you'll reflect on your values, career experiences, and visions for your future. By the end, you'll be able to articulate what matters to you in your next step. *All live sessions will be recorded.

Module 1: Ground

Module 2: Diverge

Module 3: Converge

Here's where the rubber meets the road. You'll make an action plan with short, medium, and long-term goals, and design methods of accountability. We'll talk about addressing the inevitable barriers along the way, and you'll leave with clarity and conviction for what's next.

Module 4: Plan

Almost all coursework will take place during the live sessions, but there will be optional resources to continue exploring outside of class. *There will also be the (optional) opportunity to meet 1:1 with Simone

Weekly projects

Course schedule

Curious explorers who are ready for a change in their life but aren't clear on exactly what they're looking for

Overworked professionals who move a mile-a-minute but don't have the space to take a step back and reflect

Passionate generalists who feel pulled in multiple directions but aren't sure which path they want to choose

Who is this course for

Key outcomes

The North Star of this course is for you to go from messiness to clarity. We'll explore different frameworks for clarifying your personal values and career possibilities. You will walk away with conviction for what you really want from the next step in your work and life

A clear vision for the next step in your work/life

This course is actionable. From day one you will be envisioning, prototyping, and refining your path. You will leave with an air-tight action plan for the steps to take to keep progressing and resources that you can return to throughout your career.

An action plan with the short, medium, and long-term steps to achieve your vision

Accountability is everything. In this course you will connect with other folks who are in similar places on the journey. The relationships you form will extend long beyond the last day of class.

A vibrant community of other ambitious professionals to hold you accountable

In the course, you will receive a workbook filled with evergreen exercises, reflection prompts, and resources that you can dust off whenever you find yourself at a similar crossroads.

A buffet of research, exercises, and resources that you can return to again and again

Instead of spinning your wheels, follow a step-by-step process to determine what you value and plan your next move.

Simone Stolzoff

Cohort 7

Cohort 8

Before you can be a group lead or a Manager, you need to be a high impact, low maintenance individual contributor. If you have ~3 years work experience, unlocking the 5 key skills will make you an irreplaceable asset to your organization. And if you're in the top 10% of each of these 5 skills, you'll position yourself in the top 1% of all talent. If you are able to take what you learn from this course and get a promotion (let's say, a $7,500 raise), then the cost of the course ($750) then that's a 10X ROI. My goal is to help you reach your career goals, faster.- Sometimes, that's in finding you a new project.- Sometimes, that's in how you position your asks.- Sometimes, that's in how you find ways to provide value to your team that is unique to you. Doing all of this will result in you being better at your job. And when you get better at your job, you get harder problems to solve. And those harder problems tend to get you promoted. ___ You're a high achiever who's used to success and you landed your dream job, right out of college. But since starting your corporate job, things have been off. Your hard work isn't paying off, and you're not getting the opportunities you deserve. It's frustrating and you're starting to doubt yourself, wondering "where did I go wrong, where did I go off track?" Boy, have I heard that before. You don't know what you don't know, and if this is your first job or you have &lt;3 years of work experience, you're facing topics that school never prepared you for. Such as: → Being "manageable"→ Staying top of mind for your busy Manager→ How to take negative feedback (constantly)→ Picking the right projects with outsized impact→ How to ask for a promotion→ Not knowing where to start HAVE YOU EVER... → Felt stuck because you're working hard but you're not getting the accolades you deserve? → Seen co-workers (less talented than you) get selected for projects that match your skill set? → Prepared hours for a presentation to senior leadership, only for them to zone out? → Struggled with talking about your work in a way that doesn't trigger your imposter syndrome? → Thought you were aligned with your Manager, only turns out you were both on different pages? → Been a top performer in school, only to struggle when you entered the corporate world? → Thought something was wrong with you and wondered if you're cut out for the corporate world? NEWSFLASH: THE CORPORATE JOB IS A GAME. And this course will help you learn the rules so you can play the game to win the game. In this course, I will share everything that I have learned (as well as from others) during my 12+ years in Big Tech,. The result?- Driving value that the corporation cares about- Getting unstuck and knowing what skills are "signals" vs "noise"- Getting better, more impactful projects- Increasing your leverage which ultimately builds your brand What to expect: This is an interactive course with in-depth discussion, Q&amp;A, examples, exercises, and tactics you can apply immediately. There are 3 hours of live instruction, all live on Zoom taught personally by me. We will focus on both the "why" and tactical pieces around the "how." This also includes:• Scripts for tricky work scenarios (so you don't have to reinvent the wheel)• Real-life examples• Hands-on experiences• Live coaching as we walk through key examples• Your ability to rehearse and practice with me• Cohort-style learning where you engage with others, learn from each other, and start building a strong(er) network My goal is to help you drastically understand what drives value in a corporate job, what Managers appreciate (and look out for), and how you can position yourself so that when that next high-impact project comes down the line... your name comes up first. What I teach will give you the playbook for what it takes to succeed in the corporate job. Then, you will take it and implement it with continued practice.

