Podcast Summary
Education Disruption: Making Learning More Accessible and Valuable: David Blake from Degreed.com is innovating education with a skills-based approach, while Embroker Startup Insurance Program helps startups navigate risks and LinkedIn jobs and trends by The Hustle keep businesses informed and hire top talent.
The traditional education system and its high costs are under scrutiny, with many questioning its value in today's workforce. The pandemic has further highlighted these concerns, as people grapple with the second-order impacts, particularly the high cost of education. David Blake from Degreed.com is trying to innovate in this space, offering a skills-based approach to education that could make it more accessible and valuable. The Embroker Startup Insurance Program can help startups navigate the risks associated with innovation, while LinkedIn jobs and trends by The Hustle can help businesses stay informed and hire top talent. In summary, it's an exciting time for education disruption, and companies like Degreed are leading the charge towards more accessible, skills-based learning.
The Value of a College Degree is in the Credential, Not the Learning: The pandemic has highlighted that college degrees are primarily valued for their credential, not the learning itself, and the shift to online education may challenge this tradition.
The value of a college degree lies primarily in the credential, rather than the learning itself, which is increasingly available for free online. The pandemic has forced people to recognize this and question the value of paying high tuition fees for experiences and networking opportunities that can no longer be fully accessed on campus. The widespread availability of free Ivy League education for decades has not led to mass adoption due to the societal norm of using college degrees as a universal language for conveying one's education. This reliance on credentials obscures the messy and individualized nature of learning, and the shift towards online education may challenge this tradition and lead to new ways of valuing and communicating educational achievements.
Focus on the job to be done: Focus on essential tasks, like hiring and protecting your business, rather than biases or outdated methods.
While education and the prestige of the institution attended are important signals of one's capabilities and knowledge, the focus should be on the job to be done rather than getting bogged down by the need to know where someone went to university. When it comes to starting a business, it's essential to address practical needs, such as obtaining insurance for your startup. Companies like Embroker make the process easy and efficient, offering lower prices and better coverage for cyber and directors and officers insurance. In summary, focusing on the essential tasks at hand, whether it's hiring the right team or protecting your business, is crucial for growth, while not letting unnecessary biases or outdated methods hinder progress.
The Future of Business in San Francisco: A Blend of In-Person and Remote Work: San Francisco's density and opportunities continue to attract businesses and talent, but remote work's effectiveness and cost-efficiency may lead to a balance between in-person and remote work post-pandemic.
While San Francisco offered unique opportunities for business growth and innovation due to its density and collisions of talent, the high costs of living and other pressures ultimately led a business founder to relocate to Salt Lake City. Post-pandemic, it's likely that both San Francisco and remote work culture will continue to evolve. San Francisco, as a hub of density and opportunity, will likely continue to attract talent and businesses. However, the pandemic has shown that remote work can be effective and cost-efficient, which may lead to a shift in the balance between in-person and remote work. Ultimately, the future may involve a blend of both, with businesses and individuals making strategic decisions based on their specific needs and circumstances.
Tech industry shifting from SF to other cities, evolving education and work: The tech industry is moving from SF to lower-cost cities, education and work are evolving with skills becoming currency, and Degree.com helps individuals track and reflect on their lifelong learning
The tech industry's shift from San Francisco to other cities like Austin and Salt Lake City presents an opportunity for a new normal, allowing for density in different themes and topics, and reducing pressure on high-cost areas like San Francisco. The future of education and work is also evolving, with the currency of skills becoming increasingly valuable, and companies like Google moving towards offering online certificates as credentials instead of traditional college degrees. Degree.com, a company specializing in lifelong learning, aims to help individuals track and reflect on all their education and skills, recognizing the need for continuous learning in today's rapidly changing work environment.
DeGreed: Eliminating Degree Requirements for Professional Certifications: DeGreed, a company offering UX design and management courses without degree requirements, gained recognition and investment from Google and Mark Cuban. Their business model allows companies to pay a fee per employee for their employees to take the courses and offers a dashboard for HR to track skill development and a LinkedIn job posting feature.
