• Parenting is difficult, and there's no clear-cut right or wrong way to do it. 
• Many parents find themselves wondering how they could have been "better" at parenting.
• Instead of aiming to be better, parents should consider if they're aware, mindful, and present for their kids.
• From practicing self-care to creating small daily routines, there are simple, research-backed steps parents can take to improve both their own lives and their children's. 
•  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

At the end of the day, most parents want to know if there's something they could have done better. While "better" is a subjective word, perhaps it's more suitable to ask ourselves if we were aware, mindful, and present as a parent.

We asked 15 experts for tips, and their answers seemed to built around three main themes: creating routines and rituals for children, leading by example, and remembering to "play."

Here are all the ways they recommend you can improve your parenting, one small change at a time. 

SEE ALSO: The 11 types of parents that teachers say they can't stand

1. Follow through

Whether it's a promise or consequence, parents who don't follow through when needed can send mixed messages to children. "You beg then yell and threaten your kids with punishment for misbehavior, so eventually they comply but you do nothing," said Gregory Ramey, executive director for pediatric mental health resources at Dayton Children's Hospital. "You've just taught your kids that you cannot be trusted to mean what you say and your credibility is lost."

2. Schedule distraction free time

Routine is crucial for children of all ages, and a large part of this is making sure your child has your undivided attention at some point. "When kids are being the most difficult, it is often done in order to get your attention," said LCSW Monica Berger, who recommends setting aside at least 20 minutes a day to play with or talk to your child without distractions.  

3. Have one consistent activity daily

Moms and dads juggle many responsibilities on a day-to-day basis, but carving out the time for a special activity enhances the parent-child bond. "I encourage every parent to have at least one specific life routine they do with their child whenever possible," said clinical psychologist Nicole Beurkens. This could be giving your child a bath, making and eating breakfast, going for a walk after dinner, or anything else that is a part of the typical daily routine.

4. Label feelings

Like adults, kiddos can have a wide range of feelings and emotions, and parents should help them identify what these are. Martha Mendez-Baldwin, an assistant professor of psychology and Manhattan College, said labeling a child's emotion will help them be more in touch with themselves. "If your child is frustrated or crying, be empathetic to what the child is feeling." It can also help to openly label your own feelings as the parent, so kids realize everyone gets sad, disappointed, etc.

5. Hand out compliments

The phrase "fill someone's bucket" should not be forgotten in your own home. Carrie Krawiec, licensed marriage and family therapist, recommends using the 5:1 ratio. That is, for every one correction or criticism you give your child give five positive affirmations or encouragement. "Positives are light like feathers and negatives are heavy like cement. Focusing on this ratio helps build the relational and self esteem bank account to weather the more challenging storms."

6. Monitor screen time

"Sit with your children while they're online and participate in what they are watching, reading, and doing. Be more than a monitor; help to facilitate and participate in their learning," said Dr. Elanna Yalow, KinderCare's chief academic officer. "Let your children know they can always talk with you about anything, including what they see online." Yalow goes on to remind parents to take advantage of parental controls on phones, tablets, and computers to set time limits as well as approving what content your child can see.

7. Choose positive language

It's easy to tell a child "no" or "stop," but putting a positive spin on phrases that start with these words helps overall behavior. "Trigger words can make things worse for children," said play therapist Angela Medellin. "If a parent sees their child running down the hall it's a natural inclination to tell them to stop running, but instead try saying 'walk please.'"

8. Answer the repetitive questions

Kids are curious by nature and sometimes that curiosity has a way of turning into interrogation over a seemingly simple topic. "As a parent, the more you answer, the more you help your child learn to think about themselves, the world and their relationships," said Paul Rand licensed educational psychologist. "Do not stifle their interest in learning — no matter how annoying the question 'why' can be."

9. Ask questions daily

While answering questions is beneficial, it's also good to ask your child open ended questions about their day. "Rather than simple yes or no answers, this stimulates conversation and helps your child focus on the good in their day as well as to be aware of anything that needs improvement," said Catherine Jackson, licensed psychologist and board certified neurotherapist.    

10. Write it down

Packing a lunchbox provides a great opportunity to connect with your child in a creative way. "Words of affirmations can be powerful. When you give your child your note, go over all the things that are positive, valuable, and unique about your child with him or her," said Katie Ziskind, marriage and family therapist.

11. Take care of yourself

Self-care is important. Even basic things like eating right, drinking water, exercising, and getting proper rest are helpful. "You are calmer and more in control of yourself and your emotions when you are taking care of yourself," said  Barbara E. Harvey, the executive director of Parents, Teachers and Advocates, Inc. "Many time parents are too harsh in discipline or lacking patience because they are tired or hungry. Children learn by observing and if they see you taking care of yourself they will follow suit."

12. Join a support group

Having people to lean can make parenting feel less lonely when we realize others are going through the same challenges. Tasha Holland-Kornegay, LPCS, reminds parents that support groups aren't just for first time moms and dads or those with infants, but are just as useful when kids turn into teens. 

13. Model good communication

Not only should communication include respect, but keeping those lines open helps children realize they can trust you to listen. "Show your child that you can handle what they say and how they feel," said family coach Calvalyn Day. 

14. Practice listening

It's not always easy to set aside phones, or stop what we are doing in general, but listening fully is a good habit to practice and preach. This goes for all members of the family, not just when children are talking. "Not only are there positive neurological benefits to making eye contact and physical contact, but it is also positive role modeling to teach your children how to be active an engaged listeners," said Rebecca Jackson, vice president of outcomes and programs at Brain Balance Achievement Centers. 

15. Be mindful during meltdowns

Studies show it can take 20-45 minutes for someone to calm down and re-set after an argument (or tantrum), so don't delve out consequences in the heat of the moment. "When a child (or adult) becomes extremely upset or agitated, our body shifts into fight or flight mode," said Rebecca Jackson, Vice President of Outcomes and Programs at Brain Balance Achievement Centers. "In these moments our brain is focused on the present moment, and does not have the ability to reason or regulate. Allow them to get through the moment, then discuss the behavior, incidence or issue that triggered the meltdown."

• In a conversation on managing burnout in San Francisco, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian explained some of his best tips for "having it all," most of which are around managing his smart phone use.
• Ohanian explained that his inspiration for making a clean break between his work and home lives came from his wife, tennis star and venture investor Serena Williams.
• He said that he turns off his phone notifications when he's not working — a change that he said was weird at first but has changed his relationship with his work.
• Another one of Ohanian's productivity hacks is to set aside one hour per day fully dedicated to email to avoid getting pulled in to non-urgent requests throughout the day.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Much ink has been spilled and hands wrung on the issue of "having it all." From the gendered origins of the question to the responses that are unreasonable and unsatisfying, founders have been battling the idea that managing their business comes at a cost to their personal obligations.

But during an event on managing workplace burnout in San Francisco on June 24, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian didn't mince his words, calling his mobile phone an "ever-present ball-and-chain" keeping him connected to work even when he wants to log off.

The founder-turned-venture investor at Initialized Capital let the audience in on some of his best productivity hacks to help him get the most out of the limited hours in his day. His biggest inspiration? His wife, tennis star and venture investor Serena Williams.

"The reason that Serena is so great is because she works just as hard when she's not working than when she is working," Ohanian said. "When she's not working, she is completely off. It's a wall that she is able to build and turn on, and I think it's the only way to perform well under that amount of scrutiny and pressure like she does."

Read More: Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian: San Francisco is great but 'no one in their right mind' will build a company here anymore

Here are some of Ohanian's productivity hacks that keep the cofounder, venture investor, father, and avid traveler sane.

SEE ALSO: Andreessen Horowitz partner Scott Kupor explains the valuable lesson that today's startups can learn from the dot-com bubble: Be careful about selling to other startups

Turn off notifications.

Ohanian admitted that he turned off push notifications on his phone, and the crowd reacted with a mixture of surprise and horror. 

"It really just changed something in me and how I communicate with people," Ohanian said as attendees laughed or exchanged incredulous looks with seatmates.

If people need you, they will find you.

As the cofounder of a successful startup, board member, and the founder of a venture firm, Ohanian had to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't as essential to the day-to-day operations of both organizations as he might have been in the earlier days. But his conscious decision to be hard to reach has forced his team to go old school.

"People know if they need to reach me, they always can," Ohanian said. "Like, who makes a phone call these days? If you're calling me, I know I need to pick it up."

Set aside time dedicated to responding to emails.

Ohanian said he blocks off an hour and a half each day to only respond to emails. He explained that this helps him avoid falling "down the rabbit hole" of trying to quickly respond to an email as soon as it comes in and getting sucked in to other tasks or non-urgent needs.

"I am not allowed to do email at all outside that time," Ohanian said.

Create boundaries and stick to them.

No phones at the dinner table. According to Ohanian, it's a habit he and Williams have adopted after having their daughter. He explained that even though she is still too young for a phone, they want to model a healthy relationship with technology that is second to human interactions.

"We really have to be deliberate about it," Ohanian said. "Creating those boundaries, and trying to be more like Serena Williams, those are my professional goals."

Recognize when you’ve hit your limit.

Ohanian recounted the early days at Reddit when he and cofounder Steve Huffman would work for weeks on end, oftentimes through the night, to build the site. Although Ohanian thought the long hours "felt right" as a founder, he now recognizes that the same leadership strategy just isn't possible now that he has a family.

"Now I know when I hit my limit," Ohanian said. "And it's obviously easier now that I have a wife and child because I have to acknowledge there's something I care more about."

If all else fails, get up and take a walk around the block.

"I shudder at all the hours of youth wasted," Ohanian said of his early founder days. "The effect on my health of not doing any exercise, or just the fact that I did not care about myself physically enough."

Now 36, Ohanian's days of all-nighters in a computer chair are mostly over. But he's still acutely aware of his physical health and how that has translated to his mental well being and overall productivity.

"When you get to the ripe old age of 36 and you have a kid, you start to think, 'how do I get the most out of the next 35 years because I want to be around for a bit," Ohanian said.

Invest in yourself for some of the best returns.

"I'm more productive in my 30s than I was in my 20s even though, on an hourly basis, I put more time into myself and my well being than I used to," Ohanian told the audience of investors and founders.

Ohanian has been relatively open about his mental health struggles, publicly discussing therapy and other changes he's made to his lifestyle to better combat the unrealistic expectations founders put on themselves, oftentimes at the demands of investors.

"I was so naiïve," Ohanian said. "I was putting myself through obscene working hours because it felt right, and there wasn't anyone that could break that reality."

• People downsize their homes for many reasons, especially after a major life event later in life.
• But downsizing doesn't always work out, and some people who do it have regrets later.
• Here are some of the biggest regrets people have after downsizing.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

People downsize their homes — and lives — for many reasons.

Maybe their children have gone off to college and they don't need as much space. Maybe they're retiring and want to get rid of possessions they no longer use. Or perhaps they simply want to reduce their housing costs.

However, when downsizing, the benefits don't always outweigh the drawbacks.

Sonya Myers, a realtor and author of "Downsize Your Home, Rightsize Your Life," said she found that out the hard way. She and her husband moved from a 3,000 square-foot house to one less half the size, but said they quickly realized the change was too drastic for their lifestyle. They then "rightsized," as she says, to a slightly bigger home with a more efficient floor plan.

Read more:6 signs you should sell your home, according to experts

"If you're thinking about downsizing, consider factors such as how much space you need if you work from home or have hobbies, whether you enjoy overnight guests, and how much privacy you're willing to sacrifice if you have a partner," Myers said.

Read on to see the biggest regrets from Myers and other people who have downsized.

SEE ALSO: 6 signs you should sell your home, according to experts

DON'T MISS: I gave up my San Francisco apartment to live on a boat. Here are 9 things I wish I knew beforehand.

Less space means less privacy

Myers said that although she and her husband, both in their 60s, looked forward to having less space in their new home — particularly because less space sounded like less work — the trade-offs weren't worth it in the long run.  

"Both of us chafed at the limited space and were frustrated with the lack of privacy," she said. "Our second bedroom was set up as an office and den and we even started using headphones to watch TV separately to avoid the sound disturbing each other."

Marketing consultant Marsha Kelly and her husband, both around 60 years old, downsized from a 4,300-square-foot house (with a 1,200-square-foot attached apartment) to a vintage VW van of under 100-square-feet.

"My husband talked me into joining thevan life movement by moving into our vintage VW to travel the country — and the van is about as large as two walk-in closets," Kelly told Business Insider in an email. "We find that we mostly live outside of the van and use it as a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen on wheels," Kelly said.

Aside from a lack of privacy in the van, Kelly said that to fund their mobile life, they're renting out their house, which she said also feels like an invasion of privacy.

"I regret this decision because now my beloved home is being filled with strangers — and I had to throw away 75% of all my stuff," she said.