More recognition, more impact, reaching your career goals, faster

Provide a brief description for each module as a way to sell the value of what students will be learning throughout the course.

First Module

Second Module

Third Module

If your events are recurring and at the same time, it might be easiest to use a single line item to communicate your course schedule to students

Tuesdays & Thursdays

Feel free to type out dates as your title as a way to communicate information about specific live sessions or other events.

May 7, 2022

Schedule items can also be used to convey commitments outside of specific time slots (like weekly projects or daily office hours).

You're working hard but being passed for opportunities Your work doesn't feel valued or recognized. You feel stalled and need a boost

You're ~3 years into a role in Tech or Tech adjacent company You want to work on the right projects, get the top rating, make more money.

You want to minimize trial and error ﻿You want the tribal knowledge to accelerate faster in your career

This course is for you if:

What you’ll get out of this course

Differentiate yourself from your peers by learning the corporate game playbook that you didn't learn in school. This gives you the edge from day 1.

Get the edge in the corporate job so you can succeed and accelerate faster

You'll learn how to speak to your Manager, build trust, and how to handle feedback so you can make them your #1 advocate who supports your career goals.

Make your Manager your #1 advocate by helping them reach their goals (so you can reach your goals)

Discover what it takes to be a good teammate, the types of co-workers you want on your side, and how to leverage them to help you excel in your role.

Turn your co-workers into your work allies who can provide valuable support and advocacy for you

Learn how the most important word in the corporate job is "Impact" and how to showcase the value you're bringing (without feeling like you're the teacher's pet)

Increase your impact, visibility, and overall value you provide to the team

Adopt the behaviors of busy Execs so you can elevate your brand and go from "beginner" to "high performer"

Get you more inbound projects and opportunities by strenghtening your personal brand 

Double down on the 5 key skills that are force multipliers for individual contributors. Increase your value, build your brand, and level up.

