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Today's episode is a story of success with a community college degree! Joe shared his journey from dropping out of a four-year university and pursuing his Associates Degree. In this episode, we talked about what the engineering industry is like, how CC can teach you skills in the field, and how Joe landed his job as a machinist. Spoiler alert: this field desperately needs young and new talented workers.  Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod  Sound effects for this episode can be found at: https://freesound.org/s/326102/

Matt had a very interesting experience at UC Santa Cruz; he had to balance a pandemic and wildfires. Thankfully, Matt is an extremely optimistic and overall lovely human being to have a conversation with. One of his passions in life is analyzing professional sports, and does so with friends in his podcast called Bay Area Sports Counsel. Matt had a lot of great insights to sports with his background in Economics. In this episode, we dive into Supermax Contracts, the campus life at Santa Cruz, great tips on how to keep the peace with roommates. At the end of the episode, I will talk more about UC Santa Cruz and how it stacks up, in terms of stats and my own personal experience visiting the campus.  Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Ranger and I are "literally the same person" according to him, and he isn't entirely wrong. The similarities throughout the interview were shockingly funny, and we had some serious nerd moments when it came to reptiles and arthropods. Ranger received his degree in Managerial Economics with an emphasis in Agribusiness, but Ranger just likes to call it Ag-Economics for short. He now has his own coaching services to help people reach their goals and realize their potential in life. He is also the President of the Northern California Herpetological Society. This conversation is just a wealth of knowledge, and I talk more about UC Davis at the end of the episode (and I talk about the controversial mess in 2011).  You can email Ranger at [email protected] or check him out on TikTok and Instagram Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Noah's time at Otterbein University was not the kind of positive stories we've heard before. By the time this episode comes out, Noah will have already graduated with his undergraduate degree in Journalism & Media Communications (Congrats!). The truth is that if Noah could do it all over again, he would. Different degree, different school, different path. This isn't a conversation on why Otterbein is a terrible school, but rather one lackluster experience that didn't pan out the way it was supposed to happen. That's not to say that Noah became unsuccessful, in fact, Noah was able to land an awesome internship and pursue his passion through his podcast Retrospection Radio. I really really like this podcast because of its story-telling style, Noah's voice, and his thoughts on the subject. Stay tuned for the end of the episode where I lay out some facts and stats about Otterbein University, and why I think their mascot should be a clam-crushing fierce Otter. Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Evan got his degree in Food Science from Clark Atlanta University and went on to become a skilled food quality analyst. He has worked for large companies to ensure that the food we eat is safe. Evan has great advice on hard work, determination, innovative ideas, and how to plan for the future. He had some thoughts about where young people fit into his field of work, and what it's like to be underrepresented in the workplace. If you would like to get in touch with Evan, you can check him out on Instagram @awesome_nobody Listen to Evan and Candace's podcast The Wedding Edition to hear more about their journey planning their future wedding together.  Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Is this real?! Can someone pinch me? Jack Rhysider was such a fun guest, and shared his college/career experience in Computer Engineering. The beginning of the episode talks about his very popular podcast called Darknet Diaries. I just recently snagged an awesome t-shirt for my friend Cesar, who is also a big fan of the show. If you are familiar with the show's background, then you can jump to ~12:45 mins into the episode where we pick up on Jack's early days at community college. Later on in the episode we talk more about Jack's time as an undergraduate student, his career in the field, how Darknet Diaries started to form, and future ideas for his career.  For more info on Jack's blog on podcasting, check out Lime Link Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Today's guest doesn't have their 4-year degree yet, but they wanted to shed light on the dual enrollment program in Georgia. What is Dual Enrollment? Well, among other things, it is a program that allows high school students to take college classes. This is different than AP (Advanced Placement), and Hayden will discuss all the advantages and disadvantages to taking college classes while still in high school. In the second-half of this interview, we will discuss Hayden's passion in life and why he is considering switching career paths. Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Howdy ya'll from Austin, Texas! Marco Yim navigated his academic career through a Co-Education program at University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. He received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Arts in Business and Legal Studies. Marco talks about what a co-ed program is and how it gave him an upper hand in the job market after graduation. I honestly don't know why this type of program isn't the norm in the United States, but perhaps having this conversation is necessary for the career advancement of tomorrow's students.  Marco developed Extempra to help job applicants improve their communication and public speaking skills for interviewing in today's competitive world. You can also listen to his podcast Extemporaneously to get help with tips on improving communication skills. You can also find Marco on Twitter @extempra Check out our website  Socials: Twitter @areasointerest  Song Credit: Kevin Macleod

Dr. Thomas R. Brooks received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington. He later received his MSc in Psychology, and a PhD in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Dr. Brooks had a lot of insight on what it was like to navigate the college experience both as a student, and now a professor. We discussed struggles, triumphs, and a funny bonding story when Texas froze in 2020. He also gave me some tips for my upcoming move to Texas and what the differences were between UT and A&M. You can check him out on Twitter @TBrooks_SexPsy and his podcast Psycho-Social Distancing Podcast Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

This one is from across the pond folks! Abby was so kind to share her story of studying abroad in Scotland and the U.K. She gave so much great advice on what to expect as an international student. She now applies her Master's degree in Political Psychology to teach topics on her Youtube channel Political Psych with Abby. You can also check her out on instagram @politicalpsychwithabby Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Eddie has a long list of degrees ranging from Accounting to Cinema studies. He recently started a project called Why-We-Watch.com where he not only blogs, but makes fan-made trailers of films he enjoyed. Eddie faced some medical hardships during his academic journey, and shares with us how important it is to get involved with social clubs. We really appreciated talking with him, and going on a very long tangent about movies mid-way through the episode (sorry, not sorry).  Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Jeremy was so happy to discuss some of his journey from an arrogant freshman to a well-rounded and inclusive Masters graduate. We had some very open discussions about how religion impacts society and ways to improve church health. All of our conversations were respectful and honest. We had a great time and learned a lot from Jeremy about what it means to study religion. He is now on the Board of Visitors for the McAfee School of Theology! Check out Jeremy's two podcasts Kingdom Ethics Podcast & Virtually Church Podcast and his website: RevJeremyHall.com  Check out our website Socials: Twitter @areasointerest Song Credit: Kevin Macleod