Zakiya Akerele - Dump Your Degree: How to Repurpose Your Education, Control Your Career, and Gain Financial Freedom

Copyright 2021 Zakiya Akerele. All rights reserved.

Published by CultuRealist Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia

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Hardback ISBN: 979-8-9854155-0-6

Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9854155-1-3

eBook ISBN: 979-8-9854155-2-0

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication data

Names: Akerele, Zakiya, author.

Title: Dump your degree : how to repurpose your education , control your career , and gain financial freedom / Zakiya Akerele, Ph.D.

Description: Includes bibliographical references. | Atlanta, GA: CultuRealist Publishing, LLC, 2022.

Identifiers: LCCN: 2021925637 | ISBN: 979-8-9854155-0-6 (hardcover) | 979-8-9854155-1-3 (paperback) | 979-8-9854155-2-0 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH Vocational guidance. | Vocational education. | Occupational training. | Career development--United States. | Education, Higher--United States. | Career education--United States. | Business networks. | Success in business. | Self-help. | BISAC BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Careers / General | EDUCATION / Schools / Levels / Higher | EDUCATION / Vocational & Technical | BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Personal Finance / General | SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / Success

Classification: LCC LC1037.5 .A44 2022 | DDC 378.1/9425--dc23

To you, the reader. May your obstacles become opportunities.

Section I: The Donts

Chapter 1:

(Why parents give bad advice and how you can make your own decisions)

Chapter 2:

(Why getting the right advisor makes a huge difference)

Chapter 3:

(How getting the wrong degree can cost you big time)

Chapter 4:

(The ins and outs of student loan debt and why you should avoid it)

Section II: The Dos

Chapter 5:

(Prepare to have a variety of ways to make an income)

Chapter 6:

(Rethink your plan for the future)

Chapter 7:

(Start your career before you graduate)

Chapter 8:

(How to set and accomplish career goals)

Chapter 9:

(How to use your social capital to boost your career)

Chapter 10:

(Why branding yourself matters in the job market)

Chapter 11:

(How to be financially prepared)

You ever have someone lie to you so bad that it made you feel stupid for ever believing them? You say to yourself: How could I have been so blind? All the signs were right in front of me, but I still fell for it. Maybe you noticed their story wasnt adding up, and expectations werent being met as promised. Once you put two and two together and call them out on their crap, you decide never to be played for a fool again, and you move on from the situation lesson learned.

Well, Im here to tell you that, unfortunately, youve been duped once again. Only this time, youve spent years of your life and effort, not to mention tons of money, because you were caught up in a big, elaborate lie. The lie was that in order to have a successful and rewarding career, you need a degree. Never mind the fact that there are millions of jobless and underemployed graduates, many even working jobs that they could have gotten had they not even gone to college. Just ignore the fact that youll most likely end up with increasing student loan debt to pay for a degree that cant even pay for itself. The advice is that to, make it, in life, a degree is a must , the proverbial golden ticket to success.

That was certainly the advice that I was given. I was taught that the more degrees I had, the better off I would be in the job market. I did everything right, or so I thought. I amassed thousands of dollars in student loan debt getting degree after degree (the highest being a Ph.D.), even one from an Ivy League school, and I still ended up having to move back into my mothers house and work dead-end jobs for as little as $8 an hour.

I applied for hundreds of jobs and was turned down over and over again. I was no stranger to being told that I was overqualified, receiving rejection emails, and often not even getting the courtesy of a response. I soon realized I wasnt alone and that my friends and former classmates were experiencing a similar fate. I recall spending time with a friend who had a doctorate degree, had recently been laid off, and was struggling to find work. Instead of discussing our latest job prospects, we were trying to figure out how to apply for food stamps. I knew I had to do something, because I refused to be broke and hopeless. Living with my lovingly overbearing mom gave me the motivation to quickly figure things out. Luckily for me (and you, as youll soon find out), I did figure things out!

The first step was realizing that I had developed tunnel vision and was feeding myself the false narrative that my degrees, and nothing else, qualified me. Having this narrow scope caused me to limit the number of opportunities which I could have created for myself. Another truth that set me free was learning that having the right connections very often held much more weight than having the right degrees. I also learned that using my skills in innovative ways helped me to not only stand out in the job market but also to develop my own career pathway.

Using all of these insights allowed me to create a highly resourceful, well-connected professional network, which helped me get hired for jobs outside of my degree focus. I excelled in traditional networking coupled with nontraditional thinking, and eventually became my own boss, crafting a career that I love! On top of that, Ive been able to teach hundreds of students how to do the same!

So, what do I have to tell you thats any different from all of the other education and career advice out there? Simply put, Im telling you to (figuratively) Dump Your Degree and stop relying solely on the letters added to your name to help you forge a successful career path. It may seem strange that a professor would be advising you to do that, but its for good reason. Instead of waiting to read yet another rejection email or struggle to find work, I will guide you on how to focus on your skills, experience, knowledge, and connections to create career opportunities. I will also show you how to avoid common financial pitfalls, especially as it relates to money management and student loan debt. And because a positive mindset and proper planning are essential to achieving success, each chapter has affirmations and action steps to take.