Mark Zuckerberg may be one of the busiest CEOs in the world, but the Facebook founder finds time to devote to his hobbies and annual side projects. Though some workers may scoff at the idea of finding a hobby when one is already up to his neck in deadlines, Zuckerberg said that it is one of the most important things that young professionals can do to enrich their careers.
Speaking at a town hall event at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, which was posted live on Facebook, Zuckerberg revealed the one question that they always ask job seekers.
“At Facebook we often ask [job candidates], ‘What is something that you’ve built that is outside of the jobs you’ve done?’” he said. The father-of-one said that having a hobby is one of the best ways that people can show their passion and leadership.
Zuckerberg also talked about learning skills outside of college, and he said that while taking computer courses in great, people can learn so much more by “hacking around and coding by yourself.”
“I’ve probably learned more coding from random side projects that I did than the courses I took in college,” he said. The CEO added that it’s a personal challenge for him to maintain his outside interests while running Facebook. “I wanna make sure that I’m a well-rounded person, and so I try to do more personal challenges."
Last year, Zuckerberg’s project was to build an artificial intelligence system to run his home. The AI, which he called Jarvis, was voiced by actor Morgan Freeman in a video which was released back in December. His other challenges include running 365 miles, reading 25 books, and learning Mandarin.
This year, Zuckerberg’s personal challenge is to visit every state in the US and meet more people during his travels.
On his Jan. 4 post, Zuckerberg said that he plans to accomplish his goal by going on road trips with his wife, Priscilla Chan, stopping in small towns and universities, visiting offices across the country, meeting with teachers and scientists, and going on trips to “fun places” recommended by his Facebook followers.
For more, check out Jobs & Hire’s report on Richard Branson’s top tips for public speaking.
