Gerald Chertavian
Year Up
Chicago, IL USA
"You have to believe you can do it before you can do it."
Career Roadmap
Gerald's work combines: Education, Entrepreneurship, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Work for a great social entrepreneur as their assistant, even if it is a job you think you are over-qualified to hold. You will do and learn a bunch of interesting things, get great exposure, and make some awesome contacts.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Economics, General
Bowdoin College
Graduate Degree
Business/Commerce, General
Harvard Business School
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts, and went to one of the toughest high schools in the city, where the idea of being a good student was met with ridicule from other students.
2.
When I went to college and got good grades, I realized that there’s a whole world of people out there who will be happy for you when you do well and succeed.
3.
I started working with the Big Brothers program in college to help mentor and care for young boys who don’t have father figures.
4.
After college, I was working on Wall Street and mentoring a boy from a rough neighborhood in New York—it opened my eyes to the lack of opportunity people face based on their upbringing or skin color.
5.
I made it a personal mission to eventually start a program to help close the opportunity divide in the U.S. and give urban communities access to the training needed for secure career opportunities.
6.
I went to graduate school for my MBA and then co-founded a technology consulting and software development firm.
7.
After six years, we sold the firm and I founded Year Up, a workforce development organization that provides young adults with the skills and training needed to reach their professional potential.
8.
I’ve been running Year Up for 20 years, raised a family of my own, and still actively participate in the Big Brothers mentoring program.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Family:
Your nonprofit idea is laughable.
How I responded:
People laughed at me when I said I was going to launch a non-profit that served low-income young adults. There are whole communities of strong, capable people who aren't given the opportunities they deserve and I was determined to help. It's not an easy endeavor to start a business but if you're determined to succeed, you can make it happen. For anyone facing similar noise, I recommend paying attention to the quote: "What other people think of you is none of your business."
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Financial challenges have a way of focusing the mind. In my case, I vowed that I would get myself out of debt and was pretty focused on achieving that. Once I did that, it was a lot easier to turn my attention to fully serving others.