In this episode, I'm speaking with one of my all-time favorite people, Dr. Brandon Marin. Brandon is a highly decorated engineer in the area of semiconductor packaging at Intel, and someone who has a virtual phonebook of patents to his credit. Those of you who listened to Episode 8 know some of Brandon’s backstory. An addiction to drugs and alcohol that made him homeless and frequently jailed. And then, through hard work and determination, an escape from despair to complete not only his undergraduate degree at USC, but his PhD at UC San Diego. If you haven’t listened to Episode 8, it’s not necessary to go back, since we cover new ground here. I’m going to start by playing Brandon’s Keynote Address at the 2021 engineering Ring Ceremony. Then, he and I sat down to talk about second chances, explaining blunders on your resume, and how to persist in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. The Zoom audio is a little iffy at times, but Brandon’s wisdom shines through.