SoFi Blog

In 2016, after 10 years in the online marketing industry, Christopher Brown and Michael Mazzuca founded DIGI SEARCH, a dental- and medical-specific digital marketing agency. The two built the business on insights gained while Chris was growing his family’s practice through innovative digital marketing campaigns.

Christopher is also a proud member of SoFi’s Entrepreneur Program, which empowers a select handful of promising entrepreneurs by giving them financial flexibility, access to investors, and a support network of peers and mentors to help them succeed. Since joining SoFi this year, DIGI SEARCH has more than doubled its client base.

For any startup to succeed, it takes talent, intelligence, hard work, and a love of innovation. It also helps to be connected—to have people looking out for you, especially when you’re on your way up and in need of that first big break. SoFi Entrepreneur Program member Mark Pawloski started Upkey with friends Mo Bitar and Amir Badr to help college students who didn’t come from elite backgrounds get noticed by more elite employers.

You’re ambitious and focused on your profession —and so is your significant other. But unless you both have the amazing ability to clone yourselves, juggling demanding careers and personal pursuits can prove extremely challenging. Creating a work-life balance that truly serves your goals and passions can feel impossible.

But there are couples who are proof positive it can be done.

At SoFi, we’re lucky to have an extraordinary group of members who have navigated this whole ‘career thing’ with aplomb. From getting promoted or laid off to changing industries, members have faced whopping challenges—and they have the insights and battle scars to prove it. So we asked a few to share their best career tips based on their personal experiences.

Here’s what they said:

Graduate school is all about lots of work, little sleep, and often tight budgets. But after years of ramen and roommates, you’ll graduate with an advanced degree and likely some student loan debt as well. Fortunately, new data from SoFi reveals that your extra work really can lead to increased earning power —and the ability to pay down your debt faster.