Harper Talks Episode 47 – Maria and Jose Macias

Harper Talks Episode 47 - Maria and Jose Macias

Transcript

Harper Talks: The Harper Alumni Podcast
Show 47:  – Harper Talks — Maria and Jose Macias

[00:00:01.360] - Brian Shelton

I'm Brian Shelton, and you are listening to Harper Talks, a coproduction of Harper College Alumni Relations and Harper Radio. Today on Harper Talks, I'm excited to speak with the husband and wife dynamic duo, Maria and Jose Macias. They met while studying at Harper College, and Jose and Maria join me in the WHCM studios in Building A. Thank you so much for being here. How's it going?

[00:00:25.600] - Jose Macias

Great. Thank you so much for the invitation. It's a first to do this radio show and podcast with my wife. I'm very excited to be here. It's a full circle, and I'll let her introduce herself a little bit.

[00:00:42.700] - Maria Macias

Hi, everyone. Nice to be here. Thank you again for inviting us. We're just really excited. Like you said, it's a full circle. It's nice to be here and be back in campus.

[00:00:54.660] - Brian Shelton

That's awesome. That's great. It's always tricky to do these with two people. I'm really interested in both of your stories, so just jump in with each other. Don't be shy about jumping in and talking about what's going on there. But I'll start with you, Maria. What led you to Harper College? How did you wind up here?

[00:01:14.680] - Maria Macias

Well, I always knew I wanted to continue my education, and so it just presented the best opportunity for me graduating out of high school. I am an immigrant child. I was brought to the US when I was six years old. And so for me, I didn't have a lot of different options available. I did receive my residency the summer I graduated high school. And so, Harper just provided that opportunity that really allowed me to continue my education. And then once I was here, just seeing the different opportunities and programs, it just really was the right place for me, I think.

[00:01:55.040] - Brian Shelton

Was that a challenge for you, having been brought here later in life into the United States and then not having your citizenship and your residency permit and that thing? Was that a challenge for you to be presented through high school and then thinking about going to college? Was that a barrier for you?

[00:02:08.700] - Maria Macias

Yeah. Honestly, I never really thought about it until I was in high school. I knew I wanted to continue my education and go to a four-year college. However, because of my legal status, did they present some limitations, but I knew it wasn't going to stop me from continuing my education. And so, Harper, just like I said, it offered the program that I was looking for in architecture at that time, and it really allowed me to start my journey. And I say that because although I did come to Harper for architecture, it really, my curiosity led me into different areas. And so I saw it as a limitation before, but I think, if anything, it allowed me a little bit more flexibility in really figuring out what I wanted to do. So just thinking back, I I think it was more of an opportunity.

[00:03:02.050] - Brian Shelton

Yeah, absolutely. Very cool. How about you, Jose? How did you get here?

[00:03:06.080] - Jose Macias

Well, I got here same like my wife. I thought it was just another vacation with the family, coming to visit family here in Chicago or Toronto. We did that a lot. But this time around, my dad didn't come with, and I was like, What's going on? And then, yeah, they were like, Yeah, you're going to start school on Monday. We got here on a Friday. I'm like, You start school on Monday, new school. We came here, it was me, my mom, my two sisters. They went to live with my aunt, and then I went to live with my uncle. I met my uncle before, but I wasn't really familiar with him. But he was in charge of me at that point. He's like, Yeah, you're going to go to this school, this local school, and it's like, you're going to have to walk. We came in December, so I was like, I come from Ecuador. It's a hot country. We came here, it was minus 20 degrees. They're like, Yeah, just make sure you walk out of the house and you take a left and then just walk all the way to the street ends, and that's where the school is.

[00:04:12.680] - Jose Macias

I got out of the school and I walked right, and I never found the school. Oh, no. I'm like, All right, well, this is not the right way. Went back all the way to the other side. I got to the school, started my first day of school, but that's how my journey started. I really wasn't aware of what was going on. I was 13 years old. The nice thing was that I went to a private school in Ecuador, so I learned English, actually subjects in English over there, even though the primary language is Spanish. I had that background. So for me, it was a little bit easier to catch on the language. I was put into the ESL program where they teach you and slowly help you transition into regular class. That was very helpful. Then went through high school, started in Steinmetz High School in Chicago, freshman year. Then I went to Maine West in Des Plaines, which was a great experience. Then my family lived in Hoffman Estates, and They were like, We've heard of Harper. They have a really good program. My older cousin had gone there and had gone through Harper, and he enjoyed it.