And less space also means it's harder to have company over

Myers said anotherdownsizing drawback was a lack of space when it came to having company.

"Although our downsized space had an open floor plan and was fairly spacious considering the overall square footage, it felt crowded with more than four people in it," she said. "And overnight guests were out of the question."

Ron Humes, a 51-year-old marketing executive, and his wife, 48, also downsized when their kids moved out, and now regret it. They went from a 4,000-square-foot home to one that's 1,300 square feet, and find it challenging to have big get-togethers.

"When our kids lived at home, we were very active in school sports programs and would host events with large groups of athletes and friends of our children," he told Business Insider in an email.

He said that although they still want to host family meals and events, there's not enough room for everyone — and that's when the regret sets in. Instead, they tend to have very small groups of friends and family over.

For large group functions, Humes said they have the ability to lease out their neighborhood clubhouse, but it's not the same as having people come to their house.

You'll also have to let go of some of your most cherished possessions

Kelly said another downsizing challenge was parting with certain possessions, especially sentimental ones.

"I had a fully furnished house with an extensive art collection — my father was an accomplished artist and taught me to appreciate art," she said. "Now, I only have a few beloved paintings of his and ones that my husband and I bought as newlyweds."

And your new home could be less convenient than your old one

Cynthia MacGregor, a 75-year-old freelance writer and editor, downsized from a house to a condo back in 2004 when some of the magazines she worked for went out of business.

As a result, MacGregor lost a lot of the conveniences she had with her house. She said she misses her large master bedroom, parking her car right outside the door of her home, and having her own washer and dryer.

"Plus, the condo has a tiny second bedroom, which, lacking the office I had in the house, I am forced to use as an office," she said. "It is so small that I cannot even meet with clients in it."

But the biggest issue is that MacGregor has become disabled since moving.

"I have serious balance issues and must use a walker or I'll fall over," she said. "My condo is on the second floor, so when the elevator breaks down, I can't get downstairs and back up again on the stairs with my walker." Furthermore, her bedroom is tiny and unnavigable with the walker. "I want my house back," MacGregor said.

• The role of the CIO has become broader and more complicated with the rise of the cloud and new enterprise IT technologies and trends.
• CIOs today have more things to worry about: Should they move everything to the cloud and abandon in-house data centers, or keep some data and applications on premise? Does their network have enough protection against cyberthreats?
• We asked experts, including execs from tech giants, industry analysts and longtime tech observers which CIOs are making smart moves and making a difference in the enterprise cloud era. Here are 25 names that came up.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

The job of the chief information officer was simpler about 20 years ago. CIOs focused mainly on managing servers and the office PCs, deciding which software to use, and making sure the IT team in the company data center had everything they needed.

The cloud and other big trends in enterprise IT changed that — dramatically. 

Today, CIOs have much more to think and worry about. Should they move everything to the cloud and abandon in-house data centers, or keep some data and applications on premise? Does their network have enough protection against cyberthreats? Is time to start thinking seriously about using artificial intelligence? 

It's a tougher role, increasingly complex and challenging. We checked with experts from the tech industry — including tech giants, Wall Street analysts, and verteran industry observers who witnessed the rise of the cloud — on the CIOs who have thrived in this new era of enterprise IT.

Here are 25 CIOs who were nominated by their peers, industry experts, and tech suppliers for making smart choices and making a difference in the enterprise cloud era:

Rob Carter, FedEx

Rob Carter, who won the Forbes CIO Innovation Award earlier this year, got a shoutout from tech giants like Oracle, ServiceNow and VMware who praised him for modernizing IT at the delivery services giant. "He is a leader driving innovation with things like smart shipping and smart packaging, pioneering Internet of Things for the industry," his fellow CIO, Bask Iyer of VMware, told Business Insider.

Randy Mott, General Motors

Randy Mott had served as CIO of  Walmart, Dell and Hewlett-Packard before taking on that role at General Motors in 2012. IDC President Crawford Del Prete said Mott has helped guide the transformation of GM "in a cloud-enabled world by actually bringing core capabilities back into the firm."

Lori Beer, JP Morgan Chase

Lori Beer was named global CIO of JP Morgan Chase in 2017 after serving in that role for the financial services giant's corporate and investment bank unit. "She is running IT at arguably one of the most innovative financial services firms," IDC President Crawford Del Prete told Business Insider.

Chris Bedi, ServiceNow

Chris Bedi, who has been with cloud software giant ServiceNow since 2015, got a shout from fellow CIO Bask Iyer of VMware. In fact, Bedi is known as a CIO thought leader, having written extensively and discussed in news coverage the growing importance of that role. "Business strategy and the technology strategy are no longer separate things," he told Forbes recently. "IT is one of the few departments that has a bird's eye view of everything going on in the organization."

Linda Jojo, United Airlines

Linda Jojo joined United Airlines as CIO in 2014 and her role was subsequently expanded in 2017 when she was named chief digital officer. In endorsing her to Business Insider, fellow CIO Chris Bedi of ServiceNow called Jojo "the poster child for the customer-centric CIO," citing her team's work in providing mobile technology to 60,000 employees.

Shankar Arumugave, Verizon Communications

Shankar Arumugave has served in several CIO roles at Verizon organization before becoming global CIO in 2017. He is a "visionary who helped put Verizon onto the cloud and the next generation infrastructure," Wall Street analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush told Business Insider.

Jane Moran, Unilever

Jane Moran was CIO at Thomson Reuters before taking on that role at Unilever, the London-based consumer goods giant. She's helped Unilever embrace new trends like the Internet of Things and digitizing key functions, Salesforce told Business Insider in an email. Unilever is a Salesforce client.

Clay Johnson, Walmart

Clay Johnson was named Walmart CIO in 2017 after serving in senior IT positions at Boeing, Dell and General Electric. Johnson is "a role model CIO" whose IT leadership has propelled Walmart "ahead of its competitors," Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives told Business Insider.  Johnson was named 2018 CIO of the year by CIO Dive, which praised him for boosting "content delivery speed by two or three times, giving employees in different business units more confidence in their work." 

Mike McNamara, Target

Mike McNamara is CIO of Target, one of the country's largest retailers. Under McNamara, the company has embraced new technologies including AI "for things like supply chain optimization and identifying products on their e-commerce site," a major tech company, which is one of Target's key technology suppliers, told Business Insider.

Mindy Simon, Conagra

Mindy Simon has been CIO of Conagra since 2017. She has helped the 100-year-old company with more than 100 popular food brands like Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher and Slim Jim, use data to adapt to a changing market where consumers have many more options, Salesforce told Business Insider in an email: "Data is at the core of Mindy's strategy." Conagra is a Salesforce client.

Scott Rice, Sprint

Scott Rice is a 19-year veteran of Sprint and became the telecommunications giant's CIO in 2016. Under his leadership, Spring was named to the 2018 CIO 100 list of CIO Magazine which cited company's work in defending against fraud and hackers.

Kiran Vankamamidi, Driscoll's

Kiran Vankamamidi joined Discroll's in 2017 and became CIO of the California-based seller of berries last year. Salesforce praised the work he has done in "automating core business processes." Driscoll's is a Salesforce customer.

Wendy Pfeiffer, Nutanix

Wendy Pfeiffer is a veteran technology executive who is often included in "most powerful women in tech" lists, according to The New Stack. She also served as CIO of GoPro. Pfeiffer got a shout out from Moveworks, a cloud based, AI-powered IT support services startup, whose CEO Bhavin Shah described her as "very innovative and has had a lot of impact on our product and how to think about this space." Nutanix is a Moveworks customer.

Prakash Kota, Autodesk

Prakash Kota has been with Autodesk for 14 years and took on the CIO post last year. He's big on pushing AI to improve worker productivity by using technology to take on repetitive tasks. Kota was endorsed by Moveworks, a cloud based, AI-powered IT support services startup. CEO Bhavin Shah praised Kota's work with startups, saying he has "visiblity into every bit of innovation coming out Silicon Valley." Autodesk is a Moveworks customer.

Tony Leon, Decathlon USA

Tony Leon has been with Decathlon, a major sporting goods designer and retailer, since 2006. He became CIO three years ago. Leon is known for radically changing the way Decathlon retail stores operate by having associates "help customers as opposed to being stuck behind a cash wrap waiting to process transactions with a clunky old POS," he told CIO Magazine.

Myra Davis, Texas Children’s Hospital

Myra Davis has been with Texas Children's Hospital since 2002 and became its CIO in 2012. She's been "the driving force behind their recent data center transformation that will provide the digital foundation" for improving service to patients, Phil Davis, president of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's hybrid IT business, told Business Insider. Texas Children's Hospital is an HPE customer.

Ben Haines, Verizon

Ben Haines was an executive at Yahoo and Box before becoming CIO of Verizon Media in 2017. Haines "has been one of the top CIOs in adopting technology, embracing the cloud before it was sexy," analyst Ray Wang of Constellation Research told Business Insider.

Andy Nallapan, Broadcom

Andy Nallapan has been CIO of Broadcom since 2016 and is known for stressing the importance of automation in enterprise operations. He also served as CIO of Avago Technologies. Bhavin Shah, CEO of Moveworks, a cloud based, AI-powered IT support services startup, said Nallapan runs "one of the most efficient IT teams we've seen." Broadcom is a Moveworks customer.

Jim Fowler, Nationwide

Jim Fowler was CIO at General Electric before taking on the same role at Nationwide. "Jim is the driving force behind Nationwide's transformation from legacy systems to modern apps," Salesforce told Business Insider in an email. GE is a Salesforce customer.

Mike Rodgers, Pilot Flying J

Mike Rodgers became chief strategy and information officer of Pilot Flying J in 2015. The Tennessee-based company is the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America. Rodgers has won praise for his focus on mobile technology, highlighted by development of the Pilot Flying J app which, according to Salesforce, "has been making the lives of truck drivers more efficient than ever before." Pilot Flying J is a Salesforce customer.

Alan Talbot, Air Malta

Alan Talbot has been CIO of Air Malta since 2016. Under his leadership, the national airline "is unlocking valuable customer data trapped across siloed legacy systems using APIs in order to offer personalized services, operate efficiently and take advantage of emergent technologies," Salesforce told Business Insider. Air Malta is a Salesforce customer.

Bill Graff, Cerner

Bill Graf has been CIO of Cerner, the health information technology company, since 2016. Phil Davis, president of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's hybrid IT business, said Graf is nown for "consistently providing feedback" on ways to "strengthen hardware, software, services and cloud connectivity" as the company looks to address the needs of more than 27,500 hospitals and clinics. Cerner is an HPE customer.

Tony Costa, Bumble Bee

Tony Costa is CIO of the seafood giant Bumble Bee. He helped lead a key initiative to use blockchain "to trace yellowfin tuna from the remote islands of Indonesia to consumers' finished good package," SAP Senior Vice President John McGee told Business Insider. Bumble Bee is an SAP customer.

Darryl West, HSBC

Darry West is CIO of HSBC, a major international bank with 39 million customers and 235,000 employees. West is "driving the full company transformation" of HSBC, and is managing the change "while meeting the strict regulations of a global financial institution," a major tech company, which is one of HSBC's technology suppliers, told Business Insider in an email. Under West, HSBC was also named to the 2018 CIO 100 list. 

Dick Daniels, Kaiser Permanente

Dick Daniels is an 11-year veteran of Kaiser Permanente where he was named CIO in 2015. Phil Davis, president of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's hybrid IT business, describes Daniels as "very focused on working to digitally transform Kaiser." Daniels was inducted this year into the CIO Hall of Fame for his contributions to technology. Kaiser Permanente is an HPE customer.

• When disaster strikes, online retail giant Amazon mobilizes its disaster relief team to collect donations and deliver them to needy people.
• One Amazon programmer, Abe Diaz, discovered this team when his home, Puerto Rico, was devastated by Hurricane Maria. 
• Desperate to help, Diaz found himself volunteering for the team. A few years later, he got a chance to make this team his full-time job.
• This story suggests that anyone can find a more fulfilling job just by standing up and offering to help.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Amazon these days has a decidedly mixed reputation. Consumers love how the site delivers any product imaginable. But advocates and activists worry about Amazon's impact on everything from the economy to the environment.

So here's a cheery story about Amazon's program that provides goods to the victims of natural disasters and how one programmer, with no emergency response background, found himself a full-time member of it.

It's a tale about how anyone, at any job, can find themselves with a fulfilling new career just by standing up and saying: "I want to help."

Read: Outages, runaway costs and frustration with tech support have hurt Microsoft's cloud in the eyes of its customers, says market research firm Gartner

Abe Diaz joined Amazon about three and half years ago to work as a programmer on the Prime Video team. He grew up in Puerto Rico, where he studied computer engineering in college. He moved to the mainland after obtaining master's degree to take a job at consultant firm Deloitte before moving on to a role at Microsoft in Seattle.

