Degree Free

Many of us have been there - staring at a job description for a position we are desperate to apply for, but feeling intimidated by the extensive list of qualifications and requirements.  We might feel that we don't measure up, and so practice self-elimination by not applying.  However, the truth is that job descriptions are often crafted as wish lists – and you should still apply even if you don't...

The job market is tough: It takes a hundred applications to land an interview, and here's how you can make every application count and increase your odds to get the job you want! In this episode, we talk about: - How to brute force your way into work in the current tough job market through volume applying - Why job hunting can be lonely and frustrating, and what you can do to mitigate it - The lit...

Finding a job is a topic that is rarely discussed, yet it's something all of us will face at some point in our lives.  Unfortunately, most of us never received any formal instruction on the subject during our school years. This is why you should learn how to find a job backwards! Hannah went from $28k working in a call center to $185k as a product owner using this technique. This is how she figure...

You’ve probably heard this said a million times in interviews or in job application processes.  "You’ll hear from us either way."  They’re most likely lying to you. In this episode, we talk about: - The different things you can do to deal with "you’ll hear from us either way".  - The importance of following up on your job applications. - Why you should diversify where you’re spending your efforts...

If you’ve ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes when applying for a position at Microsoft, then this episode is for you. We have Jerry Condra, an engineering manager working for 15 years at Microsoft to give us a sneak peek at how Microsoft selects its talent! In this episode, we talk about: - How Jerry got a job at Microsoft using a certification and his network - Behind the scenes o...

Today, we have Eric Ostler, Senior Incident Manager at Nike. Make sure to listen to the full episode as this one is a goldmine of knowledge if you’re interested in working in IT! In this episode, we talk about: - How bootcamps & certifications can double your income - The day-to-day life of Eric as an incident manager at Nike - How to thrive in a high-stress work environment - How to get your foot...

Today, we have Jason Tugman, Director of Information Security to talk about how to break into cybersecurity without a degree, how he accidentally raised $1m for a startup, how asking the right questions can help your career, and more! Jason is currently a medical device company's Director of Information Security and Data Security Officer. He has spent much of his professional career developing cyb...

Today, we have Milo Speranzo, Dell’s Senior Director of Marketing to talk about how to grow your network effectively, excel in your career, and the ins and outs of marketing. Milo Speranzo is the Sr. Director of North America marketing for Dell Technologies. In this role, Speranzo is responsible for driving the vision, strategy, and execution of all marketing functions for Dell Technologies’ Publi...

Today, we have Julia Pollak, ZipRecruiter's Chief Economist to talk about the current state of the job market and how you can stand out amongst the other job seekers. Julia Pollak is the Chief Economist at ZipRecruiter, a leading online employment marketplace that uses AI-driven smart matching technology to connect millions of businesses and job seekers.  She uses data from the ZipRecruiter market...

I was talking with a friend the other day about what we do here and how we feel about going to college. He kind of agrees with us, but not really. He’s still early on his journey to becoming Degree Free! Anyways, he asked a question that I’ve heard a million times, especially growing up. Who would you rather have? A person without a college degree or someone with one? In this episode, we talk abou...

Some people nay-say tech certifications. Some are really skeptical of branded tech certifications and claim that it’s just big companies trying to make money.  Here’s why we think it shows the opposite! In this episode, we talk about: - Branded Tech Certifications and why they are the lowest risk type of certifications to take, as well as the most versatile. - Why there will ALWAYS be a job supply...

The median salary for a social worker in the US with a graduate degree is $48k. Are there exceptions? Sure. But there are always exceptions. Monetarily, this is one of the worst fields to buy a degree in. Try anything else before paying for a degree to work in social work or adjacent fields to reduce the risk for yourself. In this episode, we talked about: • An overview of court mediators, funeral...

We see all the time that people don’t know what jobs are out there. If they don’t know what kind of jobs are out there, then how can they prepare to get those jobs?  Here's where our topic for today, vocational creativity comes in! In this episode, we talked about: • What is vocational creativity and how it can help you find your next job • An exercise you can do to stretch your vocational creativ...

