Keith’s note: The other day Jared Isacman channeled his earlier self in a student webinar sponsored by Hack Club. This summary was posted on LinkedIn by Ahmed Khaled.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a Hack Club AMA with Jared Isaacman, Head of NASA. I don’t know what to say. It’s like a dream come true, but let’s focus on the main point and try to digest what Jared Isaacman said in this AMA.
When Jared talked about himself and mentioned that he dropped out of high school to build a company, this statement shocked me. I wondered how a high school dropout could be the Head of NASA, but later in the AMA, he said that you must be passionate about what you do, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes because by making mistakes you will learn, you must be curious. All of that made me reason this decision of dropping out; it says that if you are really passionate and curious about something, you must act and you must not be afraid.
Someone asked Jared what he would do if he were 15 now. He said he would study, because in his current position as the head of NASA, he sees so many new things happening and has to be prepared and educated about them. That really shows that we must keep learning and studying for the future.
Another question was asked about how to become what you want in the future and what positions to focus on. Jared answered that positions in the future will be 10x the positions now, so you only need to focus deeply on what you want and apply to internships to help reach it. From this answer, I think we should learn more, keep trying new things, and apply for opportunities that boost our chances of getting where we want to be.
The AMA was so technical and fun. Jared mentioned how they will put an interplanetary spacecraft powered with nuclear energy (Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom) in space, and how that will change space missions. He also talked about going back to the Moon and how missions like Artemis II will become a yearly thing. He said that if we want to go to Mars, we must first test and try everything on the Moon.
At the end of the AMA, Zach, the co-founder of Hack Club, asked Jared what he would do if he were sent back to 500 B.C. as the dictator of Earth, knowing that in 2026 A.D. a war would happen between 5 Earths. What would he do to ensure his Earth wins? Jared answered: unity. He would make the Earth united, hungry for knowledge, kind, creative, and not stopped by ownership or the environment around you. Jared’s answer was so meaningful especially the last part about not being stopped by anything, keeping yourself hungry for knowledge, and staying passionate about what you do.
It was really a great AMA, and Jared ended by saying that he is so happy to see people building and learning, that it shows they are above the curve, and these are the exact people needed at NASA.
Thanks to Hack Club for organizing this!