At Amazon, where he ultimately landed, he was a program manager on Amazon Prime's payment systems, and says he generally liked his job.

When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, he was far away in Seattle and frantic. His family still lived there, and the images of the devastation from the storm — plus the federal emergency response, which has been criticized as slow— were alarming. Diaz knew he needed to do something.

Just a few months earlier, in February, early Amazon employee Bettina Stix had launched a new disaster relief program at the company. Stix had joined Amazon in 2001 as a website manager and worked her way up to other key roles on the Prime team. She had gained the intense understanding of logistics from her long career at Amazon, and wanted to use those skills to help people when disaster struck.

The new program was so small that Diaz, like most Amazon employees at the time, didn't even know it existed.

So he started asking around: Is Amazon doing anything to help the people of Puerto Rico? 

"Bettina's name came up. I sent her a mail that said I'm a [technical program manager], I'm Puerto Rican. I speak the language, let me know if there's something I can do," Diaz tells Business Insider.

The instant response was yes, come help. "I go to manager and my manager was super caring. He said, 'Go — don't worry about it, we'll handle whatever needs to happen here.' I showed up an hour later and told her," I'm yours.'"

Boxes and planes

There was a lot of work to do. Amazon is an expert at delivering individual packages to individual homes. With disasters, the problem is to figure out the logistics of gathering useful items like food and blankets and setting up pop-up delivery stations where people can come and collect them.

At the company during this storm, employees were doing donation drives, and customers were also chipping in. But Diaz found himself wondering how all that stuff was going to get from Seattle to Puerto Rico. 

Stix and her team had a solution to that. They commandeered two of Amazon's airplanes, of the 40 it had in its fleet at that time.

Diaz was given the task of figuring out how to fill those planes. The pallets to load into a truck, and the containers for air cargo, are not the same shape.

He did the math and sent it onto the volunteers from across the company tasked with gathering and loading.

The team uses volunteers "from people in our warehouse fulfillment to the engineering side. Everyone has a skill," he says.

And for disaster relief missions, which involves picking and packaging countless goods, the warehouse worker's skills are particularly useful.

But, as they were loading the planes, "I got a call saying, 'hey, we still have space.' For me, I was like, what did I do wrong? The calculations add up, the plane should be filled," he said.

The problem? "People got really excited and they packed the plane really tight," he laughs.

When the planes landed, there was a special, emotional moment for him.

"I had no idea, but the disaster relief team put a special care package for my family on the plane. I only knew about it when my mom called," he said. "People were personally signing boxes with messages for people to receive them."

Water and sifters

Since then, the disaster relief team has been involved in numerous other disasters from US hurricanes and tornadoes to flooding in India and earthquakes in Mexico. Diaz found himself routinely volunteering. 

All told, since the team was founded, the company's employees and customers have donated about $14.7 million in products and cash for 22 disasters around, Amazon tells us.

The company itself has donated some $7.8 million worth of goods, cash, or logistics expenses. That figure is broken up over 1.6 million relief items, delivered in 45 of Amazon's 53-foot trailers and two Prime Air planes.

The company has also struck up partnerships with the Red Cross and other relief agencies so that it's delivering the items these agencies request, not just random things, Diaz explains.

Amazon is in a unique position to deliver unusual items needed for particular disasters, too, and in mass quantities. 

For instance, amid the recent California wildfires, the company donated hundreds of sifters to help people search through the wreckage for small lost items like wedding rings.

A few months ago, the program got approval to add to its permanent staff, which now numbers four. 

Diaz put his hat in the ring and got the job, even though he has no formal emergency management training.

Word of the team has spread far and wide inside that, for any given disaster, the team has hundreds of employees involved. Diaz says that he finds his new job at Amazon supremely satisfying — and for good reason.

"This is a team of superstars. I'm very humble to be working with it," Diaz says.

Happily ever after, and anyone can do it

There's a good reason Diaz feels that way. Happiness researchers say that the key to happiness is helping others in a very specific way. The more people can see the impacts of their work on others, the happier they are.  

For those who dream of having a job that feels more like a life purpose, Diaz has some tips on how to find one. 

"Always start as a volunteer," he says.

This allows you to explore the work that particular team is doing with no long-term commitment, he says. And if you like it and want to join full-time, you've already proven yourself to them.

Volunteer for a variety of causes, in a variety of ways, but focus on the ones that are meaningful to you, he suggests.

"Hurricane Maria was personal because my family was there," Diaz said. But he's always sought volunteer work at previous corporations.

When you volunteer, "get to know the team. Get to know what they do," he says. "And, if it's something meant to be, then things just have a way of working out."

SEE ALSO: 14 reasons to feel good about buying from Amazon and 8 reasons not to

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: All the ways Amazon is taking over your house

• I recently stopped using the phrase "unskilled" or "low-skilled" to describe low-paying work. 
• Economists say low-paying jobs are a result of a high supply of non-college-educated workers relative to college grads — not because the work isn't hard. 
• Even if you have a college degree, it doesn't immediately mean you are inherently "more skilled" than others. The phrase can also perpetuate gender and racial stereotypes.
• Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has brought attention to the use of this word in her tweets.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I recently stopped calling jobs and workers as being "unskilled."

You should too.

Since I began reporting on issues relating to the workplace earlier this year, I noticed that people tend to call low-paying work as "unskilled." A cashier is a "low-skilled" job, for example, while a neurosurgeon is "high-skilled."

A neurosurgeon went through years of training to become one of just thousands of people who can cut into a brain and not kill someone. That requires serious skill.

Read more:Here are 5 psychological reasons Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's bartender past gets brought up again and again

But who's to say working as a cashier doesn't require it's own skill? It may ask for complex social skills you don't learn in a classroom, but are still difficult to master. Describing these workers as having "low" or no skills seems unnecessarily judgmental to me. 

Former waitress (and current congresswoman) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been vocal on the topic. She's even said working at a restaurant was harder than appearing on TV.

"Bartending + waitressing (especially in NYC) means you talk to 1000s of people over the years. Forces you to get great at reading people + hones a razor-sharp BS detector," she tweeted. "Just goes to show that what some consider to be 'unskilled labor' can actually be anything but."

I talked to some experts and came up with four reasons why we should all stop calling work (and workers) "unskilled." 

Economically speaking, work is paid less due to supply and demand, not because the work is easy.

The classification of "unskilled" versus "skilled" labor comes from the 1880s. The economy was expanding, leading to more construction jobs and an influx of immigrants to carry out those roles, according to Larry White, an economics professor at the NYU Stern School of Business.

As the economics dictate, jobs pay less when there is a greater supply of workers who can carry out the role relative to the demand. Since working at McDonald's has few prerequisites, a greater number of Americans are available to get that job. Law, meanwhile, is an in-demand profession that requires extensive training. 

Since there are more people who could wait tables than who could be doctors, waitressing jobs pay less, White said. Yet use of the term in economics is not meant to qualify low-paying or high-paying jobs as being hard or easy. 

The "skills" language comes from historical classifications of work, which don't exactly apply today. 

"We probably shouldn't be using those qualifying 'high-, low-, un-' when we're talking about skills that come along with a job," White said. 

Just because you have a college degree doesn't immediately make you more competent than non-college graduates.

The largest barrier to entry to "high-skilled" work is having an increasingly expensive college degree. 

Yet having a degree says little about how many "skills" you learned in college. In fact, a 2011 study found 45 percent of students showed "no significant gains in learning" after two years in college. The Federal Reserve found only about 27% of people have jobs related to their college major.

And for low-paying jobs, the skills you need to do the work have greatly increased than years past. As the country outsourced or automated repetitive, assembly-line roles, jobs that require interpersonal skills were left behind. As a result, entry-level jobs and so called "low-skilled" jobs are more complex than years past, said Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, a senior fellow at the advocacy group National Skills Coalition. 

A lifeguard, for instance, no longer simply sits by the pool, but must know many health and safety procedures. Childcare workers went from "glorified babysitters," Bergson-Shilcock said, to roles that require a deeper understanding of the mental and emotional development of young children.

"The idea that there's some uni-dimensional merit that can be determined by how selective the school you go to is not only a bad idea," said Byron Auguste, former Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, "it's an untrue idea and it's a dangerous idea."

"It misses all the variety and forms of talent people have," said Auguste, who went on to found the nonprofit Opportunity at Work.

You can't compare two completely different jobs.

Writer and hospitality worker Brittany Bronson has long said the word "unskilled" unfairly miscategorizes demanding service-sector jobs.

She says the biggest argument she hears for using "unskilled" is that "a neurosurgeon is obviously more skilled than a waitress."

She agrees that the neurosurgeon (and other highly specialized work) requires technical training that a lot of people can't do. But when you measure work as the value it brings to a company, "a neurosurgeon at McDonald's is useless to McDonald's," she said. 

"Certain skills are more valuable to certain companies than others," Bronson said. "You can't compare the two. It's apples and oranges."

You're perpetuating gender and racial stereotypes.

Historically, good jobs don't have anything to do with how much education you have or how much you make; they are about the people who perform the work, according to Ileen DeVault, a labor history professor and the academic director of The Worker Institute at Cornell.

Women, for instance, get paid 2% less than men working the same position, with the same qualifications. In 1994, teachers, a job that requires a bachelor's degree, earned about the same as other college grads. Now, teaching earns 18% less than jobs with the same qualifications. 

The fact that teachers are overwhelmingly women has everything to do with this pay discrepancy, according to DeVault. ER nurses, too, saw salary increases as more men entered the field. 

Furthermore, the bulk of people who are paid poverty-level wages are black, Latino, or Asian. Black and Latino people make up less of the workforce than white people, yet account for the bulk of low-paying jobs like farm workers and home health aids. And it's much harder for black and Latino people to get white-collar jobs due to unconscious bias.

Calling jobs worked primarily by people of color as "low-skilled" can suggest workers are not talented, without taking into account the racial and societal barriers keeping black and brown people from high-paying jobs, Bergson-Shilcock said.

"Manual labor jobs, waitressing jobs, home healthcare aids, all of these are really necessary to our society," she added. "But often calling a job unskilled often ends up to be a code word."

SEE ALSO: 3 million older Americans can't find high-paying jobs, and it has nothing to do with skills. Here's the one barrier they face that no one's addressing.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Taylor Swift is the world's highest-paid celebrity. Here's how she makes and spends her $360 million.

• Angela Ahrendts, Apple's former retail chief, discussed the importance of leaning into your talents at work on LinkedIn's "Hello Monday" podcast.
• It's a lesson that Ahrendts says she passes on to her children.
• Understanding your gifts and focusing on them can help you bring your most valuable contributions to the table, Ahrendts said. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. 

When former Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts started working for the technology giant in 2014, she learned an important lesson — particularly within her first 100 days. "If it teaches you anything, it teaches you that they wanted you for a reason," she said when speaking with LinkedIn's Jessi Hempel on the company's "Hello Monday" podcast in May. "So get in your lane, bring your gifts to the table."

That lesson of understanding where your strengths lie and applying that to your job, even if it's a position in a new field you haven't worked in before, is one that Ahrendts said she passes on her to children.

Ahrendts has a history of working in the fashion industry, having been the CEO of Burberry before joining Apple, and she held executive positions at Liz Claiborne and Donna Karan International before that. Moving to Apple represented a step into a new industry for Ahrendts. "I tell my kids, it's kind of like water-skiing," she said on the podcast. "You don't want to be over here, you want to be in that real smooth place, and try and get yourself there. And then life just takes off."

Read more: A professional hacker reveals how to create the best possible password

Ahrendts was Apple's retail chief overseeing the company's strategic direction for its physical and online retail stores. She was hired from Burberry in 2013, the year before the Apple Watch was announced, and left in April for "new personal and professional pursuits," according to Apple. Ahrendts recently joined Airbnb's board of directors in May.

During her tenure, she was among Apple's highest-paid executives. Her total compensation for 2018 was $26.5 million, according to an Apple proxy filing from January 2019, which was higher than CEO Tim Cook's total compensation of $15.7 million in 2018.

In 2017, her total compensation was $24.2 million, which was also higher than Cook's compensation of $12.8 million and slightly higher that of other executives such as Luca Maestri, Apple's chief financial officers, and Dan Riccio, the company's  senior vice president of hardware engineering, according to a 2018 proxy statement.

Ahrendts also addressed the subject of feeling insecure in one's role during the podcast. While that feeling doesn't always go away, Ahrendts said that getting a better grasp on your strong points can give you the necessary assurance to succeed.

"You get stronger and more confident in who you are and what your gifts to this world are," she said. "And then you keep yourself in a narrower lane, knowing that if I stay in this lane, I will make the contribution that I'm supposed to make while I'm on this planet."

