Welcome to Career Advise, the newsletter providing career advice, how-tos, and life musings through an optimistic and intriguing lens.

Each week, you will receive two newsletters written by the Oppstartr Team. Mondays — Our career-focused newsletter. Fridays — Out of Office where we discuss life and other thought-provoking ideas.

What is Oppstartr?

We are a company that empowers individuals to better their careers and lives. We promise to help our readers and clients achieve their goals for a better and brighter future.

Oppstartr’s Genesis

Oppstartr dates back to our college days. Austin had developed the idea that would eventually become Oppstartr. His idea was an application, DecidEd, that helped students choose degrees and degree programs. He approached me and asked if I would be interested in working on the idea. I have always had somewhat of an entrepreneurial spirit, so I said yes. Over time, the app shifted from helping students find degree programs to job shadowing to skill testing to recent graduate recruiting; however, our conversations inevitably took us back to the individual. We knew that our passion was helping the individual in their career. We called this new venture Oppstartr (a blend of “Opportunity Starter”). After the proper paperwork, Oppstartr was official.

Why We Created Oppstartr

We believe more opportunities and success stories are waiting for us all. Those who set their mind to it can achieve great success. Success is not a zero-sum game. Oppstartr will help light the path to a bright future. The recruiting and career development market is one-sided, with companies servicing other companies while neglecting the individual. There needs to be more balance, so we are a company dedicated to helping individuals. People long for better futures. Austin and I wanted better futures. When deciding our career paths, we wished there was a resource that focused on the individual, so we created one. We believe in you. We believe you can do great things, and the great things you do will benefit us all.

Why the Individual Needs Oppstartr

Countless people are aimless in most facets of their lives and careers. Lack of meaning, anxiety, and malaise are today’s plague. Many don’t know where to begin or if they can escape the hold on them. Honestly, it is heartbreaking.

Several factors contribute to the symptoms outlined above. Some that we want to address:

• Bad Ideas - These range from stupid to depressing to dangerous and they should be refuted.

• Lack of Skills – Skills are needed. Focusing on enduring and adaptable skills that most call “soft skills” is a primary focus.

• Lack of Optimism – If you think there is no hope, it will affect your actions. We only want to instill optimism; there’s enough pessimism.

• Change – The nature of work is changing. Change is inevitable. Don’t let the unknown terrify you into inactivity. Action is the cure.

When the world is bringing you down, we will help you up.

Our Current Services

We produce Career Advise, the newsletter that provides career advice through a thoughtful and intriguing lens. It is written by the Oppstartr team, and since it is written by us, it is 100% AI-free. We provide tailored consulting to assist you in your career growth and planning. We recoil when coaches and consultants “promise” or “guarantee“ careers and high earnings. Oppstartr and the individual must put in the work for success. When you consult with us, we are partners in your career journey.

Oppstartr’s Future

We will continue to grow Oppstartr. Helping others succeed is our passion, so Austin and I plan to be around for a while. Oppstartr is for you, the individual, and we will continue that focus. Our mission involves continuing and improving our current offerings and expanding into other areas. This involves developing software to help individuals at all career levels choose, track, and manage their careers.

What the future holds for Oppstartr is unknown, but by continuing to provide value, we will have a great future. Who knows … we may even have a speaking tour at some point.

Our Commitment to You

We will be one of your go-to resources for career and life. We promise that every time you interact with Oppstartr, you will gain something valuable. This is a two-way street since we are not finished learning either. In fact, we will need your help as we continue to build Oppstartr into what we want it to become: a first-class platform to help with your career and life. We hope you will join us and stay in touch for an exciting future at Oppstartr.

Thank you for reading Career Advise. Be sure to read our upcoming issue on Monday where we focus on our first pillar: Tempering the Mind.

Be sure to share this with those in your network.