Summary: <a href="http://www.gayleallen.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Blog-Post-Alex-Koren.png"></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexekoren" target="_blank">Alex Koren</a> had never considered dropping out of college. A successful high school student, he headed to <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> and was class president in his first year. Furthermore, that summer, Alex headed to a high-powered summer internship at <a href="http://www.intel.com/">Intel</a>, seemingly the perfect opportunity for an undergraduate engineering major. <br> Then something happened. While working at Intel, Alex organized a hackathon that led to his first company, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/21/meet-hyv-a-startup-that-cant-wait-for-phone-unlocking-to-be-made-legal/">Hyv</a>, which focused on solving big problems with data. The engagement and exhilaration that he felt led him to found the company <a href="http://catalyst.jhu.edu/2015/06/01/qa-with-alex-koren-on-his-recent-pilgrimage-to-silicon-valley/">Chrg</a>, with the goal of using everyday outlets and chargers in service of electric vehicles. Not long after that, Alex dropped out of college to accept 2014 <a href="http://thielfellowship.org/">Thiel Fellow.</a><br> This week, in a special edition of <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-minds-innovation-inspiration/id1049183266?mt=2">Curious Minds</a>, I share interviews with four young people, ages 18-22, each of whom decided either to drop out or never attend college, in order to pursue work that mattered to them. Each is either a current or past recipient of a <a href="http://thielfellowship.org/">Thiel Fellowship</a>, a program founded in 2011 by <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/peter-thiel/">Peter Thiel</a> to encourage young people to sidestep college and a traditional life path, in order to chart their own course as entrepreneurs. <br> In this episode you will hear Alex talk about:<br> <br> what he learned about failure<br> how pursuing work that mattered meant doing something that shocked even him<br> how to create communities for your passions<br> the difference between a life of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation <br> the importance of living with uncertainty as you pursue your goals<br> the power of surrounding yourself with passionate people<br> our responsibility to make things relevant for ourselves<br> the reasons that we lose our creativity<br> his attraction to what tomorrow holds<br> <br> Links to Topics Mentioned in this Podcast<br> <a href="http://thielfellowship.org/">Thiel Fellows</a><br> <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a><br> <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/21/meet-hyv-a-startup-that-cant-wait-for-phone-unlocking-to-be-made-legal/">Hyv</a><br> <a href="http://www.chrg.net/">Chrg</a><br> <a href="http://www.intel.com/">Intel</a><br> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon">Hackathon</a><br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a><br> <a href="https://parse.com/">Parse</a><br> <a href="http://www.skype.com/en/">Skype</a><br> <a href="http://mymemory.translated.net/en/Latin/English/interroga-omnia">Interroga Omnia</a><br> If you enjoyed the podcast, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Steindl-Rast">please rate and review it on iTunes.</a> For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-minds-innovation-inspiration/id1049183266?mt=2">subscribe</a>. Thanks for listening!<br> Thank you to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarknowlin">Clark Nowlin</a> and his sound engineering team at <a href="http://www.claritypodcasting.com/#about">Clarity Podcasting</a> and to Emmy-award-winning Creative Director <a href="https://vimeo.com/vanidavae">Vanida Vae</a> for creating the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-minds-innovation-inspiration/id1049183266?mt=2">Curious Minds</a> logo!<br>