Are you a current or former Apple Store employee? If you work or have worked at an Apple Store, we want to hear from you. Contact this reporter at leadicicco@businessinsider.com

SEE ALSO: These are the best 6 apps for helping you save money

Join the conversation about this story »

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• It's never been better to be an investor in Silicon Valley, with blockbuster IPOs and direct listings returning a good profit to early startup investors.
• Some of Silicon Valley's biggest names, like Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins, have brought on new faces to help keep their edge during the longest market bull run in recent history.
• Meet the new faces of venture capital's rising stars. While these individuals range in title and focus area, all have been working in venture capital for five years or less.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

It seems that, in 2019, there’s never been a better time to be in venture capital. 

The first half of the year was marked by blockbuster public debuts and the continuation of privately funded mega-rounds. Funding events like these are making household names of Silicon Valley firms and the partners on the deals, not to mention a hefty profit.

But as venture investors continue to look for the next big thing, many of the biggest firms are looking to younger partners and firm employees for help. So Business Insider asked those firms, what does the next generation of venture capital look like?

These 25 rising stars are poised to make names for themselves in everything from biotech and enterprise security to scooter startups and media companies. While these individuals range in title and focus area, all have been working in venture capital for five years or less.

Meet Business Insider’s 25 rising stars in venture capital.

Read More: The legendary Andreessen Horowitz partner who worked on its Facebook and Airbnb deals shares his best advice for entrepreneurs trying to strike it big in Silicon Valley

SEE ALSO: As tech valuations soar, early stage startups are increasingly turning to debt to raise cash

Nina Achadjian, Principal at Index Ventures

Nina Achadjian joined Index Ventures in 2017 from Google, where she previously led financial planning and analysis. At Index, Achadjian focuses on enterprise software investments that are taking on some of the biggest names in tech.

She is also the founder of HIVE Ventures, a seed-stage investing firm that focuses on funding Armenian entrepreneurs. The Harvard University alum started her career in high frequency trading at Citigroup.

Racquel Bracken, Vice President at Venrock

Racquel Bracken joined Venrock as a Vice President in May 2016 to focus on investments in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Prior to Venrock, Bracken was an early employee of Clovis Oncology, a biopharmaceutical company focused on small molecule therapies.

The Harvard University grad started her career in investment banking at Easton Associations and Domain Associates.

Annie Case, Investor at Kleiner Perkins

Annie Case joined Kleiner Perkins in November after leading strategy and operations at Uber. Since joining Kleiner Perkins, Case has participated in the firm's investment in Modern Health, a mental health provider startup.

The Stanford alum joined Bain & Company as a consultant in San Francisco after graduation, where she focused on private equity and technology.

Josh Coyne, Investor at Kleiner Perkins

Josh Coyne joined Kleiner Perkins in 2017 to invest in enterprise software and consumer internet companies. In the two years he has been at the firm, Coyne has participated in deals across mobile gaming, fintech, and mail-order dental care.

Coyne, a Cleveland native, graduated from Boston College and worked for Qatalyst Partners prior to joining Kleiner Perkins. 

Frederique Dame, Partner at GV

Frederique Dame joined GV, formerly known as Google Ventures, in 2018 to lead the corporate venture fund's consumer investments.

Prior to joining GV, Dame led product teams at Uber, photosharing startup SmugMug, photo social site Photobucket, and Yahoo. Dame angel invested in various startups before joining GV full time, and started her career as a financial analyst.

Monica Desai, Investor at Kleiner Perkins

Monica Desai joined Kleiner Perkins' New York team in 2018 to focus on cryptocurrency, blockchain, and financial technology investments.

The Harvard Business School alum splits her time between the Bay Area and New York to focus on Series B opportunities, and has participated in Kleiner's investment in student loan management startup, Pillar.  

Mike Duboe, Principal at Greylock Partners

Mike Duboe joined Greylock Partners, Reid Hoffman's venture capital firm, in December to focus on investing in retail-specific artificial intelligence startups and media companies. Before joining the firm, Duboe led growth at fashion subscription startup Stitch Fix and saw the company through its IPO.

Duboe has also advised entrepreneurs through accelerator Y Combinator. The University of Michigan grad started his career at Bain & Company.

Megan Holston-Alexander, Senior Associate at Unusual Ventures

Megan Holston-Alexander joined Unusual Ventures, an early-stage technology investment firm, in April 2018 to help build the firm's consumer investing practice.

The Stanford Business School grad interned with Lightspeed Venture Partners, YouTube, and Foundation Capital before joining the Unusual Ventures team. She graduated from Clark Atlanta University and received her masters in sociology from the University of Houston.

Fatima Husain, Principal at Comcast Ventures

Fatima Husain joined Comcast Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of telecom giant Comcast, in May to lead the fund's early stage investments consumer internet startups. According to her LinkedIn account, Husain is particularly focused on healthcare startups and solutions for sharing economy workers.

Prior to joining Comcast Ventures, the Yale University grad led product growth at vacation rentals startup Airbnb.

Zak Kukoff, Associate at Emergence Capital

Zak Kukoff joined Emergence Capital in April 2018 to focus on developer tools and future of work for the enterprise software focused firm.

Kukoff is a serial entrepreneur and was the youngest founder ever backed by startup incubator TechStars when he went through the program in 2011 at 16 years old. Since then, he's founded Autism Ambassadors, published a book, and was honored by the Clinton Global Initiative.

Peter Lauten, Deal Partner at Andreessen Horowitz

Peter Lauten joined Andreessen Horowitz in May 2016 as a deal partner focused on enterprise applications. He has sourced, diligenced, and supported a variety of the firm's investments, including email management tool Superhuman, customer management tool People.ai, and legal startup Atrium, among others.

Prior to Andreessen Horowitz, the Duke University alum was an investment banking analyst at Deutsche Bank. 

Aneesha Mehta, Principal at Bain Capital Ventures

Aneesha Mehta joined Bain Capital Ventures in 2017 to focus on healthcare investing. In her current role, Mehta works across all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, due diligence, transaction execution, and portfolio company support.

Mehta spent 3 years as a public equities investor at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Bain Capital. Before Fidelity, The Brown University alum spent time interning in healthcare consulting at Decision Resources Group and in a strategy role at a mobile healthcare startup in India.

Cherry Miao, Vice President of Growth at Accel

Cherry Miao joined Accel from portfolio company Lightspeed HQ in October to focus on financial technology, machine learning, and future of retail startups.

She was an early employee at payments startup Lightspeed HQ and helped the company scale from 60 to 600 by spearheading two major international acquisitions and raising more than $250 million in venture funding. The Harvard alum began her career in private equity.

Alex Pruden, Deal Partner at Andreessen Horowitz

Alex Pruden joined Andreessen Horowitz as a deal partner for its crypto fund in April. Prior to arriving in Silicon Valley, Pruden spent nearly 10 years in the United States Army Infantry & Special Forces and completed three tours in the Middle East.

According to the West Point graduate, his experience working side-by-side with oppressed communities in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria was the inspiration for his career transition into crypto.  

Andrew Reed, Partner at Sequoia Capital

Andrew Reed joined Sequoia in 2014 to focus on growth-stage investing across consumer, enterprise software, and fintech. He was involved with Sequoia's 2015 Series B investment in open source tool GitHub, and over the last 12 months has led Sequoia's investments in travel startup Tourlane and design tool Figma.

Prior to Sequoia, The Amherst College alum worked at Goldman Sachs.

Brian Rothenberg, Partner at Defy.vc

Brian Rothenberg joined Defy.vc, an early-stage venture capital firm, after leading customer acquisition at events startup Eventbrite.

Rothenberg is not new to investing, having angel invested in several startups during his tenure in Silicon Valley and scouted startups for Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital, and First Round Capital, but will bring operational expertise to Defy.vc's growing portfolio of consumer and enterprise startups.

Vivek Saraswat, Investor at Mayfield

Vivek Saraswat joined Mayfield in July 2018 to focus on early-stage enterprise software and infrastructure startups. In a July 1 blog post reflecting on his first year as an investor, Saraswat compared his role to the fictional Alfred of the Batman comic series, describing himself as "using experience and values as a guide while quietly working in the background to get things done."

Prior to joining Mayfield, Saraswat led product development at infrastructure startup Docker, VMWare, and Amazon Web Services.

Julia Schottenstein, Principal at NEA

Julia Schottenstein joined NEA in 2016 and has since sourced and led NEA's investments in open source enterprise startup Metabase and identity startup UnifyID. In addition to serving on the board of those two companies, the Stanford alum also serves on the board of threat detection startup Sentry, and was involved in several other investments across the firm.

She joined NEA after starting her career as an analyst at several financial firms in Switzerland, New York, and California's Bay Area.

Philipp Seifert, Senior Associate, Sapphire Ventures

Philipp Seifert joined Sapphire Ventures as a member of the growth investment team in 2017 to analyze and perform due diligence on new investments. Seifert worked on several of Sapphire's data analytics investments, such as DataRobot, InfluxData, Matillion, Phoenix Labs, project44, and Reonomy.

Prior to joining Sapphire Ventures, the Rice University grad worked on IPOs and M&A at Goldman Sachs. 

Carlotta Siniscalco, Senior Associate at Emergence Capital

Carlotta Siniscalco joined the Emergence Capital investing team in 2018 and was named a Kauffman Fellow, a prestigious 2-year leadership program for venture capital investors, in June. She focuses on insurance and fintech startups at Emergence in addition to advising on international investments.

Siniscalco graduated from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and received her MBA from Stanford Business School before going to Goldman Sachs as an analyst. 

Amy Sun, Partner at Sequoia Capital

Amy Sun joined Sequoia Capital in February 2018 to invest in growth-stage startups in the autonomous driving and wellness industries.

Before joining Sequoia, Sun held product marketing roles at some of the biggest names in technology like Microsoft and Facebook. She was also an early employee at Uber where she worked on driver growth, international expansion, and marketplace pricing. 

Stephanie Terpening, Senior Associate at Accel

Stephanie Terpening joined Accel in July 2018 and focuses on enterprise software and security business investments. She has worked on Accel's investments in insurance startup The Zebra and international payments startup WorldRemit.

The Notre Dame University grad and former Rent the Runway intern came to Accel from Financial Technology Partners in San Francisco.

Louisa Xu, Partner at IVP

Louisa Xu joined IVP in October to invest in later stage consumer and enterprise startups. During her tenure, Xu has become actively involved in developer tool startup Harness, real estate startup Compass, and scooter rental company Lime, among others.

Before joining IVP, Louisa was part of the investment team at GIC. The Harvard Business School alum began her career in private equity at Goldman Sachs and Blackstone before moving to infrastructure startup Cloudflare.  

Julie Yoo, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz

Julie Yoo focuses on digital health investments at Andreessen Horowitz and is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum.

Prior to joining Andreessen Horowitz earlier this year, Yoo cofounded biotech startup Kyruus. Yoo has been active in the healthcare industry since studying pre-medicine at MIT, and has led product development at Generation Health, later acquired by CVS Health, and genome sequencing startup Knome. 

David Zhang, Vice President at TCV

David Zhang joined growth firm TCV in August to focus on investing in later-stage consumer startups in media, financial tech, and entertainment.

Zhang graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science and shortly after founded his own real estate startup. Before joining TCV, Zhang spent time in the investment banking divisions of Goldman Sachs and Dorsal Capital Management.

• In the 40 years that Jerry Seinfeld has been a comedian, he's learned some valuable lessons.
• Along with his celebrity guests, Seinfeld gives career and life advice on his current Netflix series, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," usually in the form of witty banter.
• Here are the best lines — from Seinfeld, Barack Obama, Dave Chappelle, Steve Martin, and others — on careers, failure, and bees.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Jerry Seinfeld has been doing stand-up comedy since the mid-1970s, and through the ups and downs of showbiz, he's learned some valuable lessons on careers, failure — and bees.

He may be famous for his hit sitcom "Seinfeld" and his children's flick "Bee Movie," but his current Netflix show, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," offers the same hilarious observational humor and witty banter, with a bit of life advice thrown in. The 11th season, which premiered July 19, features guests like Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, and, for the second time, Ricky Gervais.

The show's concept, for those who didn't guess it from the title, is simple: Seinfeld takes another famous comedian out for coffee, while driving a car that perfectly suits his guest's personality. Seinfeld is a proud car nerd, and after years of resistance, has become an avid coffee drinker.

In an interview with NPR, Seinfeld explained why he loves coffee. "We want to do a lot of stuff; we're not in great shape," he said. "We didn't get a good night's sleep. We're a little depressed. Coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup."

Here are the best tidbits of career advice from both Seinfeld and his guests.

SEE ALSO: 10 quotes from ancient thinkers that show they figured life out 2,000 years ago

Jerry Seinfeld on career choices (season 5, episode 5)

"When I was a kid, I always thought the plumber wanted to be a plumber. I thought the guy that drives the truck loves driving the truck, that's why he's doing it."

