"The NoDegree Podcast" - 10 Examples of People Who "Made It" Without A College Degree

My friend Jonaed Iqbal founded a company called No Degree whose mission is to remove the stigma that comes with not having a college degree. Through nodegree.com, Jonaed helps those who don't have a degree find profitable and fulfilling career opportunities.

With student loan debt totaling $1.75 trillion (with a T!!!!), it's quite clear that far too many college students are pursuing higher education without being able to pay off the student loans they had to take on in order to pay for it. Given all of this, many graduating High School students should consider the astronomical cost of college and really give some thought as to whether or not the investment is worth it.

In the NoDegree Podcast, Jonaed interviews people who have found career success without obtaining an expensive four year college degree. Below are 10 podcast interviews that prove that you don't need a college degree to build the life and career that you want.

1. Temp Becomes Thought Leader, Now Consults at Google - Tauf Chowdhury

His parents planned his career. They decided that Tauf Chowdhury would major in Computer Science or some other degree that led to a lucrative career. They almost fainted when he told them he wanted to be a biology teacher.

Listen in as he tells Jonaed about going against his parents and cultural expectations, working his way up from a temp job to fulltime and the path he took to land a consulting role at Google.


2. Deportation and Homelessness to Marketing Professional - Saif Ali

"I was homeless four years ago. Today I'm in the top 1% of salary professionals in the country." - Saif Ali

He was forced to say goodbye to the only home he knew. Saif Ali came to the US as a child. He had a good life: friends, a girlfriend and plans to get a degree in Biomedical Engineering. But, he lost it all because of circumstances beyond his control. He got deported.

Forced to abandon his plans to go to college so that he could make a living, within 30 days of being in a new country, he got a job as a digital marketer.

Listen in as Saif recalls how he bounced back from homelessness and how his first job gave him the foundation for the success he has today as a Marketing Professional.


3. How an 18yo runs a Successful TikTok Marketing Agency without a College Degree - Stone Fredrickson

"I asked my parents 'What do I need to do to convince you guys that I don't need to go to the school?'" - Stone Fredrickson

He was convinced he didn’t need college. But Stone Fredrickson’s parents were not. He had to prove to them that he could create and maintain a stable income. He hasn’t graduated high school yet, but he got his start as an entrepreneur pretty early.

Listen in to find out how Stone taught himself about financial literacy, started investing at a young age, and how his success on TikTok led to him creating Stone Media, a TikTok marketing agency.


4. Career Success Secret: Networking - Adam Marx

"They always say "Go get an MBA. It's not what you learn, it’s the network." But that is a super freaking expensive price to pay for a network." - Adam Marx

Did you know that many vacancies are filled as a result of networking? Some estimates show that up to 85% of jobs are filled this way. While job-seekers focus their efforts on job boards, many opportunities are missed simply because many vacancies aren't even advertised.

Interestingly, many are convinced that one major reason to go to college is for the network it provides and how it will benefit your career. But, we think that's a pretty expensive price to pay for something you can get for free. All it takes is some time and effort.

In this episode Adam Marx and Jonaed talk about networking for career or business success and how you can build your own network without paying overpriced college tuition.


5. 12 Lies About College – Robert McGraw

"College isn’t right for every kid. Many people I knew were servicing a mountain of debt and struggling. I looked around and I thought, "It shouldn't be this hard to make a good choice?” " - Robert McGraw

Many people he knew struggled to pay their mountain of debt. Although Robert McGraw graduated from college, from experience, he recognized that there was a lot that was wrong with the process of deciding to go to school.

Listen in as he and Jonaed discuss his book, 12 Lies About College, and and why following your passions can sometimes work against you.


6. ADHD Child of Abuse Becomes A Multimillionaire - Brian Will

"I have ADHD and had an abusive home life. I was a very angry kid. I got kicked out of high school." - Brian Will

He grew up in an abusive home. Brian Will describes himself as a very angry kid with an attitude problem. He got kicked out of highschool for missing the first 42 days of school but made a deal with the principal so he could continue school.

Listen in as he tells Jonaed what that deal was and how he started and sold several multimillion-dollar businesses in spite of the fact that he couldn’t keep a job.


7. High School Dropout to CEO Securing $20M in Funding - Ben Herman

He’s a white guy solving a diversity problem and his company just secured $20M in funding. Not something you’d expect from a high school dropout, right? Well, that’s exactly what Ben Herman did.

Listen in as he tells Jonaed about his early start as an entrepreneur, why he dropped out of high school and ultimately created Canvas –the #1 diversity recruiting platform that allows job seekers to find companies that aligns with their values.


8. From $100/hr as High School Intern to $10k/mo Before 21– Collin Castrina

"Making $100/hr in high school will definitely make you want to not pay tuition." - Collin Castrina

In high school he was got paid $100/hr to do social media consultations. Collin Castrina’s dad was a businessowner so he grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs. He got his start in middle school the way most kids did-he sold candy at school dances and shoveled snow.

By the time he got to high school, he interned at a local marketing agency where he eventually became the VP of Marketing and made $100/hr to do social media consultations. That was the point he began to question the value of going to college. Why pay college tuition when most college graduates don’t get paid anything near $100/hr?

Listen in to find out how he created success for himself and honed his marketing skills to the point where he earned $10k per month. And did I mention, he’s only 21 years old.


9. From Aspiring Drummer, Ex-Military and Waiter to CXO – Andy Huffman

"I failed College Algebra-1 three times. I was terrified of taking o $50,000 in student loans to go in a direction that I didn’t know." - Andy Huffman

He wanted to move to Nashville to make it as a drummer. But Andy Huffman’s band mates weren’t as serious as he was. Unsure of what to do, he joined the Coast Guard. After he finished his service, he did any job he could find. He even worked as a waiter for some time.

Listen in as he tells Jonaed about how one book changed his life and how he got his first break in sales when his financial advisor helped him to find a job in sales.