Sally Ivester

Cohort 1 - Frustrated Employee's Playbook to Corporate Success   

Dec 2024 Cohort 

Don't wake up wondering what to do every day. Know that you've got an engine of job search working for you. The problem:Tech hiring has changed dramatically. Mass layoffs, shrinking headcounts, and decreasing venture capital has changed the math. There are more candidates than ever competing for a small number of roles. The competition is intense. The solution:Since 2019, our strategies have helped tech professionals secure over $400,000,000 in job offers. These clear, actionable systems get people more interviews, help candidates pass those interviews with flying colors, and land people top-of-market offers, even in this rough market. 80% of our clients choose between multiple offers. Your instructor:Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder &amp; CEO of Free Agency• Backed by Maveron, Resolute, Bloomberg Beta, &amp; more• Product leader and technologist with a decade in hiring tech• Advisor and coach to tech executives across NYC and SF Proven results:• Hundreds of placements every year in product, engineering, design, marketing, and more• $400M+ in total offers since 2019, with &gt;80% of clients picking between multiple offers• $15.35M raised from industry-leading investors, executives, and 30+ of our own clients Frustrated by low response rates? Learn how to triple replies and uncover opportunities before anyone else. No gimmicks and no referrals necessary. Struggling to tell your story? Master storytelling about your career at a fundamental level, preparing you for any question or context. Worried about the competition? Implement frameworks to do better research, understand employers, and intentionally stand out at every stage. Course content: Day 1: Lay the foundations (docs + systems)﻿• Templates for resumes, cover letters, cold emails, LinkedIn, + so much more• Systems and tools to use to make the job search painless and efficient• Behind-the-scenes of ATS, LinkedIn Recruiter, &amp; other employer systems Day 2: Flood your calendar with interviews﻿• Advanced job finding techniques, including Boolean &amp; semantic search﻿• Actionable steps to take after submitting an app to 3x your response rate﻿• Strategies and templates to get to know someone at any company (but for real) Day 3: Win over recruiters &amp; hiring managers﻿• Masterclass: Personal pitch and career storytelling (prev. client: "game-changing!")﻿• Repeatable methods for identifying and leveraging recruiter and HM incentives﻿• Win outside the room: templates and nuances for pre- and post-interview comms Day 4: Beat the competition in the interview cycle﻿• Advanced coaching to become stellar at panel rounds, exec chats, case studies, interview homework, etc.﻿• First-of-its-kind framework for interview debriefs + analysis, enabling in-cycle adjustments and "hero stories"﻿• Deep dives on behavioral questions, leadership, end-of-interview moments - be the unforgettable candidate Day 5: Negotiate like a pro and secure the role﻿• Framework: how to seal the deal - to be the #1 pick instead of #2 - and take discrete actions toward winning the job • Behind-the-scenes of compensation systems, databases, and formulas used by companies to calculate offers﻿• Systems and templates for understanding, evaluating, and negotiating an offer (incl. scripts) Plus...﻿• What's the deal with 'hidden jobs,' ATS keyword matching, referrals... get the truth!﻿• Methods of analogy and loop-storytelling, incl. ways to enhance recall + fit through thank you notes, emails, and phone calls • Analysis of all stakeholders and incentives inside an interview process • &amp; so much more Job search has fundamentally shifted. In 2021, a senior PM or an engineering VP was so scarce and hot in the market that it took just weeks for them to find a compelling job with a top-of-market salary. In 2024, a senior PM job receives hundreds of qualified applicants, and dozens who are specifically qualified within the particular sub-industry of the company in question. And so you&nbsp;need&nbsp;to stand out. You need to look different on LinkedIn and in an email inbox. You need to tell your story in a way that goes beyond the "academic right answer," and instead differentiates you from your next peer over. Because how else is a hiring panel supposed to decide to pick you instead of that next person? And where do former clients now work?Companies like Snapdocs, Airbnb, Mozilla, Spotify, Fastly, TikTok, theScore, Zoox, Zola, Cruise, HBO, Kajabi, Lyft, Meta, mParticle, GitHub, Roblox, Peloton, Verizon, Tesla, Notion, Asana, Drift, Instacraft, Reddit, Yelp, Google, American Express, Clover Health, Upwork, Sonder, Oura, Pepsi, Dropbox, SoFi, the NYT, Amazon, Square, Check, Addepar, Electronic Arts, Disney, MLB, Angi, Shortcut, Coinbase, Lob, Roku, Rho, Cash App, Zoom, Motion, Matterport, Twitch, Gong, Chargebee, Wonderschool, The Athletic, January, Newfront, DraftKings, Expedia, Zillow, Shopify, just to name a few.&nbsp;Seriously, this is just a quick few. We're everywhere.

Redesign your job search process and interview strategy to compete and win.

If you can't make it, you will receive a recording of any particular session after it happens.

Every weekday for a week.

Do the homework during the course schedule and you'll receive specific and in-depth feedback. Take it with you afterward to use for future practice and refinement.

Async projects.

Ambitious individual contributors, managers and directors, and VPs already in tech. Minimum 3+ years of experience.

We're technologists who understand the nuances of product management, engineering, design, marketing, operations, &amp; everything in between.

You're actively job searching in tech or are planning a move in the next 6 months.

You'll get systems and structures for every step of the job search process, built by people who know how hiring really happens, enabling you to take intentional actions at every step.

An entire job search engine, from your resume to your final offer

You'll see what an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) actually looks like, how recruiters use it, what LinkedIn Recruiter looks like, a live preview of a compensation database, alongside all the insights + nuances of how these systems are used (for + against) you. Get the intel!

Behind-the-scenes previews of what it all looks and feels like for employers

You don't have to start from scratch. Our templates, frameworks, and worksheets are proven in the tech job market. Start from strength!

Templates, frameworks, worksheets for your entire job search journey

We'll take your interview skills to the top 1%. Past students have put it best: "The interview and storytelling coaching was unbelievable. I'm going to be a better storyteller and negotiator for the rest of my life."

Advanced coaching to make you a STELLAR storyteller and interviewee

And even in 2024 and 2025, there's room to ensure you win not just a great job, but one that pays you well. Our negotiation framework will ensure you're politely but firmly capable of moving up any given offer, set up a competitive offer scenario, and avoid settling.

Data and frameworks to ensure you win & negotiate a top-of-market offer

Take control of your job search. Implement a proven system to get you interviews, win you the next round, and land you a high-paying offer.

Lightning Lessons

How to Make Big Career Decisions