On a 1990 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Seinfeld recalled the childhood moment he realized he was destined to be a comedian. While enjoying some milk and cookies with a friend, he made the pal laugh so hard that milk came streaming out of his mouth — and right into Jerry's face.

Brian Regan on nerves (season 10, episode 5)

"You know the butterflies, when you get the butterflies? I always say that the things you remember in life are the things that happen right after you had butterflies. So you should never avoid the butterflies, because those are the memory makers."

Regan, known for his stand-up about daily life (and UPS), must have gotten butterflies just before taking the stage. 

Steve Martin on confidence (season 7, episode 2)

"When I first started, I decided it was important to fake confidence. Because I thought it was important that [the audience] sensed I believed. If I was the slightest bit nervous about something, they could smell it, and then they would become judges. But if I was confident, it's like 'I don't care what you think.' That worked."

It's funny to look back at Martin blowing up balloon animals onstage and think that the guy was faking his confidence. Guess it really did work! 

Jerry Seinfeld on bees, societal structure, and being the boss (season 5, episode 8)

"The bees, the elegance of their societal structure, is, 'This is your job, ok? You get the pollen. You make the honey. You guard the door.' And nobody goes, 'All right, I don't know if I really want to do that.' But no bee says, 'I should be the boss.'"

One of Seinfeld's less critically lauded projects was "Bee Movie," the 2007 digitally animated movie about bees. Despite it being one of the lowest-grossing Dreamworks films to date, it's gained quite the cult following.

Barack Obama on stress (season 7, episode 1)

Seinfeld: What kind of language do people use —
Obama: English.
Seinfeld: Does [cursing] help with your stress level?
Obama: I curse. I curse.
Seinfeld: 'This rat bastard comes in here…' You blow off a little steam.
Obama: Yeah. Bad stuff, or stupid stuff, is happening constantly, every day. So you have to just be able to make fun of that.

The former president was likely on to something. Researchers have linked swearing to honest behavior, and humor to resilience.

Dave Chappelle on ideas (season 10, episode 2)

"If I have an idea, it's the driver. The idea says, 'Get in the car,' and I'm like, 'Where am I going?' The idea says, 'I don't know. Don't worry about it. I'm driving.' Then you just get there."

Dave Chappelle is best known for his iconic sketch show, "Chappelle's Show," a prime example of letting the idea be the driver.

Kristen Wiig on her final season on "Saturday Night Live" (season 9, episode 1)

"I knew the moment I got comfortable there was the moment I had to leave."

Kristen Wiig stayed on "SNL" for seven seasons, then left in 2012 after starring in the hit comedy "Bridesmaids."

Jerry Seinfeld on persistence (season 2, episode 6)

"One of the great activities is skateboarding. To learn to do a skateboard trick, how many times you gotta get something wrong until you get it right … And you hurt yourself and you learn that trick, now you got a life lesson. Whenever I see those skateboard kids, I think, 'Those skateboard kids will be all right.'"

Comedy is a lot like skateboarding. In the same episode, Seinfeld and his guest, Chris Rock, talked about their early days in comedy. Rock said, "I used to go the comedy club and they would not put me on. I'd get there at 7:45. And I would wait until 1:30, 2 in the morning, and not get on."

"SNL" creator Lorne Michaels on finding comedic talent (season 8, episode 5)

"There will be a time when I realize that I am no longer as good as I was and things aren't coming together as they should and the quality is going down, and then three years after that I'll quit."

Lorne Michaels knows a bit about finding talent— he cast legends like Chevy Chase, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Kristen Wiig for most of the iconic show's 44 seasons.

Jerry Seinfeld on failure and how comedy is like baseball (season 5, episode 8)

"Democracy. There's a democracy of body type. Anybody can play... And comedy is a life of failure. Baseball is failure. The best hitters, .300 hitter. What does .300 mean? He gets a hit 30% of the time. He fails seven out of 10 times. And he's a killer. Because he fails seven out of 10 times. That's us! We fail almost all the time. Almost all the time. There's a couple of times we don't, and that's what you see."

Seinfeld has always been obsessed with baseball, even though he never played on an organized team.

• Business Insider wants to hear from K-12 public school teachers on what their job is really like.
• If you are a teacher, fill out the form below. Questions include, 'What's the best part about being a teacher?' and 'What's something parents do that drives you nuts?'
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Calling all public school teachers — what's your job really like?

What's the hardest part about being a teacher? What's something parents do that drives you nuts? What's something about your job that a lot of people don't know?

Business Insider is working on a series of stories about the lives of modern teachers, and we wants to hear from you.

Read more:THEN AND NOW: Here are all the ways being a public-school teacher has changed in the last 50 years

If you're a K-12 public school teacher, fill out the survey below to let us know what your job is really like. 

(Please note: Answers will be kept anonymous if you request it, but I will reach out to verify your identity.)

If you have any questions, reach out to aakhtar@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: THEN AND NOW: Here are all the ways being a public-school teacher has changed in the last 50 years

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Tesla CEO Elon Musk makes and spends his $19.2 billion

• The Los Angeles Times reported that the federal government is facing a shortage of firefighters.
• Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we made the above map showing what the typical firefighter earns in every state.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The federal government is facing a shortage of firefighters, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

The Times' Anna Phillips reported that the Department of the Interior has hired only 1,359 seasonal firefighters this year, well below their target of 1,600. According to the article, a major cause of that shortage was the government shutdown in January, which delayed hiring and training of firefighters.

Pacific Standard's Maxine Speier noted that, in addition to the shutdown, an overall tighter labor market in the US contributed to the shortage, as there are fewer people seeking the type of seasonal, dangerous, and stressful work firefighting entails.

Read more: At least 20 people have died from Europe's extreme heat. The Arctic caught on fire. This is what climate change looks like.

While entry-level federal firefighters earn just $12.95 an hour, according to the Times, pay for the typical firefighter varies across the US.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics Program, we made the above map showing what the typical firefighter makes annually across the country. Nationally, the median annual wage for firefighters was $49,620. In the states, median pay ranges from $28,200 in Louisiana to $81,240 in New York.

• Read more:
• The 15 states with the smallest middle class
• 37 US jobs that are disappearing at an alarming rate
• This map shows the highest-paying job in every state, excluding doctors
• Here are the US counties where more people are dying than being born

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Tesla CEO Elon Musk makes and spends his $19.2 billion

• Brand loyalty goes a long way, and that's especially true at a bar.
• Bartenders like me know there are some brands of liquor that are not worth their high price tags, but customers keep ordering them anyway.
• Here are some of the brands I think customers are spending too much money on, and some alternatives you could order instead.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Is it shrewd, cynical, or simply smart that some brands charge more simply because they can? 

As a bartender, I'm at times dismayed by how brand loyalty can guide the choices of my customers. Often, there's a disconnect between the quality of an alcoholic beverage and its price.

To be clear, there's nothing wrong with favoring a brand. We all feel endeared toward some.

But if you're taking a hard look at quality for price, there are some booze brands you order that leave us scratching our heads: Why do so many people shell out so much money to drink them?

Read more:I'm a bartender, and these are the drinks that we secretly judge you for ordering

Disclaimer: These are my opinions — not the opinion of all bartenders — but nevertheless, I can safely say there's some consensus, at least among my immediate peers.

Here are the brands you're spending way too much money for at the bar, and what you should be ordering instead.

SEE ALSO: These are the drinks that bartenders secretly judge you for ordering

DON'T MISS: I'm a bartender who's witnessed countless first dates — here are all the things you're doing wrong

Grey Goose

Customers' obsession with Grey Goose has always stumped me.

My best guess is that peoples' partiality to Grey Goose comes primarily from name recognition, and a desire to have "the best," based on the assumption that the price will correlate to quality.

But for all the times I've blind-tasted Grey Goose versus the cheaper house spirit where I work, I can never distinguish a difference — and sometimes prefer the house spirit. 

The last time I ran this experiment, I vastly preferred Reyka vodka. I had no preference when it came to Grey Goose versus Luksusowa.  

This is a particularly pertinent test for vodka, as opposed to other spirits, for whom distinguishing traits between brands are intentional — meant to appeal to different palettes. 

But a good vodka's aim is to taste like little at all. In my book, Grey Goose fails to accomplish that above the mid-tier.

Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire

Following Grey Goose, I'm calling out Tanqueray and Bombay gins, since a similar thread follows: Brand loyalty and name recognition mean bars can charge big bucks for these bottles, despite their more affordable prices at the liquor store.

If the price behind the bar of these two London dry gins were comparable to Hendricks gin, a Scottish gin known for its cucumber and rose notes, I'd opt for that instead.

Casamigos, the tequila once owned by George Clooney

Ah. The ol' celebrity-endorsement price bump. George Clooney founded Casamigos tequila in 2013, and it quickly became one of the fastest-growing tequila brands in the world.

Although the company was sold for $1 billion in 2017, the association to Clooney remains, and bars continue to charge top dollar for the spirit, even if the taste doesn't quite merit it.

But there are of course exceptions to every rule. I love both the charcoal flavors and the price point of Wild Turkey Longbranch bourbon, made from a collaboration with Matthew McConaughey.

And in Casamigos' defense, I find its mezcal offering exceptional for the price. And the bottle is gorgeous as well. 

Crystal Head Vodka, which was cofounded by SNL player Dan Aykroyd

The Crystal Head Vodka origin story might be the most surprising of the celebrity-associated brands I've encountered yet. The brand was launched by Dan Aykroyd alongside artist John Alexander in 2007.

But unless you're a Ghostbusters or Blues Brothers superfan, or dearly want a skull-shaped liquid receptacle in your possession, save your money on this wildly overpriced spirit.

Blanton's bourbon may be more about the show than the taste

Bourbon drinkers are highly particular, so I imagine some will disagree with me on this one.

But while the liquor's scarcity is part of the reason for its high price point, I'm starting to think that hardcore fans of Blanton's Single Barrel bourbon are also paying top-shelf price for — in my book — a mid-shelf taste, in large part for aesthetic reasons.

Namely, the chic globe bottle and collectible B-L-A-N-T-O-N-S lettered horse-race caps.

And just about any 'flavored' spirit belongs on the list

One thing a bartender strolling through a package store would almost never shell out for is flavored spirits. Think orange or peach vodkas or honey bourbons.

You're essentially paying more for less percentage spirit, and for very simply conceived, easily achievable flavor profiles. That's unlike, say, other low-ABV liqueurs like Cynar or Fernet-Branca, whose complex recipes comprise a secret mix of dozens of herbs and botanicals — those we will gladly shell out for. 

If you're looking to spice up the flavors of the home bar bottles, opt for infused spirits instead, like Kettle One's Botanical line.

You get the additional punch of flavor, while maintaining the same percentage of alcohol by volume. 

Again, there are exceptions. I can't seem to make my own RumChata no matter what different horchata and rum combination I try. And I hate to miss out on indulging my favorite two-ingredient summer tiki drink, the SnoMageddon. 

• US schools are increasingly seeking to prepare students for cannabis jobs.
• These schools — including Cornell University and the University of Denver — are offering cannabis courses on subjects as varied as business and botany.
• Because marijuana is still illegal in many US states, and because of the stigma around cannabis, teaching the classes can be challenging.
• Click here for more BI Prime content

With the cannabis industry booming, US colleges and universities are increasingly offering programs meant to prepare students for careers in the business.

A report from the cannabis website Leafly and the consultancy Whitney Economics found marijuana to be the fastest-growing industry in the US. And now, many schools are capitalizing on the opportunity.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the University of Maryland's School of Pharmacy will offer a master's degree in medical cannabis, while Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science is adding a course on cannabis. Other universities have partnered with Cresco Labs to design cannabis courses and research, the Journal reported.

Meanwhile, the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver started offering a course on the business of marijuana in 2017. The class, which is open to undergraduate and graduate students, features guest speakers who work in different facets of the cannabis industry, like a recruiting platform and a cannabis and hemp investment firm. Students then profile various cannabis companies before ultimately pitching their own business.

Paul Seaborn, an assistant professor in the department of management who designed the course, told Business Insider that several Denver alumni have gone on to work in the industry, where they apply components of their business pitch.

The semester culminates in a field trip to Sweet Grass Kitchen, a local edibles manufacturer. There, students get a chance to hear from management and tour their facility. "That's always a pretty interesting eye-opener," Seaborn told Business Insider, "because the average person just doesn't have a chance to walk into those facilities and see what's going on."

Read more: A cannabis CEO who led turnarounds at FAO Schwarz and Patagonia explains why he's looking to poach 'nimble' people from small companies — rather than big-name execs

At SUNY Morrisville in New York, students can sign up for Introductory Cannabis, which is part of the school's new cannabis-industry minor. The goal, Morrisville professors say, is to equip students with the knowledge and experience necessary to pursue a range of cannabis-related careers (think botany, production and processing, and marketing).