[00:05:24.920] - Jose Macias

He was part of Latinos Unidos. He told me about that. That motivated me to look into it that I was going to be in a college where people that were going to accept me in my culture, and it wasn't going to be a big shock. I met with this lady, Juanita Bassler. It was her and Frank Rodriguez. It was the other counselor who were in charge of maybe the Latino section. I'm not sure what official title was, but she held me out, looked into class, told me about scholarships that were out there for kids that perhaps wanted to get into teaching. With me, actually, still waiting through the whole naturalization process of immigration, which took me 24 years. I was like, You know what? I'm going to go to school. While that's being taken care of, I'm going to keep going with my studies, make friends, do sports, and have a social life with other kids that are similar to me.

[00:06:39.560] - Maria Macias

Well, he forgets to mention he did have a scholarship to go to a four-year university. So, Harper wasn't necessarily his first option, but for me, I think it worked out.

[00:06:50.060] - Jose Macias

Yeah. Yeah. So growing up in Ecuador, soccer was number one sport over there. So I played it every day, constantly for fun. And so pretty I'm a skilled soccer player. I did pretty well in high school. I got a scholarship offer from Western Illinois, and they were going to pay for all my studies, but not for a room and board. And room and board was pretty expensive, so I decided to just go the college way instead of going into Western.

[00:07:17.320] - Brian Shelton

And how did that work out for you?

[00:07:18.840] - Jose Macias

Great. Actually, things work out for a reason. I've made a living just with my associate's degree. That That opened doors for me where jobs required it, not just high school, but also speaking Spanish and the need for bilingual workers. There's a big bilingual population, Spanish-speaking. And so it was a perfect transition to what I do now.

[00:07:50.820] - Brian Shelton

You both were part of Latinos Unidos while you were here. What was that experience like?

[00:07:56.020] - Maria Macias

Honestly, I think it was what allowed me to feel comfortable coming to Harper. It did provide like that, the home away from home. Coming up here and walking up here with you to the studio, it was nice walking through the space because this is where we used to hang out, between periods or between classes or after classes or just to meet here with friends. I mean, this was where the Latinos Unidos organization used to get together. And that's why I was asking about the pool tables. The satellite, right? The satellite, because We used to spend a lot of time playing tournaments there with each other. But yeah, I mean, I loved the Latinos Unidos organization because it just brought a group of people together that maybe would have felt like misfits in a space where we all were able to lean on each other and help each other through this new experience, this adventure that we were all embarking on. And honestly, the best part of it is I got to meet my husband there. I remember walking into the first meeting and just being taken back by how organized everything was, all the different topics and whatnot, and seeing this handsome guy standing there at the end of the room.

[00:09:17.680] - Jose Macias

Yeah, I don't quite remember it that way. But yeah, definitely when I...It was-

[00:09:24.710] - Brian Shelton

He tried to talk to you, you ignored him.

[00:09:26.560] - Jose Macias

Yeah, it wasn't that way. But yeah, sure. It's But no, I remember actually the first time I met her, I remember walking into the room of the meeting for Latinos Unidos, and I was meeting like, saying hi to everybody. And then I got introduced to her. And in the back of my mind, I was like, I might marry her. I never really thought about it. I'm like, Okay, she looks good. She's pretty. We'll eventually be friends and get to know her. We were friends for a It was a long time before we started dating.

[00:10:01.200] - Maria Macias

We were.

[00:10:02.580] - Brian Shelton

That's nice. It's a nice story.

[00:10:05.940] - Jose Macias

It's a Harper College love story for sure.

[00:10:08.560] - Maria Macias

We did spend a lot of time here courting each other, walking the campus, and just doing different activities. I mean, it did definitely provide a good backdrop to the beginning of our romance.

[00:10:21.940] - Brian Shelton

You mentioned coming up here into A and looking for the pool tables. It's a running joke is that we always have alumni events in building A because it's the only building that hasn't changed in 50 years. So everybody's like, Oh, I remember this. But yeah, the pool tables are definitely gone.

