Episodes
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
The Secret to Landing a Job at Microsoft with Jerry Condra - Ep. 76
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
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 of working & hiring talent at Microsoft
- How soft skills can be more valuable than technical skills
- The pros and cons of job hopping & staying at a company
Ryan and Jerry also talked about imposter syndrome and how you can overcome it especially if you're new at your job!
Enjoy the episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
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Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
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 in the door if you’re interested in going into tech/IT
- How to nail your next interview and get a high-paying job
Ryan and Eric also talk about their days working in public service as a firefighter and national guard and how it helped their career.
Enjoy the episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
Wednesday Dec 07, 2022
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 cybersecurity assessments and programs, including developing a pre-binding assessment and metrics aggregation tool for a $200mm Llyod’s cyber insurance line slip. Jason led the data compatibility working group for the DOE’s Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model version 2.0 update (C2M2v2) and was a member of the API 1164 Pipeline Security Standard leadership & architecture team. Jason is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
In this episode, we talk about:
- How to break into cybersecurity without a degree and relevant technical experience
- How saying yes and asking the right questions can jump-start your career
- How Jason accidentally raised $1m for his startup, Digital Idiots, and his biggest mistakes
Ryan and Jason also talk about why you don't need to be incredibly technical to get into IT/Cybersecurity. Jason also shared his experience working under Oprah!
Enjoy the episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
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’ Public, Channel, and Specialty Sales teams. Previously at Dell Milo held the role of Sr. Director of US Public Sector marketing and Director of North America Federal marketing.
Speranzo has more than 20 years of experience in leading, consulting, maintaining compliance, developing best practices, and managing procurement operations for IT manufacturers and system integrators both in the commercial and public sectors. In his previous role, Speranzo served as Sr. Director of strategy and compliance for Tech Data. Leading up to that position, he was the owner and president of Split Rock Inc., a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned company, where he was responsible for providing a broad array of business development consulting services to some of the largest IT manufacturers and systems integrators in the world.
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Speranzo served in the U.S. Air Force and as a Department of Defense (DoD) civilian as chief of command and control. He was awarded the Air Force Command and Control Noncommissioned officer of the year in 2006 and 2007. He assumed full responsibility for coordinating classified communication dissemination, and regional response, along with national incident and threat monitoring, and was also charged with maintaining constant visibility and current status of all assigned deployed personnel and assets deployed to disasters and war zones that were assigned to his team while stateside. He was deployed over 40 times, five of those times to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and the Global War on Terrorism. During deployment cycles, he was awarded numerous medals including the Air Force Meritorious Service and Commendation Medal with valor in combat insignia.
In this episode, we talk about:
- How to grow your network a hundredfold and why going to a networking event isn’t the way to do it
- The importance of KPIs, metrics, customer personas, and other marketing tips
- Why you should do something for a couple of years that you don’t want to do career-wise
Ryan and Milo also talk about how colleges prey on ex-military people, and some tips for people who are getting out of the military.
Enjoy the episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
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 marketplace to measure the health of the labor market, identify hiring trends, and help employers and job seekers prepare for the future of work. Her research is frequently cited in leading national outlets, like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and NPR. She is also a contributor to Barron’s and a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council.
Prior to working at ZipRecruiter, Julia was an Assistant Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation and an adjunct economics instructor at Pepperdine University.
Julia holds a B.A. in economics from Harvard and an M.Phil. in policy analysis from Pardee RAND Graduate School. She was a drilling reservist in the U.S. Navy from 2011 to 2022.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The current state of the job market and why it's never been better for job seekers
- How you can stand out against other job seekers
- Why finding a job is more similar to the marriage market
- Why you don't need to meet the job qualifications 100% to get hired
Julia also talks about how having a mentor can greatly affect your career and life. She also talks about how you can find one!
Hope you all enjoy this fun conversation and value-packed episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
College Degree vs. No College Degree: The False Dichotomy - Ep. 71
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
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 about:
• The million-dollar question: "Who would you rather have? A person without a college degree or someone with one?"
• How colleges use this as a marketing tool and prey off people's cognitive bias of loss aversion.
• The huge upsides of NOT getting a degree and how you can use the years and money instead to get into a higher-paying career!
Ryan and Hannah also talked about the HUGE opportunity cost of going to college.
Hope you all enjoy this fun conversation and value-packed episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Why Branded Tech Certifications Are Worth It - Ep. 70
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
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 for branded tech certification holders
- How tech certifications help companies in their brand strength and selling their product, making it a win-win situation.
Ryan and Hannah also talk about the different branded tech certifications that you can take!
Hope you all enjoy this fun conversation and value-packed episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
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 directors, 911 dispatchers, paralegals, and just plain old working at nonprofits as alternatives for social work interested people.
• What's the day-to-day like for these jobs, their requirements, and how you can become one.
• The pros and cons of each job to help you see which one fits you the best.
Ryan and Hannah also talk about why you don't need a degree to get all these jobs!
Hope you all enjoy this fun conversation and value-packed episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Vocational Creativity: The Superpower That Will Find You Your Next Job - Ep. 68
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
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 creativity muscles especially if you don't have a starting point
• How you can combine vocational creativity and finding a job backward to land your next, high-paying job
Ryan and Hannah also talk about why it's important to be careful when choosing your career because it might be something you don't want if you don't experience it first.
Hope you all enjoy this fun conversation and value-packed episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
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, we talked about:
• Why you don't need a college degree to have a thriving and successful career
• What are the most in-demand skills that employers are looking for
• How you can emphasize your value to an employer even if you don't have relevant experience
Learn more about Praxis: https://discoverpraxis.com/
Ryan and Cameron also talked about the system behind Praxis and why it's a great way to launch your career.
Hope you all enjoy this fun conversation and value-packed episode!
To keep up with everything Degree Free check out our website: https://degreefree.co
Get the guide on how to: Teach Yourself. Get Work. Make Money. No Degree Needed.: https://degreefree.co/workbook
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get exclusive tips and tricks to make great money without a college degree! https://degreefree.co/signup
Like, subscribe, write us a review, and if you have a question or want some advice email us at contact@degreefree.co