EP. 2 — Bryan Besecker, VP Investment Strategist at BNY Wealth

Most students are chasing the wrong goal - and Brian Besecker says that’s exactly why so many careers stall before they start. The BNY Wealth investment strategist and founder of Path Spark breaks down a sharper way to think about your future: stop trying to pick the “perfect” path and start testing what actually fits. Brian shares why your starting point does not define your career, how to balance a full-time role with building a startup on the side, and why career exploration should be treated like a series of MVPs - minimum viable experiments that help you learn fast before you commit. You’ll discover: Why coffee chats alone are not enough to figure out a career How to prototype a job before you commit to it The real reason most students get stuck choosing majors and internships How Brian uses AI as a productivity engine at BNY Wealth Why prompt engineering is really about learning to write clear instructions Where AI helps in education, and where overreliance becomes a problem Brian also makes the case that AI is not just a threat - it could be the tool that makes personalized education and career support scalable for the first time. But he warns that if students use it to replace critical thinking instead of strengthen it, they may come out worse, not better. If you’re a high school student, college student, parent, or young professional trying to figure out what to do next, this conversation is packed with practical advice on career clarity, time management, entrepreneurship, and using AI the right way.