I’m not afraid of being different in order to achieve greatness.
After graduating from high school, I thought attending college was the obvious next step. I was wrong. In my second year, I realized how many classes I had taken that had absolutely nothing to do with my end goal: start a business.
I took the unconventional decision to drop out. Instead, I did what made sense to me which was gain real world experience on how a business works. Not just the theory of it.
I landed a job at Starbucks. I started as a shy barista with the hunger to learn how a business works. With that drive, I took on more responsibilities which brought value to the company, such as, creating a custom spreadsheet that cut labor in half. I was promoted to assistant manager in the busiest store in the Miami district.
Even with the valuable experience gained at Starbucks, I still wasn’t satisfied. There was more to life than simple dollars and cents.
My brother told me about Praxis program and I was thrilled that something like that existed. I went all in for Praxis for these reasons.
They believe that:
1. Real world experience trumps just knowing the theory of anything.
2. You earn a spot in the business world not because of how well you scored in a test but because of how much value you brought wherever you were working.
3. Being different is not a liability but an opportunity to showcase your unique abilities.
This is my road less traveled and I sure am on my way to achieving greatness. What is yours?
Nelson Guerra 