The NoDegree Podcast – No Degree Success Stories for Job Searching, Careers, and Entrepreneurship

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In this episode, Jonaed Iqbal converses with Brett Solomano about his transition from stunt performing to trucking. They delve into the salary of stunt performers and truck drivers as well as the skills necessary for both jobs.    Brett's journey unfolds as a testament to the power of continuous learning and adaptability. As a successful stunt performer, truck business owner, and public speaker, h...

He was a consultant for businesses WHILE he attended high school. Faisal Abid went to college but dropped out after serious consideration.  In this episode, he delves into his career path, underscoring self-learning and constructive criticism as key growth factors. He narrates navigating through his insecurity around not having a degree, his shift into AI and starting and stopping business. Tune i...

High school didn’t interest him much and his grades reflected that. That was until Diamond Forbes found something that was engaging. In this episode, he details how he transitioned from working in Help Desk to a Security Engineer at Google. He details his career journey from earning $14/hour to a six-figure salary, his transition from network engineer to senior security engineer, and his job appli...

Dr. Ai spent 15 years as a college professor before quitting to establish Classroom Without Walls, an organization committed to helping teenagers and young adults develop needed skills to become career-ready, life-ready, and achieve a high level of success, whether they have good grades or not.  In today's episode, Dr. Ai joins Jonaed Iqbal to analyze the issues plaguing the education system, incl...

Jonaed interviews Kim Chung, who shares her experiences with three different sales bootcamps: RAM, Aspireship, and TrainYo. Kim provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each program and offers advice for choosing a bootcamp. She emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning and the need for comprehensive training that covers both fundamental and advanced sales skills. Kim also discu...

Zach Carlin delves into his personal journey of overcoming addiction, transitioning careers from professional fighting to entrepreneurship, and his experiences working in fitness. He touches on improving gyms, his work with V Shred, and the creation of his own venture. Zach also speaks about his shift to a garage workspace, starting Next Play, and his struggle with imposter syndrome. The episode c...

Keishawn Blackstone shares his non-traditional journey in the film industry without a college degree. The conversation explores his early aspirations, the financial aspects of the industry, and the importance of continuous learning. They delve into authentic networking, industry evolution, and Keishawn's proudest moments. The episode rounds out with advice for hopeful film industry newcomers and w...

From working at an Apple store in Australia to starting his own business in Sweden,, this week Ben Kirk shares his story. He discusses his venture into the fitness industry, flipping apartments, and his transition into corporate training with Brian Tracy International. He also highlights the importance of mentorship and accountability in personal and professional growth. Key points discussed: - Be...

Four bullets in her back, children by 19, divorced by 25 but operates a successful IT company. This week Carmen Santiago discusses her high school experience, early life in the foster care system and how she got into tech sales. She also emphasizes the value of self-education, trade schools, and upskilling workers. Find out how this former foster child built a successful business.  Key points disc...

Cameron Bawden shares his entrepreneurial journey in the service industry, particularly in pest control. He discusses the importance of company culture, learning from multiple businesses, and overcoming investor challenges. Cameron also emphasizes the value of hiring skilled people and focusing on one's zone of excellence. He concludes with his future goals and advice for budding entrepreneurs.  ...

He was fully committed to having a career. That was until Dave Menz lost his pension. Realizing the power the corporate world wielded, he decided to finally pursue his dreams of entrepreneurship.   How did this guy without a degree go from employee to entrepreneur? How did he build that business into a million-dollar franchise? Listen in as Dave Menz talks about his struggle with school and how le...

He got a baseball scholarship to college. But, since Jeremy Anderson skipped classes, he failed and ultimately dropped out. Today he’s the CEO of Overwatch Technology, a cyber security company. Listen in as he shares his journey from high school to the Marine Corps and his transition to a civilian career life.  He discusses his experiences starting a business, addresses hiring people on the spectr...

She loved building relationships and advocating for people. So Anneliese Vance paved the way for a career path that would make this possible: Law. Unfortunately college filled her with discontent and dropping out was a hard decision she knew she had to make. But, Anneliese discovered another path to advocacy—marketing—and hasn't turned back ever since.  Listen in as this college dropout turned suc...

He was placed in the special education system. But, Christopher Zara’s so-called “behavioral issues” continued so, he got kicked out of high school in the 11th grade. Zara still went on to get his GED and at 32 he found himself working at a picture frame shop. He didn't enjoy his job. Occasionally he reflected on the few teachers that told him he was a good writer. Those embers of encouragement we...

His employer did not have any regard for the employees' personal lives so George spoke up. Ultimately, that led to him losing his job. This experience only served to make him stronger.    Today, he is the founder of The TrueLife Podcast, which tells similar inspiring stories.   Listen in as George Monty details his path to success without a degree, how he coped with failures, and life lessons from...

The first few years were tough. Carl Dunning started to believe his life was over because of his “high-school-drop-out” status. But then he discovered the tech industry, and everything changed.  Listen in as Carl shares his journey from his early career to becoming a successful salesperson. Carl discusses his transition into sales, work-life balance, the evolution of sales, the power of relationsh...

Overwhelmed with grief, he decided to drop out of high school since being at school, that he attended with his best friend, made it much harder. Confident in his ability to learn and improve, he opted not to go to college. Listen in as he discusses his high school experience, early career progression, and the valuable skills he learned as a barista. Eden also talks about lessons from various roles...

While other kids played spots, Joe Pardavila and his brother preferred to talk ABOUT sports. He got his start in the radio industry in college. Then he got an internship that eventually lead to a full time job opportunity. Whether you're interested in podcasting, photography, filmmaking, or any other creative pursuit, this episode is packed with advice to help you navigate your journey.   Key poin...

Chris loved being in the military, but life had other plans. A back injury forced him to be discharged from military service and find a new career path. After a series of odd jobs here and there, Chris eventually found his passion working in the field of security. He is currently a senior security analyst at Anderson. Timestamps: (00:48) — Intro (01:15) — Chris' Intro (01:36) — What does a senior...

Having personally experienced university education, Mathew came face to face with its three major flaws; it's time-consuming, employs ineffective learning methods, and is expensive!  His determination to transform learning for careers without a need for college education led him to create businessXP, a fully game-based experiential business training. Find out how it can help you to become an entre...

Charles had his life planned out; go to Bible College, become a pastor and spread the word through powerful speeches and music. All this changed when he landed an internship for a retail position at Apple. He discovered a new love for solving problems through enterprise sales. And it paid well! Time Stamps: (01:04) — Charles' intro (02:12) — Blueprint for success   (03:43) — Making $100k in base s...

He grew up on a farm. Feeding cattle and tossing hay were Nathaniel's daily routine. He never would have thought that someday he'd be working in tech. Tune in to find out how landing a job as a customer service representative would get him closer to an incredible tech career. Timestamps (02:07) — Blueprints for success   (03:50) — Growing up on a farm/entry-level jobs (06:21) — Landing first job i...

Ryan's dream was to become a Marine Biologist, but all this changed when the reality hit him: he didn't enjoy studying. On his journey to discovery, he realized he was good at getting people to buy things.  He landed his first sales contract and hasn't looked back since then.  Timestamps: (01:56) — Ryan's blueprint for success (02:32) — High school journey and how he discovered he couldn’t be a Ma...

He always had a flare for tech; Kevin’s Dad loved tech and, naturally, he followed in his Dad's footsteps. In high school, Kevin's fascination and proficiency with tech grew even more and he became the 'go-to-guy' for fixing phone and computer issues. Even though his big break wouldn't come until many years later, Kevin kept his dream alive by gaining more practice and insights about tech. This is...