Tinkering with OCE

Subscribe to OCE's weekly newsletter on tech, business and higher education...curated for the ambitious youth.

😲 What no one tells you about student loan

Higher Education, like it or hate it, you are going to need one and it’s not cheap. That’s because today, I’m talking student loans. You might have taken out one, or are planning to take out one but do you know how it actually works? And how it can also be an incredibly lucrative way of generating profit and make a positive impact? Ironically, the school doesn't teach you this but we'll give you a run-down of it today. But FIRST If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for...

about 22 hours ago • 3 min read

💸 How to turn rice into $$$ and impact

It’s always the things you overlook We’ve all been fooled by it at least once…Shiny Object Syndrome. Every now and then, we are tempted by the glamorous stuff around us such as jobs and businesses. We choose our careers and biz to build based on how “glamorous” they look on IG. I should know…I made that mistake, too. My first idea of a possible business was in the fancy world of fashion and ecommerce – hence my decision to join Walmart Ecommerce in their fashion division after graduation....

8 days ago • 4 min read

📧 How to get people to ACTUALLY respond + other leadership tips

Hey Changemakers, Today marks 4 years since the wrap up of our inaugural OCE cohort. And boy oh boy has there been a lot of learning these last 4 years for me. Starting OCE, property management biz, and on a mission to bridging cultures. It has me thinking often about leadership… So today, allow me to share my reflection on the leadership lessons I most wish I could pass on to the 17-year-old Lena. And PS: 2024 cohort application is due end of this month, apply here ASAP so you don't miss...

15 days ago • 3 min read

💀 The Crisis That No One Is Talking About…

If you’ve been following OCE on IG or TikTok (which you should), you’ve probably seen the shocking graph reporting pessimism among US high school seniors at an all-time high. Youth happiness is in decline due to a combination of social, economic, technological and ecological pressures. Source- WSJ We now live in a world where teenagers experiences "midlife crisis" before adulthood; a time when young people, historically beacons of optimism, report lower happiness than their elders. It's...

22 days ago • 3 min read

💥 All Your Questions Answered

Future Changemakers, I’m guessing you have questions about higher education, starting businesses, landing purposeful career paths. Before you decide to take the plunge, you want to really understand what it entails to work at the forefront of innovation, and to become a founder. Maybe you have some of the same kind of questions we had back when we were in school: How do I start my own business as a teen? Can you actually teach me how to do this? Will this be helpful for my future internship,...

29 days ago • 4 min read

❌ Never take on these internships

You know I’m all about learning through hands-on work. And the best way to do so is through an internship, then start your own project. But. Not all internships are created equal. One of my earlier “internships” was with a communications agency where I worked in a padded cubicle on a call center line. I’m pretty sure my first corporate experience was where dreams go to die. It was such a party that half of the team left within the first month- including myself. What’s so bad about it, you...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read

🚀 3 Ways to start your project without money

S So you want to start the project you’ve been thinking about. Something to build skills, to add to your portfolio and maybe even bringing in revenue is a dream for many teens. But the reality of starting anything is that it’s straight-up hard work. And it may seem out of reach because many ideas require large upfront capital. If you don’t have the funds or investors to back you, you’re out of luck. Or so the conventional wisdom goes. But did you know you don’t need to put down your own...

about 1 month ago • 3 min read

🛠️ Best tools for building your passion project

I don’t usually pimp out sites... BUT if I could go back in time, the tools listed below are what I’d tell young me to use to start “my thing,” to begin to leave my mark on the world. Each grouping has the steps you should take to ideate, prototype, get the word out, and operate. But FIRST If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for the ambitious youth…here are some articles you missed from previous weeks: 📈 USE THIS: Land your dream (summer) opportunity Read More → 🎨 The...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read

🔍 The secret power of introverts

I’m not sure if you can relate but about 9 years ago, I was interning at this boutique brand consulting firm, chasing after society’s expectations. I was sitting at another company meeting, and a managing director came up to me afterwards and told me “You need to speak up more.” A little part of me died in that moment. Unless I have an insight or a good question to offer, I generally stay pretty quiet. Why is there a need for everyone to speak up when I’m not even presenting? Ugh. In a...

about 2 months ago • 4 min read

❗ USE THIS: Land your dream (summer) opportunity

Job hunting is absolutely the WORST… It is a soul crushing endeavor…like worse than being picked last on the school yard. Here’s Why: Prestigious company like Google typically receives 1000s of resumes for each job posting. Isn’t that wild?! And even with smaller companies, first resume is received within 200 seconds after a position is posted. Not to mention, LinkedIn members submit 140 job applications every second. Competition is tough, and submitting your resume online through corporate...

2 months ago • 4 min read

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