Hey guys, how’s it going? Today we’re really excited to be launching our first episode of our Plagium Talks podcast, where we’re going to talk about various subjects that will help a lot of people in their daily lives, especially those who are in the learning process, whether it’s in school, college, or any other type of educational institution.
In this first episode, we had the honor of talking with the illustrious Alex de Oliveira Silva, a master in environmental studies, with an academic background in architecture and urban planning. In addition to his career in architecture, he was also the carnival king in Rio de Janeiro for 10 years, in both the traditional original version as well as the newer version (which has a greater significance as a symbol of the carnival). In 2009, he had the opportunity to start his academic life as a lecturer, through an invitation from a friend, which led Alex to move into a completely new area in his life, where he took on some subjects due to his profile, but a newly created subject was the one that he was most eager to work on. This subject, which is only available at Veiga de Almeida University, is called “laboratory of innovation, creativity, and experience.”
But why the need to create such a different new subject? Due to the college curriculum being the same since the 1980s, when one of the flagship courses of the university was engineering, it was necessary to create something that could help the student differentiate between theory and actual practice, ensuring that they don’t graduate without the basic requirements for the job market. In 2009, he had the opportunity to start his academic life as a lecturer, through an invitation from a friend, which led Alex to move into a completely new area in his life, where he took on some subjects due to his profile, but a newly created subject was the one that he was most eager to work on. This subject, which is only available at Veiga de Almeida University, is called “laboratory of innovation, creativity, and experience.”
This subject, as Alex himself says, “is not just a subject in a course, but a new way of seeing reality.” It’s a laboratory of experiments where the student goes through various experiences that will prepare them to be resilient in their daily lives and in the real world of work. This way, when the student leaves the educational institution, they will truly be prepared for all kinds of barriers and adversities that may arise in their professional life.
During the conversation, Alex was asked about how all the influence and involvement he has in the carnival scene help him in the classroom when he’s teaching, as it’s very intriguing and interesting when a person can unite various different niches and move between them in a fluid way that works, bringing the experience from one business to another, from a hobby to a business, and vice versa.
In paraphrasing what he said, it was mentioned that regardless of the endeavor he’s involved in, he realizes that innovation comes from all walks of life, as it allows you to see that there is a solution for everything and sometimes all you need to do is look at the situation from a different angle or a different point of view. One of the best examples that this is not just something Alex talks about, but something he actually lives, is when he started his weight loss journey and managed to lose 140kg, yes, he lost 140 kilograms. The doctors themselves were very concerned about this transformation, as he had a high chance of dying in the early surgical interventions. But he believed in the 1% chance he had and risked everything to live a new life.
One of the big concerns, not just for Alex, but also for the Veiga de Almeida institution, is to ensure that the student doesn’t get stuck with a pre-established concept by our parents, grandparents, and so on. We don’t have to follow a whole ritual to reach evolution, that’s been left behind. Today, we see children at the ages of 2, 3, 5, 10 having their and their parents’ financial lives completely changed because of simple actions like starting a business through videos, creating ideas, projects, and solutions that we as adults can’t even stop to think about. And so, we don’t solve our own problems.
One tip he gives for this kind of mindset evolution is to be close to people who have already experienced what you want or desire to experience, as they will be motivators for you, living proof that it’s real. Don’t cling to the advice of people who have never experienced anything, what baggage do they have to teach you something?
Another tip he gives us is to stop wasting time on social media, as they are “productivity thieves”. Many people today waste hours and hours on social media, and that time could be converted into various useful things, even for you to live the life of that person you see on Instagram and dream of having a similar life, stop self-sabotaging and start doing more for yourself! In this context, Alexsander, our host, also highlights something very interesting about our time and reflects on it. Time is our only asset that we are born with, grow with, and will die with the same amount as anyone else in the world, whether you’re rich, poor, educated, illiterate, it doesn’t matter, everyone has 24 hours in their day, no one can have more than that, so you should value your time a lot, because what makes you earn more or less is how valuable your time is. Have you ever stopped to think about that? Our value is measured by only two factors, how much time we have available to sell and how qualified we are to value that available time, in other words, if you are a person with extensive qualifications, your time is very valuable, so if you “sell” 5 hours of your day to your boss, you will probably earn a good income from that sale. Now, if your time is worthless because you haven’t sought any way to qualify it, then you will be forced to sell it for whatever value is offered. Thinking from this perspective, isn’t it advantageous to do something that can add value to you and your time?
In the video, Alex tells the story of a student whose son, after receiving a piggy bank and saving up some money his father gave him, started a business raising chicks. That’s right, he bought chicks at a poultry farm and raised them, and after a few months he had already made over R$ 1,000.00 by selling the chicks to a farm. You can check out the full story by watching the video or listening to the podcast, but the point is to show that anything is possible! Who would have thought that a homegrown chick-raising business could be profitable? Throughout the video, some tips were mentioned to help you with your thesis:
The main tip is to think of your thesis as a gateway to the job market. What does that mean? Think of something you’d like to do after finishing college and use that as the basis for your thesis, so that you’re already creating something that will help you in your next step after graduation, since you probably won’t have any work experience. There will be many people ahead of you who graduated longer ago and have gained more experience, which can make entering the job market even more challenging.
But if you can stand out after college, showing that your thesis can help the company you want to work for and demonstrating your professional mindset, then you’re already ahead of many others. We also launched a joint challenge called the “7-Day Challenge to Be More Creative,” where you’ll make a list given by Alex de Oliveira and complete a task given by Alexsander over the 7 days. Then, tell us in the YouTube comments what this challenge has done for you, so we can better understand how our content is impacting the lives of those who are reached by it.
In conclusion, the world is changing, things are different, and we need to be aware of all the changes happening around us so we don’t fall behind. Being creative isn’t always about creating something new, but also about finding a new way to do something that already exists! Let’s stay alert to everything the world is throwing at us and turn it into something new, embrace the future and not get left behind.
Useful links:
Plagium Talks #1 – https://youtu.be/9071CNMEIbQ
Download “7 Day Challenge”:
http://bit.ly/tabela-desafio
GUEST:
Alex de Oliveira:
https://linktr.ee/alexdeoliveirasilvaoficial
HOST:
Alexsander Santos:
https://linktr.ee/ahsantos
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