Because the Morrisville campus boasts resources including a greenhouse and an organic farm, students learn "from start to finish how to cultivate, produce, harvest, and breed cannabis plants in a variety of different settings," Kelly Hennigan, the chair of the horticulture department, told Business Insider. Morrisville has a license to grow hemp plants, which are all below 0.3% THC, meaning they don't contain the chemicals that cause psychoactive effects.

There's still a stigma around cannabis, which can make these courses challenging

To be sure, any cannabis-related course — whether it focuses on horticulture or business — poses unique challenges.

For one thing, marijuana is still illegal in many US states, including New York. (Gov. Andrew Cuomo this year proposed legalizing recreational marijuana.)

Yet even in Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, Seaborn said a significant challenge was dealing with the general stigma around cannabis. But he said, "I've had some amazing feedback about students who have taken the course and then shared some of the books and things that they've been exposed to with their parents, and their parents have read them, and it's led to all sorts of discussions."

Seaborn added that students who took his course on the business of marijuana became much more emotionally invested in the content than students in, say, his consulting courses. The guest speakers, he said, are "businesspeople who've taken some pretty big risks and maybe walked away from other opportunities to join something that is pretty new and uncharted."

Both the number and breadth of cannabis courses are growing quickly. According to Marketwatch, Northern Michigan University students can major in medicinal plant chemistry; enrollment shot from zero to 230 in the first two years. And the University of California at Davis offers a course on the health risks of cannabis.

Seaborn said many schools were understandably wary of offering cannabis courses. "The same way that students are having to really navigate this whole new emerging world," he said, "I think it also is forcing business schools and universities in general to also try to figure out what their role should be and what the right pace of getting involved is."

SEE ALSO: New Jersey lawmakers postponed a critical vote to legalize marijuana — here are all the states where pot is legal

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian have a combined net worth of $189 million. Here's how they make and spend their money.

• Many of the United States' highest-paying jobs — such as doctors and pharmacists— are science-focused.
• However, there are also plenty of jobs out there that involve little to no science at all.
• Using data from the US Department of Labor, we took a look at these positions that earn over $60,000 per year.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Science certainly isn't everyone's thing, but if you want to become a doctor, astronomer, or pharmacist, you'll need to learn to like it.

Recent reporting from Busines Insider's Andy Kiersz shows that the highest-paid position in many US locations requires a medical degree. Luckily, though, there are also plenty of high-paying jobs out there that don't involve much science.

We combed through the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a US Department of Labor database that compiles detailed information on hundreds of jobs, and looked at salary data on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website to find positions with a low "science importance" score and an average annual salary of over $60,000.

Read more: Here's how much money 25 types of scientists really make

O*NET ranks how important "using scientific rules and methods to solve problems" is in any job, assigning each a score between one and 100. Science-centric positions, such as chemists and veterinarians, rank between 80 and 100 on the spectrum, while jobs such as travel guides and musicians are under five.

While many jobs may call for a bit of science knowledge at some point, none of these positions earned a score above 20. Additionally, every position earned a mean annual salary of $60,000 or more. 

Keep reading for a look at are 26 positions a low science-importance level:

SEE ALSO: 13 high-paying jobs for people who don't want to stare at a computer all day

NOW READ: These high-paying tech jobs only require 3 years of experience or less — and some of them pay six-figure salaries

Human resources specialist: $66,790

Average salary: $61,790

Science importance level: 13 

First-line supervisors of correctional officers directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and jailers.

First-line supervisor of correctional officers: $68,350

Average salary: $68,350
Science importance level: 13

First-line supervisor of mechanics, installers, and repairers: $69,320

First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers directly supervise and coordinate the activities of mechanics, installers, and repairers.

Average salary: $69,320
Science importance level: 19

Editor: $69,480

Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication.

Average salary: $69,480
Science importance level: 0

Property, real estate, or community-association manager: $71,730

Property, real estate, and community association managers take care of the many aspects of residential, commercial, or industrial properties. They make sure the property is well maintained, has a nice appearance, and preserves its resale or leasing value.

Average salary: $71,730
Science importance level: 13

Technical writer: $75,500

Technical writers prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily.

Average salary: $75,500
Science importance level: 6

Multimedia artist or animator: $78,230

Multimedia artists and animators create animation and visual effects for television, movies, video games, and other forms of media.

Average salary: $78,230
Science importance level: 0

Real estate broker: $78,940

Real-estate brokers and sales agents help clients buy, sell, and rent properties. Although brokers and agents do similar work, brokers are licensed to manage their own real-estate businesses — while sales agents must work with a real estate broker.

Average salary: $78,940
Science importance level: 3

First-line supervisor of non-retail sales workers: $84,600

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers. They may perform duties such as budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.

Average salary: $84,600
Science importance level: 3

School psychologist: $85,340

School psychologists typically diagnose and treat mental disorders, learning disabilities, and cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems using individual, child, family, and group therapies. 

Average salary:$85,340
Science importance level: 16

Athlete: $87,030

Athletes and sports competitors participate in organized, officiated sporting events to entertain spectators.

Average salary: $87,030
Science importance level: 19

Director (stage, motion pictures, television, or radio): $89,840

Directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer's script to entertain or inform an audience. Producers also earn a similar salary.

Average salary: $89,840
Science importance level: 0

Financial examiner: $90,310

Financial examiners ensure compliance with laws governing financial institutions and transactions. They review balance sheets, evaluate the risk level of loans, and assess bank management.

Average salary: $90,310
Science importance level: 6

Broadcast news analyst: $91,990

Broadcast news analysts inform the public about news and events happening internationally, nationally, and locally. 

Average salary: $91,990
Science importance level: 3

Securities and commodities trader: $98,770

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents connect buyers and sellers in financial markets. They sell securities to individuals, advise companies in search of investors, and conduct trades.

Average salary: $98,770
Science importance level: 3

Financial analyst: $100,990

Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments.

Average salary: $100,990
Science importance level: 16

Administrative law judge, adjudicator, or hearing officer: $101,210

Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. They also determine liability, sanctions, or penalties or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or settlements.

Average salary: $101,210
Science importance level: 13

Art director: $104,590

Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, and movie and television productions. They create the overall design of a project and direct others who develop artwork and layouts.

Average salary: $104,590
Science importance level: 10

Software developer (systems software): $114,000

Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device, while others develop the underlying systems that run the devices or control networks.

Average salary: $114,000
Science importance level: 16

Air traffic controller: $120,830

Air traffic controllers coordinate the movement of air traffic to ensure that aircraft stay safe distances apart.

Average salary: $120,830
Science importance level: 19

Purchasing manager: $125,630

Purchasing managers plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services.

Average salary: $125,630
Science importance level: 6

Law professor: $130,710

Law professors teach courses in law at the college or university level. They typically do a combination of teaching and research.

Average salary: $130,710
Science importance level: 19

Compensation and benefits manager: $132,860

Compensation managers plan, develop, and oversee programs to determine how much an organization pays its employees and how employees are paid. Benefits managers plan, direct, and coordinate retirement plans, health insurance, and other benefits that an organization offers its employees.

Average salary: $132,860
Science importance level: 3

Sales manager: $140,320

Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations' sales representatives.

Average salary: $140,320
Science importance level: 16

Public relations and fundraising managers: $141,500

Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.

Average salary: $141,500
Science importance level: 16

Financial manager (branch or department): $146,830

Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.

Average salary: $146,830
Science importance level: 10

• It only look us 35 days to close on our home.
• On average, it takes about 50 days to close on a mortgage loan.
• To speed up the process, I was proactive and submitted anything and everything the mortgage lender might later ask for.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In late March 2016, I saw my house for the very first time. It was love at first sight, but my husband Tyler and I weren't really ready to buy a home.

As 27-year-old newlyweds who were perfectly happy in our 650-square-foot Manhattan apartment, we were in no rush to relocate to the suburbs.

We were simply looking for fun, and since we knew we'd someday want to move, we thought it might be useful to browse casually to figure out what we did or didn't want, like, or need in a home, so we'd know once the time came to buy one. 

But of course, since we weren't looking seriously, and we weren't desperate or in any sort of hurry, we found the one.

After having a few very serious discussions, talking to our families, looking at our finances, and reading what felt like a million articles about the home-buying process, we decided we'd regret it forever if we didn't at least make an offer. 

So, on April 1, we did just that. And they accepted! (Well, there was some negotiating — but in the end, we settled on a price very close to what we had initially offered.)

On April 7, we went into contract and began applying for our mortgage. That's when we officially started the home-buying process.

Thirty-three days later, on May 10, our mortgage was approved and we were cleared to close. The following week we signed all the papers, handed over the down-payment, and officially owned our new home. 

According to Realtor.org, the average time to close on a loan is 50 days. Frequently, the process lasts upwards of 60 — and sometimes more. For us, it took about 35 days.

While this isn't unheard of, since we were first-time buyers, it could have reasonably taken much longer.

Looking back, there's one smart thing I did at the very beginning of the process that helped it move along quickly … and it's a trick anyone can use: I anticipated what the mortgage lender might later ask for and submitted it all up front.

When we applied for our mortgage, we were asked to submit:

• Two months worth of pay stubs
• Two years worth of W-2s
• Three months worth of bank statements for all checking and savings accounts in our names
• Letters confirming our employment
• Retirement account balances
• Gift letters for any deposits over $5,000 (if the money wasn't a loan)
• Proof of homeowners insurance (we had to get a policy before we could apply for our mortgage)
• Documentation on any other assets

The one thing I kept hearing from friends and family who'd gone through the home-buying process was: "The bank is going to ask you for more proof of this, and more proof of that!" 

So, as I began gathering all the required documents, I took some time to research and think about what else the underwriters could possibly want from us in order to make a decision on whether they'd grant us a loan, and I added those things to my list. I also doubled up on everything from the initial "required documents" list (i.e. instead of two months worth of pay stubs, I submitted four months worth). 

This trick paid off and ended up saving us some time in the long run.

A few times throughout the process, our mortgage banker emailed me saying, "The underwriters were asking for another X, but luckily you already sent that so I've passed it along to them."

For instance, had I only provided pay stubs for February and March like they asked for, when they later requested January, too, I would have had to track down that additional pay stub through my employer, scan it, mail it over, and wait for the bank to confirm receipt. That small request could have added a week to the process.

But by just doubling up on everything when I was initially gathering or putting in requests for these documents, I saved myself a lot of time later. And trust me: Even if you're not in a huge rush to close, you'll probably be excited and anxious, and just want it all to be over with as quickly as humanly possible. 

• Read more:

• 8 ways American millennials are changing homeownership, from moving to commuter towns to wiping out the starter home

• 3 steps everyone should take if they want to own real estate by age 30

• 8 tips on mortgages for first-time home buyers, according to an expert

SEE ALSO: 10 hard truths no one tells you about buying a house

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Area 51 became the center of alien conspiracy theories

• In every US state, the workforce is changing.
• As globalization and automation continues to affect American workers, jobs in construction, manufacturing, and the food service industry are disappearing.
• Some other common occupations to disappear in several states are telemarketers, substitute teachers, and administrative assistants.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The workforce is changing in every state in America. The change extends past factory jobs — it includes the disappearance of telemarketers, substitute teachers, and administrative assistants.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics program, we compared total employment levels for occupations in each state in May 2013 and May 2018, the latter being the most recently available data.

We found the occupation with at least 5,000 employees in May 2013 that had the biggest percent drop in employment over the five-year period. Since we are interested in how specific occupations have changed over time, we excluded the "all other" occupational catch-all groups used by the BLS.

Here are the fastest-disappearing jobs in every US state.

SEE ALSO: This map shows the most commonly spoken language in every US state, excluding English and Spanish

Alabama: Bill and account collectors had a 54% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,260

2018 employment: 2,850

2018 median salary: $32,920

What they do, according to O*NET: Bill and account collectors collect overdue bills, either by mail or telephone, and contact credit departments if customers don't respond.

Alaska: Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers had a 49% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,040

2018 employment: 2,550

2018 median salary: $23,220

What they do, according to O*NET: Meat cutters cut meat by hand, usually to portion quantities of fish, poultry or other meat for customers.

Arizona: Substitute teachers had a 74% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 11,880

2018 employment: 3,030

2018 median salary: $28,700

What they do, according to BLS: Substitute teachers temporarily fill in for full-time teachers, usually for single days at a time.

Arkansas: Fast-food cooks had a 63% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 10,660

2018 employment: 3,950

2018 median salary: $19,650

What they do, according to O*NET: Fast food cooks prepare food in fast food restaurants, usually by frying simple dishes.