[00:10:37.680] - Maria Macias

You guys need something else to fill in the-

[00:10:41.160] - Brian Shelton

There is a miniature ping-pong table over there.

[00:10:43.900] - Maria Macias

Okay.

[00:10:44.360] - Brian Shelton

We could play ping-pong after we get finished here. Table tennis. There you go.

[00:10:49.060] - Jose Macias

She's very competitive, so be careful.

[00:10:51.260] - Brian Shelton

I am very competitive. I see what I'm getting into now. All right. So you were both here at Harper, but then you went on different paths after being here at Harper. Jose, you went right into the workforce.

[00:11:02.660] - Jose Macias

I did. I went right into the workforce. I got an opportunity to just start doing sales. I knew I wanted to buy a house for my parents, and I figured, Well, I need to find out how to buy a house, right? So I'm going to get into that industry. So I started looking for work on the paper and the newspaper. Back then, we had newspapers. Yeah. And I just called and went interviewed. I think I did really bad. But But again, the being bilingual was what gave me the opportunity to help. Then obviously, I was trained and everything, and I passed the test, and I got my license. Now I've been doing this, what I do for a living for over 20 years.

[00:11:49.940] - Brian Shelton

Tell us what you do.

[00:11:51.200] - Jose Macias

I help people get pre-approved for mortgage loans. It's a very fulfilling job. You meet with people that buying a house for the first time, don't know how credit works, don't know how income works, or what the debt income ratios are, or the requirements to buy a house. My job is to take them by the hand and help them through the process, gain their trust, and do the best for them. It's a very fulfilling job. You see people that never had the opportunity or never dreamed of maybe buying a single family home or condo, townhome, whatever it is they're buying to actually get it done and get it done fast and smoothly. I've been enjoying what I've done, and now I've gotten into other things like investing, networking. And so they say, your network is your net worth, and I'm truly believer of that. I still keep in touch with classmates from Harper College. I've helped tons of them buy their homes and their families. And so it's really out of this network, I've been able to be blessed and have a good career.

[00:13:06.920] - Brian Shelton

He's being a little modest, isn't he? The sales manager for one of the largest mortgage companies in the United States.

[00:13:12.090] - Jose Macias

Yeah, that too.

[00:13:14.740] - Brian Shelton

That too.

[00:13:15.820] - Jose Macias

Also, I'm President of this organization called NAHREP, which is the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. This is my fifth year with them.

[00:13:26.540] - Maria Macias

Which we're all very proud of, by the way.

[00:13:28.660] - Jose Macias

We've done really good work. Our job is to educate real estate professionals about different laws, protections for perhaps immigrant families. Right now, there's a lot going on with that. How do we... People that own homes here in the US that need to protect their assets and not be afraid to be able to invest. Why not?

[00:13:50.420] - Brian Shelton

Yeah, that's great. That's fantastic. And you went the more traditional route. You went on to college after you were done at Harper and to get your four-year degree, yeah?

[00:14:00.660] - Maria Macia

Yeah. So unfortunately for me here at Harper, I was unable to complete my associate's. The degree that I was going for, there just wasn't a lot of enrollment for those classes. And so it would technically take me another two years to complete the classes that I needed to. So at that point, I transferred to the Illinois Institute of Art. And honestly, it was probably the best decision I could have made. Although I did love architecture, I really love the design aspect of things and understanding the psychology behind it. And so I went a little bit more into interior design. So when I transferred to the Illinois Institute of Art, I was able to get my bachelor's degree there after a couple of years. And then I went ahead and worked for a couple of QSR brands.

[00:14:49.420] - Brian Shelton

What's QSR? I know what QSR is, but...

[00:14:52.420] - Maria Macias

Quality Service Restaurants in different areas of the business. They started in the design realm, eventually migrated to the operations, and then eventually into the digital world, all, of course, through curiosity, right? That has really been what motivated me or guided me through my career path, has really been curiosity and learning new things and why can't I do this? And how do you fix that? I love to problem-solve, let's just say that. And so I managed to work my way through different areas of the business, and and eventually, I went and continued my education through McDonald's, which was the company I was working at that time. I was able to get my master's degree. I was very... It's funny to say, but I got my master's from Hamburger University.

