There’s a myth in the tech industry that success is a straight line: get the degree, land the job, climb the ladder, maybe start a startup, and everything falls into place. But as shared by Mendel Kurland on an episode of the series Expanding the Stack,” the truth is anything but linear.
From Failing Grades to Founding Startups
Mendel’s story starts with a refreshingly humble admission. He failed out of college, earning what he calls a “0.52 GPA.” Instead of this being the end, it marked an unconventional new beginning. Mendel launched his first startup while scraping by, sleeping in his car with his cats, and building websites for local businesses. The drive to bounce back, hustle through uncertainty, and learn along the way became his greatest assets.
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Embracing Change in a Shifting Industry
The podcast episode revisits Mendel’s journey through major players like GoDaddy, Amazon, and DigitalOcean. But what stands out is his advice for anyone feeling stuck: “People unfortunately need resilience right now. They need hustle, and they need to reinvent themselves.” In today’s climate of restructuring and layoffs, Mendel stresses that the key to thriving is not to cling to past successes, but to be willing to try something new, even if it means starting from scratch.
The Power of Self-Reflection
Mendel and the hosts emphasize an often-overlooked skill in tech: self-awareness. Whether shifting from coding to consulting, product management to community building, or even just taking a new route to an old job, regularly stepping outside routine and asking, “Does this still fit who I am?” is what separates those who thrive from those who stagnate.
Reinvention Isn’t a One-Time Event
For Mendel, reinvention isn’t just about career pivots. It’s about re-examining what brings you fulfillment and finding ways to be useful sometimes in roles you’d never anticipated. As tech rapidly evolves, he advocates exploring adjacent paths, embracing discomfort, and connecting with community. “Progress is always forward and progress is always new,” Mendel says. The people who succeed aren’t guaranteed a path, they’re just better at finding the next one.
A Community Conversation
The episode is a candid conversation about the realities of tech careers, but it’s just as much a call to action for anyone in the WordPress, WooCommerce, or broader tech ecosystem. Reinvention and resilience aren’t reserved for the rare. There are common skills we can all practice: active listening, self-analysis, and genuine curiosity.
So, for anyone feeling uncertain about what’s next, remember Mendel’s story: sometimes the best way forward is to pause, reflect, and have the courage to build the future you want, even if it means starting over.