California: Word processors and typists had a 69% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 25,310

2018 employment: 7,790

2018 median salary: $42,900

What they do, according to O*NET: Word processors and typists use computers to type documents like letters, reports, or voice recording transcripts.

Colorado: Telemarketers had a 42% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 7,500

2018 employment: 4,370

2018 median salary: $27,060

What they do, according to O*NET: Telemarketers call potential customers to solicit donations or purchases of goods.

Connecticut: Sales representatives for wholesale and manufacturing (as well as technical and scientific products) had a 52% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,040

2018 employment: 2,870

2018 median salary: $91,160

What they do, according to O*NET: Sales representatives sell goods over the phone to industry-specific companies, which may require knowledge of science, engineering or electronics, depending on the company.

Delaware: Laborers and movers (freight, stock, and materials) had a 29% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,970

2018 employment: 4,960

2018 median salary: $27,050

What they do, according to O*NET: Laborers perform any sort of general labor, including moving freight or boxes.

District of Columbia: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants had a 40% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 9,340

2018 employment: 5,600

2018 median salary: $69,830

What they do, according to O*NET: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants organize conference calls, schedule meetings, and take care care of other clerical functions and administrative support.

Florida: Farmworkers and laborers (crop, nursery, and greenhouse) had a 50% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 21,340

2018 employment: 10,670

2018 median salary: $22,210

What they do, according to O*NET: Farmworkers plant, cultivate, and harvest crops like vegetables, fruits, and nuts. They also operate farm equipment as well as performing manual labor with tools like shovels, hoes, and shears.

Georgia: Substitute teachers had a 61% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 26,960

2018 employment: 10,390

2018 median salary: $22,860

What they do, according to BLS: Substitute teachers temporarily fill in for full-time teachers, usually for single days at a time.

Hawaii: General office clerks had a 28% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 14,440

2018 employment: 10,440

2018 median salary: $33,180

What they do, according to O*NET: Office clerks perform clerical duties, which include a wide range of tasks: assisting customers in person, filing documents, answering the phone, and answering emails.

Idaho: Secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical, and executive) had a 5% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 10,240

2018 employment: 9,760

2018 median salary: $32,080

What they do, according to O*NET: Secretaries and administrative assistants schedule appointments, meetings, and answer phones for their managers, among other clerical duties.

Illinois: Graduate teaching assistants had a 72% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 10,920

2018 employment: 3,070

2018 median salary: $37,740

What they do, according to O*NET: Graduate teaching assistants assist professors with teaching-related duties like grading tests and papers, tutoring students, and occasionally teaching lessons.

Indiana: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants had a 46% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 12,130

2018 employment: 6,540

2018 median salary: $48,230

What they do, according to O*NET: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants organize conference calls, schedule meetings, and take care care of other clerical functions and administrative support.

Iowa: Packers and packagers had a 69% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 12,400

2018 employment: 3,790

2018 median salary: $28,990

What they do, according to O*NET: Packers and packagers package manufactured products either in factories or warehouses.

Kansas: Home health aides had a 65% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,700

2018 employment: 2,320

2018 median salary: $23,890

What they do, according to O*NET: Home health aides take care of patients in their homes by applying medications, bathing, and dressing patients.

Kentucky: Helpers of production workers had a 53% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 11,910

2018 employment: 5,650

2018 median salary: $28,560

What they do, according to O*NET: Helpers assist factory workers by cleaning equipment or holding workers' tools.

Louisiana: Service unit operators (oil, gas, and mining) had a 61% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,520

2018 employment: 2,180

2018 median salary: $51,100

What they do, according to O*NET: Service unit operators increase oil flow from wells, or make sure there aren't any pipes or tools in the way of drilling. 

Maine: Elementary-school teachers (except special education) had a 22% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment:  6,880

2018 employment: 5,390

2018 median salary: $52,680

What they do, according to O*NET: Elementary school teachers teach children from Kindergarten to 5th grade.

Maryland: Special-education teachers in middle school had a 51% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,690

2018 employment: 3,280

2018 median salary: $72,000

What they do, according to O*NET: Middle school special education teachers teach middle school children with educational or physical disabilities.

Massachusetts: Psychiatric technicians had a 73% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 7,250

2018 employment: 1,930

2018 median salary: $44,220

What they do, according to O*NET: Psychiatric technicians take care of people with mental or emotional conditions, according to instructions from doctors, and they report to hospital medical staff.

Michigan: Chief executives had a 75% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 10,430

2018 employment: 2,620

2018 median salary: $203,290

What they do, according to O*NET: Chief executives run companies by making large-scale business decisions, along with a board of directors or a team of other executives.

Minnesota: Slaughterers and meat packers had a 49% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 8,190

2018 employment: 4,140

2018 median salary: $31,920

What they do, according to O*NET: Slaughterers and meat packers slaughter animals, and prepare cuts of meat for packaging to consumers or to processing companies.

Mississippi: Counter attendants in cafeterias and coffee shops had a 68% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,960

2018 employment: 1,910

2018 median salary: $18,240

What they do, according to O*NET: Counter attendants serve food to customers from counters or steam tables.

Missouri: Order clerks had a 47% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,250

2018 employment: 2,800

2018 median salary: $32,460

What they do, according to O*NET: Order clerks receive orders from customers for shipping materials or products, either by email or phone.

Montana: Secretaries and administrative assistants (except legal, medical, and executive) had a 44% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 10,440

2018 employment: 5,840

2018 median salary: $32,860

What they do, according to O*NET: Secretaries and administrative assistants schedule appointments, meetings, and answer phones for their managers, among other clerical duties.

Nebraska: Fast-food cooks had a 55% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,800

2018 employment: 2,630

2018 median salary: $20,980

What they do, according to O*NET: Fast food cooks prepare food in fast food restaurants, usually by frying simple dishes.

Nevada: Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks had a 26% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 8,130

2018 employment: 5,990

2018 median salary: $33,410

What they do, according to O*NET: Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks keep track of shipping records for various products and prepare them for shipping.

New Hampshire: Elementary school teachers (except special education teachers) had a 16% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,670

2018 employment: 5,620

2018 median salary: $58,240

What they do, according to O*NET: Elementary school teachers teach children from Kindergarten to 5th grade.

New Jersey: Sales representatives for wholesale and manufacturing (as well as technical and scientific products) had a 70% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 11,330

2018 employment: 3,370

2018 median salary: $87,040

What they do, according to O*NET: Sales representatives sell goods over the phone to industry-specific companies, which may require knowledge of science, engineering or electronics, depending on the company.

New Mexico: Fast-food cooks had a 55% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,100

2018 employment: 2,280

2018 median salary: $19,800

What they do, according to O*NET: Fast food cooks prepare food in fast food restaurants, usually by frying simple dishes.

New York: Real-estate agents had a 60% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 12,170

2018 employment: 4,870

2018 median salary: $99,360

What they do, according to O*NET: Real estate sales agents rent, buy, or sell property for clients, which includes keeping track of property listings, interviewing potential buyers, and drawing up real estate contracts.

North Carolina: Telemarketers had a 57% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,020

2018 employment: 2,170

2018 median salary: $24,550

What they do, according to O*NET: Telemarketers call potential customers to solicit donations or purchases of goods.

North Dakota: Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks had a 36% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 8,100

2018 employment: 5,150

2018 median salary: $37,650

What they do, according to O*NET: Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks keep track of numerical data for taxes and other financial purposes.

Ohio: Machine feeders and offbearers had a 55% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,170

2018 employment: 2,310

2018 median salary: $31,200

What they do, according to O*NET: Machine feeders and offbearers feed materials into factory machines or equipment.

Oklahoma: Helpers of production workers had a 56% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,740

2018 employment: 2,940

2018 median salary: $29,240

What they do, according to O*NET: Helpers assist factory workers by cleaning equipment or holding workers' tools.

Oregon: Substitute teachers had a 60% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 12,770

2018 employment: 5,090

2018 median salary: $46,160

What they do, according to BLS: Substitute teachers temporarily fill in for full-time teachers, usually for single days at a time.

Pennsylvania: Short-order cooks had a 73% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 7,810

2018 employment: 2,130

2018 median salary: $26,520

What they do, according to O*NET: Short order cooks prepare simple, quick food in restaurants or diners, and may also take orders from customers.

Rhode Island: First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers had a 15% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,600

2018 employment: 4,770

2018 median salary: $61,080

What they do, according to O*NET: First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers supervise customer support workers, usually in call centers.

South Carolina: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants had a 32% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,840

2018 employment: 3,990

2018 median salary: $53,360

What they do, according to O*NET: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants organize conference calls, schedule meetings, and take care care of other clerical functions and administrative support.

South Dakota: Stock clerks and order fillers had a 13% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 6,250

2018 employment: 5,440

2018 median salary: $24,820

What they do, according to O*NET: Stock clerks organize shelves and tables of merchandise in stores and stockrooms.

Tennessee: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants had a 60% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 14,740

2018 employment: 5,870

2018 median salary: $50,460

What they do, according to O*NET: Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants organize conference calls, schedule meetings, and take care care of other clerical functions and administrative support.

Texas: Computer-hardware engineers had a 76% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 8,890

2018 employment: 2,170

2018 median salary: $116,290

What they do, according to O*NET: Computer hardware engineers design and develop hardware for computers, either for commercial or industrial use.

Utah: Substitute teachers had a 56% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 11,550

2018 employment: 5,030

2018 median salary: $29,530

What they do, according to BLS: Substitute teachers temporarily fill in for full-time teachers, usually for single days at a time.

Vermont: Teacher assistants had a 13% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,570

2018 employment: 4,820

2018 median salary: $31,700

What they do, according to O*NET: Teacher assistants assist teachers in classrooms, sometimes as part of a career path to become teachers themselves.

Virginia: Data-entry keyers had a 38% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,020

2018 employment: 3,120

2018 median salary: $34,100

What they do, according to O*NET: Data entry keyers verify data and input it into computers for several types of industries.

Washington: Telemarketers had a 81% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,390

2018 employment: 1,050

2018 median salary: $33,560

What they do, according to O*NET: Telemarketers call potential customers to solicit donations or purchases of goods.

West Virginia: General office clerks had a 33% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 28,340

2018 employment: 19,110

2018 median salary: $26,650

What they do, according to O*NET: Office clerks perform clerical duties, which include a wide range of tasks: assisting customers in person, filing documents, answering the phone, and answering emails.

Wisconsin: Machine feeders and offbearers had a 61% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,080

2018 employment: 1,960

2018 median salary: $29,980

What they do, according to O*NET: Machine feeders and offbearers feed materials into factory machines or equipment.

Wyoming: Operating engineers and other construction-equipment operators had a 28% decline in employment between 2013 and 2018.

2013 employment: 5,850

2018 employment: 4,240

2018 median salary: $57,630

What they do, according to O*NET: Operating engineers operate construction equipment, such as bulldozers, tractors, front-end loaders, or compressors at construction sites.

• Jess Lee, a partner at legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, recounted her experience receiving an offer from the firm in a Bloomberg interview Monday.
• Lee said that partners Jim Goetz and Roelof Botha met her at a cafe dressed in Toy Story cosplay when they offered her a job.
• In the Bloomberg interview, Lee, an avid cosplay enthusiast, said the gesture made her feel like she could bring her "whole self" to work.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

To set itself above the rest, Sequoia Capital apparently goes to infinity and beyond.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Jess Lee, now a partner at the legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm, recounted exactly how she received her offer.

Lee told Bloomberg that Sequoia partners Jim Goetz and Roelof Botha offered to meet her at a cafe in Mountain View. When she showed up, she noticed two cafe patrons were in full Toy Story cosplay as characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Turns out they were Goetz and Botha, who took off their headpieces to reveal themselves and extend the offer to Lee, an avid devotee of cosplay. 

Read More:Startups with women founders are on track to see record venture investment in 2019

The theatrics are apparently part of Sequoia's schtick to stand out in a competitive market.

Once, Sequoia built a LEGO-model of the Golden Gate Bridge with both the firm's and the prospect company's logos to woo a Lego-loving founder it wanted to invest in, according to a 2018 Forbes story.

For Lee, the tactic worked. She told Bloomberg that the gesture "meant I could bring my whole self" to work.

SEE ALSO: Investors are pouring millions of dollars into fertility treatment startups. Here’s how one of Silicon Valley’s legendary venture firms is approaching investment in the buzzy industry

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: All the ways Amazon is taking over your house

• TV-tech entrepreneur John Hoctor sold his startup, Data Plus Math, to LiveRamp last month for $150 million, equivalent to a multiple of 24 to 30 times revenue.
• Hoctor said that he was in the process of raising a "large" round of funding to expand its staff when he was approached by LiveRamp.
• Data Plus Math is the third TV data firm that Hoctor and cofounder Matthew Emans have worked on together, and the two zeroed in on helping TV networks challenge Facebook and Google.
• Other measurement firms are focused on TV, but Hoctor said its focus on network clients and a software-based business have kept Data Plus Math ahead.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

TV advertising-tech is red hot these days, and John Hoctor hit the jackpot.