[00:15:46.380] - Brian Shelton

Yeah, yeah.

[00:15:48.540] - Maria Macias

We were very lucky enough to partner up with DePaul at that time, and they had the instructors come into the Hamburger University to allow us to take our courses and complete our master's. And so I'm happy to say that as of 2021, I received my master's.

[00:16:03.370] - Brian Shelton

That's so great.

[00:16:04.140] - Maria Macias

And so now I've been able to take all this knowledge and apply it to different areas of the business within that same, I guess you can say, niche of the world. But yeah, right now, I guess you can say what I do is I'm a strategic leader. I help to develop innovations and implement them into restaurants through operations, through technology, or through the space itself. I've taken-

[00:16:34.830] - Brian Shelton

What does that mean? What does that look like for someone?

[00:16:39.660] - Maria Macias

I help to develop the new formats for new building designs for these brands. Okay. So I take all the different innovations that they've come up with in the last couple of years, pair it up with the customer experience, and what the ultimate goal is, right, to increase your traffic and to improve your operations and to deliver on a great experience. And so my role is to take all the different elements, put it into a nice, beautiful building design that allows our customers to come in, enjoy a meal, and go happy.

[00:17:13.980] - Brian Shelton

Okay. And so then you can then package that design and make it in multiple restaurants across the country, right?

[00:17:22.380] - Maria Macias

Yes. Correct.nSo part of my role is to help and understand the different needs within the markets so that we have matrix of building designs. Depending on what the need of the market might be, that's the different type of design you might need in that space. So for instance, in an urban setting, you would have a smaller, more digital advanced footprint than what you would have maybe in a suburban area where you have more of a dine-in experience, right? You have to take that into consideration so that you ensure that you design the right space for those environments and for that demographic. And so it's really allowed me to really explore different areas of the business, and more than anything around the world. I'm happy to say that through my job, I've gone to travel quite a bit. I've helped to develop different areas of the world. I've worked in Asia, in Latin America, in Europe, designing buildings there, which to me has been one of the most rewarding parts, is being able to represent the brand that I work for in different facets and take it across the world.

[00:18:32.770] - Brian Shelton

That's fun.

[00:18:33.340] - Maria Macias

It's pretty fascinating.

[00:18:34.000] - Brian Shelton

That's really cool. Do your fields ever meet? No?

[00:18:38.740] - Maria Macias

18:38.740] - Maria Macias

Actually, we do.

[00:18:40.120] - Brian Shelton

Because of the real estate side, I would think.

[00:18:41.880] - Maria Macias

Yeah. So I tend to work a lot with real estate teams, right, to find the right sites for our restaurants. And so we have that intersection right now, where he focuses a lot in real estate. In many instances, we cross-pollinate in that, having discussion, especially with loss, everything that's changing right now and how that impacts my business, and then it also impacts his business.

[00:19:08.680] - Brian Shelton

Okay.

[00:19:09.620] - Jose Macias

Yeah. I think more in the real estate side, she's more on the commercial side. I'm more on the residential commercial. So I also dive into commercial a little bit, but I'm focused more on residential real estate.

[00:19:23.200] - Brian Shelton

So is it business talk at home, or is it, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's do something else.

[00:19:30.290] - Jose Macias

No, we don't. Yeah. By the time we get home, and our focus is on the kids, a nine-year-old that has a very busy life, and a 14-year-old ....That definitely has no time for anything. So that's our focus. Other than, obviously, checking in on how her day went.

[00:19:49.260] - Maria Macias

That's not true. So he does have a lot of events. So with his role as President for an non-rep organization, he attends a lot of community events. And so I do got to say that's one of the things that I love about his role in it is that it allows us to also expose our kids to helping out in the community and being involved in different things that he shows, that they participate in. Honestly, they do so many variety of events. You were just at a basketball game. Or was it yesterday or the day before?

[00:20:25.080] - Jose Macias

Yeah, it was the Chicago Sky.