Whether you're degree free or not, this episode is a goldmine of knowledge when it comes to having career success. Today, we're having Praxis's CEO, Cameron Sorsby as our guest.  Praxis is a company that offers a college alternative apprenticeship program. Cameron is one of the very first customers of Praxis, he then became an intern at the company and worked his way up to CEO!  In this episode, w...

If you've been thinking about getting into software development, coding, and software engineering, this episode is for you! Ken is a wealth of knowledge and we were very lucky to have him sit down and go over what he did and what you can do to become a software engineer! In this episode, we talked about: • How Kent worked his way up from a customer service role to becoming a senior software engine...

In this episode, we have our very first return guest, Career Hacker's newly appointed CEO, Joel Bein! We talked about how everyone should consider themselves entrepreneurs, even if they work as an employee. We also talked about Career Hacker's upcoming 2-day virtual event called "Supercharge Your Career in a Sh*t Economy" on October 19-20, 11 AM to 6 PM EDT. If you're interested in joining this fr...

"What’s alarming is that many think that having a degree is an employment guarantee. Solely connecting higher education to career sustainability creates a false sense of security." -Zakiya Akerele, author of Dump Your Degree Dr. Zakiya Akerele is an Atlanta-based educator, author, and speaker who found an early passion in academic pursuits hoping to use them to improve herself and the world around...

No degree and thinking of changing careers? Learn about these jobs that only require professional licenses and start earning at least $60k/year! In this episode, we talk about: • Jobs that only require a professional license, their requirements, and how you can become one! • What's the day-to-day like for these professional license jobs. • The pros and cons of each job to help you see which one fi...

Drake Porter is an entrepreneur, League of Legends coach, and he's currently working at Facebook/Meta as a Senior Product Manager.  Watch the full episode to learn about his journey on how he went from unemployed because of COVID, to earning $385,000/yr at Meta without a college degree. In this episode, we talked about: • How Drake went from founding his own startup and working numerous jobs, to u...

Everyone has failures. It’s easy to think that other people don’t have failures when you don’t hear about them. So, today we’re going to talk about one of the biggest interview fiascos of Ryan’s career.  In this episode, we talk about: • The biggest interview fiasco of Ryan's career, in great detail! • What we learned from Ryan's biggest interview failure and what Ryan could've done differently. •...

A lot of the job market is filled informally. Where do we find jobs that aren’t listed on job sites? In this episode, we talk about: Where to find jobs that aren’t listed on job boards and beat the job competition Why 80% of people are competing for the 20% of jobs that are listed on job boards Why letting your network know that you’re looking for a job is the best and first thing you should do if...

Robyn Samuels Altucher is an accomplished entrepreneur and podcaster who has lived all over the world. She built one of the largest salons and spas in Austin, TX in the 1990s.  Robyn lived in Ghana for three years, China for six years, and Kuwait for three years while raising three amazing children. She has produced and appeared on dozens of episodes of the successful podcast, "The James Altucher...

Your work and your job are not the same things! Here's why tying your work and purpose to your job is risky for you. In this episode, we talk about: - How you can protect yourself and be more future-proof by separating your work from your job. - How employers and employees are in a constant dance for power.  - Why giving an employer a chokehold over the way you value yourself, your happiness, or y...

Learning how to sell completely changed the trajectory of our lives! Here's why everyone should learn how to sell! In this episode, we talk about: - How Ryan and Hannah learned how to sell and how they used their sales skills to create a successful business, grow their career and change their life. - Why learning sales gives you invaluable soft skills and why it can be useful pretty much anywhere...

Due to Covid and the last couple of years, a lot of people are being left with work history gaps in their resumes. Today, we’re going to talk about some things you can do to address them! In this episode, we talk about: - Why a work gap is a big deal and what are the different ways you can do to address them? - The different strategies you can do to focus on the value you can provide when you're a...