Anthony Ramos

So you want to be an Accountant / Lawyer / Doctor / Nurse? Creative, you come up with that yourself? Ever been on the job with one of them? Were you crazy about it? Or do you even have a clue what they do?

Ever notice your friends or relatives with money? Ever notice how they constantly have to buy something new and seemingly needless in order to feel good about their life? That’s because, and it may be hard to envision now: material success won’t fulfill you. No matter what shiny new thing you buy, no matter how large the big screen or the diamond or flashy the car, they’ve not big enough to permanently fill any void.. The most fulfilling thing you’ll ever do is to make a contribution to others (and yes, being recognized along the way is nice). And it will probably cause you to grow along the way.

Besides, those traditional bread-and-butter professions? They’re on their way out. Ever hear about Robots? No, not Terminators. Robots like Bentley that you can train without a programming degree. Or the robots that perform surgery. Or the one that diagnoses your disease.

So what’s the point? Software is eating the world. Robots are taking over. And Wall Street is reaping the profits. But you know what Robots can’t do? Answer an existential question like, “What is it all for?” “What am I here for?” and, “What should we do about it?” Only humans can provide that. And the Entrepreneur is the only one uniquely poised to “aim” technology at humanities problems.

But I’m too young / fat / old / smart / dumb / rich / poor. No one cares. If you are passionate and willing to sacrifice your time and effort, people are willing and circumstances can usually be bent to give you a shot. So what are you waiting for? Inspiration? Well, that’s what we’re here for. To expose you to the solutions people like you, in little old Gainesville, can really do. Not to mention to cover one of the world’s best research universities, one of the most celebratory climates for technology, one of the most irrationally exuberant entrepreneurial scenes, and one of the most Bacchanalian displays of raw labor, talent and passion this side of Guangzhou: Gainesville. Yeah, Gainesville. Best part is, you don’t have to go very far: you just have to go to an event on campus or downtown, a coffee shop, a Hackathon, a contest, an office or a laptop in your dorm. It’s up to you. Now get off your ass / bed / pajamas… and beat those Robots. Please. I don’t need them after me. Not like in Terminator. Or in WALL-E… I don’t look good fat.