[00:20:27.310] - Maria Macias

Yeah, the Chicago Sky. And so he gets to participate in a lot of different activities like that that really allows me and the kids to have more exposure to different things and also support him. Because I feel like that's really important in my perspective is to make sure that anything that we do for the communities, we engage the kids. And so that's probably the only area where we do talk about work, and I'm like, quotation marks, right? Because it's not really work. To me, a lot of that is fun. He has a lot of really great events that I don't see him as work. I see it as it's a great opportunity to network, to meet people, to have great discussions, right?

[00:21:09.010] - Brian Shelton

But the kids get to see you doing that, and they-

[00:21:12.500] - Jose Macias

And they participate. Where we've had perhaps an ice cream giveaway before the school year starts. We go and say to all the parents, Hey, free ice cream. And just wait for us to- School surprise. To interconnect with other parents to eventually help them and know where they're at with their wealth building. Because a real estate transaction or real estate property is an asset. And thankfully, it's an asset that keeps appreciating. And so it's a way to have generational wealth. So this event that I do are community-minded to try to get to meet people, to see where they're at, and help them out to understand what it takes to be able to buy a home and invest.

[00:22:06.640] - Maria Macias

Well, I think it's so important, especially with the youth, to educate them on financial literacy. Honestly, I don't think that schools do a good job nowadays. I remember back in the day, it used to be a topic that would be discussed, but I don't think that the focus is there. And so ensuring that they have this to that, right? Ensuring that they understand that it is an investment, that when you get a job, you want to save and you want to be financially responsible in how to build that, And seeing others and seeing other individuals ask those questions. And then just be curious about it, because I do think that right now we're going through the real estate. It's down because a lot of people are not wanting to invest. One, The rates are up, housing prices are up, and the youth really see it as a challenge to think about, How do I save? How do I even purchase? How do I get there? And so education goes a really long way to allow those individuals who are interested, and even those that are not interested, to get educated in it so that they do see the benefits, and they take that leap of faith, which is what it is.

[00:23:24.980] - Maria Macias

It's a leap of faith that you find the right property that's going to eventually to, like you say, continue to increase in value and continue to grow your financial wealth. I don't think that that's a huge focus, so I'm a huge advocate for that.

[00:23:41.740] - Brian Shelton

Yeah, I think it's very important to teach kids about how money works from a very, very early age. And so my daughter, in particular, her college fund. So every couple of months, we sit down and we look at because she's in the Bright Start program with the state of Illinois. It's a no-brainer program. And so we look at it and she's like, oh, how is that making money? Well, you're invested in the S&P 500, and then every month you're buying more of it, and then that compounds. So explaining that, and it's like, Oh, you can have money without actually going to a job and working if you invest money. Yes, that's how it works. That's right. Your money has to work while you sleep. And so talking to kids about money is very, very important.

[00:24:19.070] - Jose Macias

Very important. I'm also a wealth coach for this organization called the Hispanic Wealth Project, which is a partnership with NAHREP, where we go out to communities We do schools, libraries, and we teach how money works, how to invest. Life insurance. Latino families don't believe in life insurance. I've asked, Hey, you should have life insurance in case of an accident or something happens. Well, if I'm already not here, who cares? I won't be here. Who cares about my bills? I was like, Yeah, but then somebody else has to carry the price tag of everything that has to happen after

[00:25:00.000] - Maria Macias

Or transferring assets. If, God forbid, you're no longer around, educating them on how to make sure that you have the process in place.

[00:25:12.590] - Jose Macias

Set up a trust and transferring property I remember being 15 years old and going with my mom to the accountant to fill out her taxes. I have no idea, but she's having me translate. So I was the person who was in charge of the bills, even though I wasn't working. But how to set up auto pay.

[00:25:38.920] - Maria Macias

How to write a check.

[00:25:41.450] - Jose Macias

That's what kids, first-generation kids or immigrant kids deal with every day. They have to grow up a little faster, have to have that little extra knowledge to help their parents succeed.

[00:25:53.740] - Brian Shelton

Which is a lot of responsibility for a young kid to take on, too.

[00:25:56.500] - Jose Macias

Yeah, absolutely. Imagine your daughter at this age helping you do your taxes.

