In this episode of Ace of Pentacles, Sara sits down with Michael Escobar. Sara and Michael used to volunteer together for an educational non-profit. In this episode, they dive deep into a thought-provoking discussion about the American education system. They explore how well—or poorly—we're equipped for the real world, the pivotal decisions behind choosing our majors, careers, and jobs, and how those choices shape our life stories as well as our perception of success.
Michael shares the story of how he made the decisions that guided his education and career journey and Sara and Michael talk about different ways that people approach decision making, charting their path to what they believe is success.
From ancient Greece to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, to Matthew McConaughey, to SLC Punk, this conversation is rich with tidbits on how we figure out how to do life.
About Michael
Michael Escobar grew up in Los Angeles and is a proud product of California public schools. After earning his bachelor's degree in Latin American politics and economics from UC Berkeley, he started a career in insurance and risk management touching on earthquake modeling, maritime law, civil engineering and green energy. As an underwriter he helped insure the construction of the San Francisco Chinatown subway tunnel and the renovation of SFMOMA. Subsequently moving into risk management, he worked on the construction of a solar power plant in Puerto Rico and the extension of BART into San Jose. Currently he is the risk manager at Greenbacker Renewable Energy and lives in Berkeley with his family, occasionally pursuing his hobbies of road cycling and playing guitar.
