Tag Archives: career change
Jason Spero Is Learning From Both Endings and Beginnings
Jason Spero is going through a lot of change. His father recently passed away following a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s. His youngest child is in the back half of her high school years, and after nearly two decades helping to build Google’s mobile advertising business, he is stepping away from a big job to chart a new path, one shaped by family, community, and the lessons of mortality and loss.
In this candid conversation, Jason opens up about caring for his father during his battle with Alzheimer’s, preparing to send his daughters into adulthood, and the clarity he’s gained on how finite our time is. He reflects on the pride and worries that come from shaping the mobile and digital industry, and why he’s now turning his focus to entrepreneurship, technology for climate solutions, and reimagining community in an increasingly digital age. Jason also shares how Amherst set the foundation for his curiosity and critical thinking, what he hopes to impart to his own kids, and why liberal arts matter more than ever in an AI-driven world. And of course, he nominates the next classmates he hopes to hear on the show.
You can email Jason at jason.spero@gmail.com.
Resources Jason mentions:
Video – We Only Deserve a Styrofoam Cup: https://youtu.be/FNf1pKRhay8?si=czeWR5fizxc0afbN
Book – Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks: https://a.co/d/ignmyTZ
Josh Hamermesh Transformed Near-Tragedy Into Living His Best Life
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I want to spend the next 20 years of my life. How should I dedicate my time, which is more precious to me than it ever has been?
My Amherst College classmate Josh Hamermesh has asked and answered this big question for himself, and the results he has achieved have me feeling more optimistic about my own future.
After graduating from Amherst in 1994, Josh played professional basketball in Israel, went to work in consulting, and earned his MBA from Harvard. That eventually led him to the world of biotech and pharma, where he rose through the ranks and held some big jobs. But rather than experiencing any major exits or critical value creation, his experience included many “small company” challenges: downsizings, bankruptcies, and strategic changes in directions. These often caused him to change jobs every 3-4 years.
Having grown fatigued with that pattern – and having nearly suffered a terrible loss in his family – Josh pivoted to teaching business for Milton High School (Massachusetts). To my ear, he has never sounded happier or more fulfilled, and he has helped me refine my own thinking and planning for my next 20 years.
It’s also obvious just how much Josh loves Amherst College, and how much his experience there continues to shape his life.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The near-tragedy that befell Josh’s family – and the productive introspection it provoked
Why preparing for class each day is similar to stand-up comedy
The instructors and coaches who have informed Josh’s approach to teaching
Why beating Williams in basketball was one of the happiest, most memorable events in his life
Whom from the Amherst Class of 1994 Josh wants me to interview next
To reach Josh, email him at jhamermesh@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
***Correction*** Our classmate Adam Bonin surfaced to let Josh and me know that covered Josh and the rest of the men’s basketball team in the ’92-93 season, not ’93-94, as Josh had remembered.
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