Games and Politics with Jay Obernolte

[In This Episode][Guest Bio][Additional Notes][Text Transcript]

In This Episode

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What is it like to write a video game from code in a printed book?

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Can techie kids learn to have good people skills?

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How does a computer game programmer become a politician?

You’ll have to listen to today’s episode to learn the answers to these fascinating questions.

Hi, this is Steve, “The Mad Scientist” Kurti, and today’s guest on the Table Top Inventing podcast is a first for us. We’ve had game-changing researchers, game-changing teachers, game-changing investors, and other game-changers on our podcast including other programmers.

However, we’ve yet to have a game-writing politician. Today’s guest has experience as a programmer and coder right down to the assembly language level, but he has also started a small company and has now crossed over into the world of politics.

As a tech person myself, I was curious what would drive a successful programmer and business owner to step into the political arena. The path is an interesting one as always.

Let’s welcome our first public servant to the podcast, California Assemblyman, Jay Obernolte.

Jay mentioned my favorite concept on the podcast toward the end: life-long-learning. I have always wondered what causes someone to leave a successful career to try something new, but learning and trying something new is a great reason in my book. As a perpetual learner myself, I am always interested in challenging my skills against some new idea or task.

I also understand what Jay said about moving from coding into managing people. My personal experience with starting a business has hit multiple roadblocks as I try to navigate how to understand the social world of marketing. Tech folks like us often choose computers, engineering, or science because at some level it is simpler to understand than people.

However, there is no shortcut in life to success that doesn’t include learning to have great relationships. That’s why in our Inventor Camps we always have students work in teams and show off their work at the end. Talking to other teammates and presenting our work to others are crucial skills for any professional in today’s world.

Subscribe to the Table Top Inventing podcast to hear stories of other world-changers to equip yourself and your teens for the rowdy world of innovation.

Parents AND students both tell us, “We can’t believe how much learning happened in just 4 days!”

We want to help you and your kids create the future!

Guest Bio

Jay has over 25 years of private sector experience as one of the nation’s leading high-tech innovators and has served as a public servant for nearly a decade. His unique background led to his selection as the Assistant Republican Leader of Innovation and the New Economy. In this capacity, Jay serves as the leading voice of the Assembly Republican Caucus on policy goals that encourage growth and opportunity within California’s vibrant innovation economy.

As a junior in high school, Jay discovered his passion for computers while creating his first commercial computer program.