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<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A startup career is not for everyone. However, if you are a multidisciplinary person who enjoys collaborate with other people but has no problem flying solo on a project, you might want to consider working for or building a startup firm. This page will give you detailed instructions and advice on how to land a startup career with Venture for America, a fellowship program that place talented college graduate in startups in struggling cities. The information is separated into four sections. The first section - Determine your passion - emphasizes the importance of understanding what interest and motivate you before choosing your career path. The second section - Application to Venture for America - walks you through all the necessary steps for your application to the fellowship program. The third section - Maximizing Your Chances and Utilizing Your Resources - offers advice on the application process. The last section - Future after Venture for America - paints a picture of your future once you graduate from Venture for America’s program.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Passion comes from determination and firmness of purpose. Before you step out to initiate &nbsp;a project or an idea, ensure that your conscience is clear and that you are passionate about the cause you’re working on. Entering into the realm of the startup world requires you to be focused and determined, and thus it is deemed necessary that you put in great thought in whatever you choose to do, however you choose to do - given that you are passionate enough.</span>

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<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.38;">Venture for America has a highly competitive application process. In order to become an esteemed fellow, one must complete a rigorous application. The process is split is into three parts: a written application, a phone interview, and an in-person meetup with competing applicants. The application is basic, merely consisting of three pages. The first page is personal information, such as your name, contact information, and details regarding your school or institution. The second page is broken down into three sections, a description of your accomplishments, two personal essays, and a description of your skills. These three sections should be used to convey why you would be a great fit for the Venture for America fellowship. The third page asks for demographic information regarding your age, gender, and student loan debt. Based on the written portion of the application, if the review committee sees you as fit to be a potential fellow, the applicant can then move onto the second round, the phone interview. The phone interview is typically held with an existent Venture for America fellow where you discuss your skills and qualifications for being a fellow. The interviewer is looking to see if you will fit in with the VFA environment and to ensure you have the skills needed to be in the competitive environment of a startup. If successful with the phone interview you move onto round three, the in-person meetup with all of the applicants. All applicants send a time together and go through a series of group activities, interviews, and simulations to determine which should become a fellow. The interviewers are not looking out for technical, they are observing to see if you have the appropriate communication, leadership, and teamwork skills needed to succeed at a startup company. The overall process is rigorous, however there are many ways you can get ahead with your application.</span>

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<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.38;">It may sound very daunting and peculiar, but utilizing your resources is key to success while starting a startup career with Venture for America. While you may branch out looking for resources elsewhere, utilizing your resources at school and getting involved with the local startup community is critical and should be a preference regardless. Being a university innovation fellow can be helpful too, as you can use the fellows’ network to share ideas, discuss potential initiatives, and receive useful guidance. In order to maximize your chances of being successful, you should also look to friends and your other social groups for resources.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.38;">Pursuing a career at a startup through Venture For America will be a sacrifice. The experience you will find at a startup will be very different than what you would find at a large company in the industry. Although working at a startup may sound alluring, it’s important to understand that there’s an immense amount of risk involved as well. Your role in the company will be have a direct impact on its success and longevity, but this will also come with more liability for your mistakes. You will have to take on roles that fall out of your expertise at times, and this will require you to be able to think on your feet in times of stress. Around 80 percent of new businesses don't make it past the first one and a half years, so your job will be less secure. Meeting deadlines will be imperative, as new companies need to stay profitable in order to stay afloat.</span>