A strong work ethic and courage to take opportunities can pay off. Brandon Middleton has worked for multiple big tech companies like Cisco and Microsoft. He currently works for Amazon AWS and also is a co-founder of Trillicon Valley, a media and design collective for the benefit of youth and community inspiration. In today's episode, Brandon discusses how he landed his jobs and why he shifted to different companies. He also shares his experience of being a black man in big tech. Tune in to hear some great advice!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [05:07] How Brandon landed his jobs
• [13:02] Many tech companies have programs to help employees get their MBAs
• [23:39] Brandon explains how his proactive approach comes from his natural entrepreneurial spirit
• [31:18] How being black impacted Brandon in his career
• [39:48] Why has Brandon transitioned to so many different companies
• [48:34] Brandon shares SYCK advice

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Look into the perks different tech companies have. Many offer assistance with MBAs or continuing education.
• If the door is cracked open a bit, push through the door to take the opportunity.

• Be yourself and care about others. Your career involves relationships and focusing on people and allowing people to know you is an important aspect of networking.

RESOURCE LINKS

SYCK Podcast

Brandon Middleton Instagram

Trillicon Valley LinkedIn

Trillicon Valley Website

Stanford Community College Instagram

Trillicon Valley Twitter

BIO:

Brandon Middleton is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley (MBA) and the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (ECE) and has a passion for education and creatively engaging students. In the last 17 years, he has been an engineer at Cisco, a Sales guy at Microsoft, a Director of BD at Slalom Consulting, and now a Web3 BDM at AWS.

LinkedIn

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