[00:26:00.240] - Brian Shelton

Somebody should help me do my taxes. I might be better off. (laughs)

[00:26:05.280] - Maria Macias

Maybe not your daughter. (laughs)

[00:26:06.400] - Brian Shelton

But maybe not her. (laughs)

[00:26:08.280] - Jose Macias

I think it's a great experience to put us, have the experience to be able to do things at a younger age, right?

[00:26:15.920] - Maria Macias

That's what I'm saying. He forgets of all the great work that he does, right? Some of the questions that you guys posted for us of, Oh, how are you involved with the community? I'm like, oh, I'm not really involved myself because I tend to travel a lot. But we are so supportive of all the events and everything that he does because to me, it's so important, right? He's just spreading the knowledge, and I think everybody should do that, right? Knowledge is power.

[00:26:44.820] - Brian Shelton

Yeah.

[00:26:44.960] - Maria Macias

In my opinion. And so the more knowledge you have, the better you can be at making decisions that really impact your life.

[00:26:51.880] - Jose Macias

I thank you for your support, too, because obviously without my wife supporting me or letting me leave the house for an event at 6: 00 PM or taking the whole Saturday on a weekend, right? It takes two to be able to do those things.

[00:27:07.020] - Brian Shelton

Yeah, because you both have very demanding careers and you have children at home and managing all that.

[00:27:10.790] - Jose Macias

Same thing with her. When she was going through her master's degree, she would just get home and study for the rest of the day. I would help out with the kids, right?

[00:27:19.940] - Maria Macias

Which, by the way, he was the one that said, go ahead and do it. When I brought it to him, I was more like, It might not be the right time. I know. And he's like, no, it's great opportunity. Let's do it. And I was like, you mean I'll do it? But you know what? I got to say, he is just the same, very supportive, very loving. And I tend to travel quite a bit for work. And so my headquarters is located in Florida, in Miami. And so I spend a lot of time in Miami. If anything, I like to say I part-time in Miami. And so, of course, with that comes a lot of support that I need at home with the kids and whatnot. And so we just play. We do a great job at being able to support each other and, I don't know, rely on each other and piggyback of each other. I don't know. It's great.

[00:28:11.420] - Brian Shelton

It's a good team.

[00:28:12.120] - Jose Macias

Yeah, great teamwork.

[00:28:13.210] - Maria Macias

Good teamwork, yeah.

[00:28:13.560] - Brian Shelton

I I do want to go back and ask you real quick, because you did, you finished your degree here, then you went straight into the workforce. How do you feel, or maybe I don't want you to necessarily speak for your company, but how do you feel about that? Is an associate's degree enough today? Because there's this whole idea of breaking down the paper ceiling, right? Like, Oh, I have qualifications, but I didn't finish my bachelor's degree, but I can't get a job because I can't check that box on an application. How do you feel about that?

[00:28:41.840] - Jose Macias

So be a loan officer, right? That's a state test. You don't have to finish your associate's degree to take a test and pass it. You can be fresh out of high school and take a test. If you study enough, maybe you'll pass it. But what Harper gave me was the tools, was the network, was the study. Because anything you do, you have to have a discipline to. If I would have done what I'm doing now out of high school, I would have not had those basics that I needed that I got from this school. Also, I was very shy when I started here at Harper. Through the organization, the Latinos Unidos, I was dancing in front of a couple of hundred people, which I don't even dance that well. But I was doing theater in front of people. I think all those experiences, just being involved with the school, give you that confidence to be able to achieve greater things after you leave the school. I think that's what really made me successful because there's plenty of people that take their test and pass it, but they don't become successful because they don't have the discipline that you gain and the resources, the tools that I was able to acquire through Harper College and getting my associate's degree.

[00:30:01.210] - Brian Shelton

Yeah. So having the time here to build yourself into a person.

[00:30:06.150] - Jose Macias

Yeah. And it wasn't easy. It wasn't a straight two-year path. It took me almost three years to graduate, and that's fine. If you're going through Harper College right now and you're like, man, this is a lot of work. It's a lot of school. I have to work. I have to pay my bills. It's fine. But don't stop. Don't stop. Make sure you're committed. If you get started, make sure you finish it. You don't want to be in debt and have no... If you finance your schooling, you don't want to be in debt and have no associate's degree. You want to make sure that you finish what you start. If you're hearing this and you're thinking about quitting, don't quit. Keep going.