In June, the CEO of TV analytics company Data Plus Math sold his firm to ad-tech company LiveRamp for $150 million. At just three years old with $5 million in projected revenue, Hoctor and his co-founder Matthew Emans sold the company for 24 to 30 times revenue, making it a rare high exit for advertising startups.

The acquisition shows the growing appetite marketers and investors have for technology that promises to shake up the decades-old practices of buying, selling and measuring TV ads. Advertisers, especially digital-native companies that are starting to spend on TV, want to better understand how their ads drove sales as people cut the cable cord.

"Clearly LiveRamp sees a lot of future potential for this deal. That is why it is paying up this much premium for the deal," said Rafat Ali, founder of travel-media company Skift and a frequent commenter on valuations, at the time of the acquisition.

Read more:LiveRamp paid $150 million for a 20-person ad-tech firm, and it shows the massive forward bets that advertisers are making on the future of television

Since announcing the acquisition, which is expected to close during LiveRamp's fiscal second quarter, Hoctor has stayed quiet in the press. He said Data Plus Math, which has around 25 employees and raised $7.5 million since 2016, was preparing to raise another "large" round of venture-capital money this year when LiveRamp showed up.

"We were definitely not for sale when the LiveRamp acquisition happened," he told Business Insider. "We were on such a large trajectory that we needed to expand our team — we were opening up job reqs."

A few factors worked in favor of a deal. Both companies were focused on solving data-based advertising. Hoctor knew LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe from working together at Microsoft, though he stressed that the relationship did not affect LiveRamp's decision to acquire Data Plus Math. Hoctor had also worked with LiveRamp. In exchange for providing TV reporting for LiveRamp's clients, Data Plus Math used the ad-tech firm's technology to anonymously match advertisers' data with its own data sets.

Hoctor has a history of disrupting TV

Data Plus Math's acquisition isn't a fluke.

Hoctor and Emans are longtime entrepreneurs and business partners who have worked in television since 2001. They met while working at TV-targeting firm Navic Networks, which Microsoft acquired in 2008 for reportedly more than $200 million. Then they founded a data startup called IntegralReach, which they sold to Rovi (now known as TiVo) in 2013. They left Rovi at the end of 2015.

Six months after leaving Rovi, the two started plotting Data Plus Math. Advertisers were starting to move TV budgets to digital and ask more about the performance of their TV spots. The pair saw an opening to focus on measurement.

"We were like, 'Why would we leave this industry right now?'" Hoctor said. "We got very lucky with the timing — it became a hot topic quickly."

The promise to help TV networks and advertisers challenge Facebook and Google became key to Data Plus Math's pitch, Hoctor said. For years, the duopoly had pitched advertisers on granular targeting that directly linked with marketers' goals, and when someone bought a product after clicking on a Facebook or Google ad, Facebook and Google got all of the credit for the sale, regardless of whether that person had seen a TV commercial or print ad before clicking the ad.

"Advertisers know that TV works, but they haven't had the granular reporting to understand what parts of it were working better than others," Hoctor said.

While other startups chased advertisers, Data Plus Math first set its sights on networks, signing A+E Networks and NBCUniversal as clients.

"That strategy paid immediate dividends because nobody was focusing on them from an attribution standpoint," Hoctor said. "We got to work with some of the largest agencies and marketers through our partnerships with the networks."

Many TV-tech firms want to shake up TV

Data Plus Math is part of a growing cottage industry of TV-focused startups that help marketers track metrics like attribution and sales by matching up ad exposure with data. Similar companies include Neustar, 605, iSpot, and Nielsen.

Read more:Ad-tech companies are moving full speed ahead to chase OTT ad dollars. Here are the 13 companies poised to win the most.

The differences between TV-measurement companies are often small and nuanced. For example, Hoctor said that competing firms price their offerings on a campaign-by-campaign business and can track how many people went to a website within a month of seeing a TV ad.

Data Plus Math uses a software as a service (or SaaS) model that charges clients monthly for access to its analytics. As a result, Data Plus Math says that it can match larger TV data sets that take time-viewing into account and mesh it with sales logs and other data that shows what consumers do after seeing an ad.

Under LiveRamp, Hoctor said that Data Plus Math will act as an independent measurement company and LiveRamp will continue to work with other measurement firms.

"We've got a really nice lead and I don't see anybody close in our rear-view mirror," Hoctor said.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This Facebook exec cofounded and then got fired from Pets.com. Here's why she is no longer hiding from this failure.

• For five years, Thomas Corley studied the daily activities of 233 wealthy people and 128 people living in poverty. 
• From his research, he's pinpointed specific, foundational family habits that tee children up for success as adults.
• For example, parents should encourage reading, model healthy eating, and help their kids pursue passions and interests.
• Limiting screen time and avoiding gambling were also shown to have a positive effect on a person's future wealth. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When I travel the country speaking to high school and college students about exactly what they need to do to become financially successful in life, I like to begin my presentation by asking the same three questions: "How many want to be financially successful in life?"

"How many think they will be financially successful in life?"

Almost every time I ask the first two questions, every hand rises in the air. Then I ask the magic third question:

"How many have taken a course in school on how to be financially successful in life?"

Not one hand rises in the air, ever.

Clearly every student wants to be successful and thinks they will be successful, but none have been taught how. Not by their parents, and not by their teachers.

Is it any wonder that most Americans live paycheck to paycheck? That most Americans accumulate more debt than assets? That many Americans lose their homes when they lose their job? Is it any wonder that most Americans cannot afford college for their children and that student loan debt is now the largest type of consumer debt? 

Parents who are success mentors to their children teach them specific, beneficial daily habits. If done right, these habits can put their kids on autopilot for financial success as adults. 

In my five-year study, I uncovered specific foundational family habits that tee children up for success as adults.

SEE ALSO: The 11 types of parents that teachers say they can't stand

1. They read to learn

Sixty-three percent of self-made millionaires in my study were required by their parents to read books in order to learn. Their parents made them read two or more books every month on topics such as history, biographies of successful people, science, and self-improvement.

2. They avoid gambling

Only six percent of the wealthy in my study played the lottery. According to Yale University researcher Nicolas Christakas, habits spread like a virus within your social network. Children are constantly observing what their parents do; and if the parents gamble, their children will very likely gamble as adults.

3. They experiment with passions

A whopping 82 percent of the self-made millionaires in my study pursued a dream or something they loved. By far, the wealthiest in my study were individuals who pursued a dream or something they were good at and enjoyed doing. On average, these millionaires accumulated $7.4 million in net assets in an average of 12 years. Parents who push their children to experiment with different activities during childhood increase the likelihood that their children will discover an innate talent or something they enjoy doing, which could lead to a lifelong vocation. Consider the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, which institutionalize experimentation through their badge system. This program enables scouts to explore things that interest them so that they can learn valuable marketable skills.

4. They eat healthy food

Just 21% of the wealthy in my study were overweight by 30 pounds or more, while 78 percent of self-made millionaires ate less than 300 junk food calories a day. Children eat what their parents eat; parents can help set the table for a healthy lifestyle, so to speak, by feeding their family nutritious, wholesome food and eschewing junk food as much as possible.

5. They limit screen time

Sixty-three percent of the wealthy in my study spent less than 1 hour per day on recreational internet use. Sixty-seven percent of the wealthy watched less than one hour of TV per day, and only nine percent of the wealthy watched reality TV shows. Other time-wasting habits included using Snapchat, Instagram, and video games. The lesson? To raise kids who turn out wealthier, parents should proactively monitor what their children are doing and become a bulwark against time-wasting, stare-at-a-screen activities like these.

6. They’re involved and supportive

Eighty-three percent of the wealthy in my study attended back to school night for their kids, and 29 percent of the wealthy had one or more children who made the honor roll. When parents are engaged with teachers and the school and when they act as accountability partners with respect to schoolwork, their children take notice of that time investment.

7. They hang onto their money

A good 73 percent of the wealthy in my study forged the habit of spending less than they earned, long before they became wealthy. Not understanding this critical smart money habit at an early age is why so many fall into the credit debt trap as young adults.

8. They choose friends wisely

Nearly 80% of the wealthy people in my study devoted time to building relationships with other like-minded, upbeat, optimistic, people. How well do you know the friends of your children? Do they possess the positive success traits you are trying to instill in your children? Are they like-minded in the habits you want to instill in your children?

9. They strive for a good work ethic

A whopping 92% of the wealthy in my study said they created their own good luck through hard work, persistence, daily practice, determination, and goal achievement. Are your children learning what it takes to have a good work ethic? Are your older kids required to have part-time jobs? Part-time work can strengthen their sense of what hard work and dedication look like — and can lead them to a brighter future.

10. They got exercise

Exercise matters: 95% of self-made millionaires in my study exercised aerobically 30 minutes or more per day, four days a week. Studies have shown that daily aerobic exercise improves brain health, brain efficiency, and IQ. Children mimic the habits of their parents. Do you, as a parent, exercise daily? Do you encourage your children to exercise daily?

11. They have good mentors

Many of the self-made millionaires in my study had some success mentor in life. Success mentors put you on the fast track for success by teaching you through example you what to do and what not to do in order to succeed in life. Typically, these mentors of my millionaires were one of their parents or a mentor who took an interest in them at work. Are your children part of any mentoring organizations within your community? You can find good mentors for your kids through the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Big Brothers associations, and other similar organizations.

• Melody Wilding is an executive coach who helps people navigate their careers confidently and find lasting work-life balance.
• She says personal crises are so difficult for professionals to deal with because they're crises — you can't plan for them, and they often throw your whole life off-kilter.
• It can be difficult to balance crises that take up your time and attention with the career you've honed, especially when you need that sense of normalcy.
• Taking care of yourself, being careful in communicating details of your situation, and taking advantages of your company's resources can all help you get through this time.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

 You've made your career a top priority. You strive for excellence and may have even made sacrifices to advance in the workplace. When life throws you a curveball, it can be challenging — and somewhat disorienting — to stay on track. Major life crises, like a family member being diagnosed with cancer, financial troubles, or other life events can (rightfully) consume a lot of your time and attention.

If you find yourself in the midst of a difficult time, it may seem impossible to carry on as a top performer at work. At the same time, you know it's important to keep your career on track, not to mention maintain a semblance of routine and normalcy through the rough patch.

How do you balance a career and a personal crisis? Here are a few tips to navigate the workplace:

SEE ALSO: Difficult situation at work? Here are 7 ways to deal with office conflict so you stand out as an exceptional leader.

1. Think before you share

It's important to find support when going through a tough time, but before divulging the details to those at work, think about the benefits and drawbacks of sharing. If you're experiencing health issues, for example, you may want to disclose some specifics about your situation to your boss and team, since you may require time out of the office for doctors' appointments.

Take your workplace culture into account. For example, if you have the kind of work environment where everyone's personal life is an open book, it may feel natural to share more about what's going on. If your office is uber professional, it may be more culturally appropriate to only disclose details through a formalized process that involves approaching your manager or the HR department.

If you do opt to share details, your colleagues may offer advice or ask questions. Decide ahead of time what you're willing to discuss and what you'd rather keep private.

2. Set boundaries with family

To successfully manage a crisis, you have to know when to set limits — even with the people closest to you. Relatives and friends may want to reach out to you during working hours. Let them know whether or not you'll be able to respond at work when they can reach you or what types of emergencies they can (or cannot) interrupt you with.

3. Take care of yourself

Any type of major change involves grief, and how you deal with that sorrow will ultimately determine how quickly you bounce back. Don't be afraid to take time away from work to cope and work through your loss. Consider working from home if you can. Prioritizing self-care is crucial when you're experiencing turmoil, and your professional life will benefit in the long run. You'll return to work rested, more emotionally level-set, and better prepared to make good judgments — both on the job and back at home.

4. Practice self-compassion

A personal crisis can throw off your focus, so don't berate yourself for not being productive enough. Accept that it's only temporary and do what you can within your current limits. Plan ahead as much as possible. Breaking projects down into small, manageable, and easily attainable milestones can help sustain your focus when you're short on mental energy. By making progress on your goals, you give yourself a shot of positive reinforcement that encourages you to stay motivated throughout the day.

5. Tap into your benefits

Your company may offer benefits to help ease the financial and emotional burden of going through a crisis. Many organizations offer their employees childcare, coaching, legal services, or counseling. You can also explore negotiating the terms of your employment and asking for certain accommodations that would help you be more productive, such as working remotely while you visit family or having flex hours for a few weeks.

After going through a crisis, you really learn a lot about your strengths and abilities. Pace yourself. Take every day one step at a time.