[00:30:52.130] - Brian Shelton

All right.

[00:30:52.860] - Maria Macias

That's great. I would say I think that what Harper does is it offers you the flexibility to be curious. I feel like a lot of the time you come out of high school and you might have an idea of something that you might pursue, but the reality is that you change your mind. You might find something else that you're more passionate about. You might realize that what you thought you wanted to do is not for you. I mean, I have a friend who thought she was going to be a nurse practitioner, and she hates seeing blood. So that was definitely not the field for her, right? And so I think Harper just offers you that platform where You can take some risks. You can explore. You can be curious. Be adventurous. Try different things, especially because you don't have that cost, right? That financial burden over your head that if you take a class and you choose not to pursue that career, now it's money wasted, right? You're able to be a little bit more flexible and be kind to yourself and say, well, maybe that's not what I want to do. I think that the difference between a job and a career is you find something that you enjoy doing, and you do it as a living.

[00:32:10.940] - Maria Macias

I think a job is something you're forced to do. You may or may not like it, but you have to do it because you got to pay your bills, right? There's a difference to it. If you're going to be working for the next 20, 40 years, might as well be something that you enjoy. And so, Harper just offers you a little bit of that platform to be curious and explore. Yeah.

[00:32:30.880] - Brian Shelton

I tell students all the time, Figure out what it is that you love to do and convince somebody to pay you for it. That's pretty much the solution.

[00:32:36.140] - Maria Macias

Yes, absolutely.

[00:32:37.060] - Brian Shelton

It doesn't always work.

[00:32:38.480] - Jose Macias

If you love what you do, it will never work a day in your life.

[00:32:41.560] - Brian Shelton

That's right.

[00:32:41.880] - Jose Macias

Absolutely.

[00:32:43.540] - Brian Shelton

That's so awesome having the two of you here. I wish that the people who are listening to this could see the two of you because the way that you two look at each other and talk about your accomplishments is very, very sweet. You're like such an amazing, supportive couple of each other, and I'd really appreciate seeing that. It's really nice.

[00:32:58.220] - Maria Macias

Thank you. I appreciate you saying that. You know You know what? Life is not easy. I always say it's just what you make out of it. You got to surround with yourselves with people that you enjoy being with, that you can laugh with, that you can cry with, that you can enjoy a nice meal with, right? And so enjoy life and be adventurous, be curious.

[00:33:20.340] - Brian Shelton

It's good advice.

[00:33:21.420] - Jose Macias

Yeah. And you know what? It's not perfect. It's not perfect. It's never perfect. We've known each other for how long now?

[00:33:28.180] - Maria Macias

20 plus years.

[00:33:29.180] - Jose Macias

Twenty plus years. We've been married for 11. We dated for almost 10 years. It's not perfect. But you know what? It's like Harper College. Finish what you start. And I'm committed to her, and I love her.

[00:33:47.640] - Maria Macias

I love you, too.

[00:33:48.640] - Jose Macias

We just turned 11 years, August 30th. Last Saturday, yes. We're going to spend next week in Spain.

[00:33:58.280] - Brian Shelton

Nice.

[00:33:58.920] - Jose Macias

We're going to go for in about eight days, and we're going to have a lot of fun. So play hard and work hard. All right. Yes.

[00:34:05.160] - Brian Shelton

Good. Fantastic. It's been so much fun talking to you both. I really appreciate you coming in. Thanks so much.

[00:34:10.540] - Jose Macias

Thank you for the invitation.

[00:34:11.340] - Maria Macias

Thank you.

[00:34:11.760] - Brian Shelton

I appreciate it. Jose and Maria Macias are Harper College graduates and doing great things out in the world, and we are lucky to have them here. If you're enjoying Harper Talks, please subscribe. And while you're at it, rate and review us so that others might find us. Harper Talks is a coproduction of Harper College Alumni Relations and Harper Radio. Our show is produced by Shannon Hynes. This episode was edited by Coby Pozo. Our online content producer is Blue Bailey. Our theme music was created by Aiden Cashman. I'm Brian Shelton. Thanks for listening.