DeGreed, a company that waives degree requirements for certified professionals and offers UX design and management courses, has gained recognition and investment from industry giants like Google and Mark Cuban. The business model, which allows companies to pay a fee per employee for their employees to take the courses, has proven successful with clients like Atlassian. The platform offers a dashboard for HR departments to track employees' skill development and provides a mutual connection feature for job postings on LinkedIn, making it an efficient and effective hiring tool. With a $580 million valuation and over $185 million in funding, DeGreed is revolutionizing the education and hiring industries.
Revolutionizing skills management with Degreed: Degreed is a SaaS business that enables individuals to own their skills data, providing transparency for organizations to manage and utilize workforce skills at an enterprise level, leading to efficient and effective hiring, training, and workforce development.
Degreed is revolutionizing the way organizations manage and utilize employee skills data. This SaaS business allows individuals to own their data and take it with them when they leave, ensuring a universal standard of skills measurement across various institutions. This not only benefits individuals by making their skills profile portable, but also organizations by providing transparency into their workforce's skills and enabling them to answer the question of what skills they have, what skills they need, and how to bridge the gap. This approach has led to Degreed being adopted by a significant number of Fortune 200 companies and large organizations worldwide. The ability to understand and manage skills at an enterprise level is a game-changer for organizations, making the process of hiring, training, and workforce development more efficient and effective.
Investing in employee education and development: Organizations prioritizing employee learning see increased engagement, with EdTech platforms making it easier and more accessible.
Investing in employee education and development is a significant benefit for both the employee and the organization. This paradigm shift from compliance-focused corporate training to a lifelong learning approach not only enhances employee engagement but also leads to higher activation rates. The HR department and learning groups are thrilled as they witness increased engagement levels, with a majority of organizations seeing more than half of their employees engage in non-compliance learning monthly. EdTech platforms, like the one discussed, play a crucial role in bringing all learning resources together in one place, making it easier for employees to access and utilize the content that best suits their needs. These platforms charge a reasonable fee per employee per year, allowing organizations to provide access to all employees, whether they engage with the content or not. By prioritizing employee development and making learning resources easily accessible, organizations can foster a culture of continuous growth and improvement.
The Importance of Continuous Learning and Transparency in Business: Continuous learning is crucial for growth and development in business. Follow leaders and mentors, access industry resources, and clarify responsibilities for paying for education.
Transparency in an organization through sharing learning resources and continuing education can be a powerful tool for growth and development. The speaker emphasized the importance of following leaders and mentors to learn new ideas and trends. However, the question of who is responsible for paying for continuing education was raised, and it was suggested that there is a need for clarity on this matter, both legally and morally. The speaker also recommended the Trends community as a valuable resource for entrepreneurs, offering access to industry leaders, workshops, and educational content. Overall, the discussion highlighted the importance of continuous learning and the potential benefits it can bring to individuals and organizations.
Investing in Employee Learning: Time vs Money: Companies should offer financial resources and time off for continuous learning for salaried employees, while reserving structured programs for company investment.
Companies are increasingly investing in upskilling their employees, but the biggest constraint for many workers is time, not money. The law requires employers to pay hourly workers for any mandatory training, but for salaried employees, it's expected that they take ownership of their learning. The most effective approach may be for companies to provide both financial resources and time off for continuous learning, while reserving more structured upskilling or reskilling programs for the company's investment. The discussion also touched on the trend of authors leading book clubs and subscription-based learning models, which can offer additional opportunities for professional development. Ultimately, individuals and organizations must adapt to the changing landscape of lifelong learning and be willing to make the necessary investments in time and resources to stay competitive.
Upskilling and reskilling: Inclusivity matters: Organizations must consider unique challenges faced by employees to make upskilling and reskilling programs inclusive and accessible to all, ensuring equal opportunities for growth and development.
Upskilling and reskilling programs have the potential to widen the diversity gap in organizations if they are not accessible to all employees, particularly those from under-resourced backgrounds. Upskilling refers to acquiring new skills for a higher-level job, often requiring significant time and resources, which can be a challenge for those with caregiving responsibilities or limited infrastructure. Reskilling, on the other hand, is acquiring new skills for a lateral move within an organization, which can be more feasible for employees on the company's clock. However, it's important to recognize that not everyone has the same resources and support to participate in these programs. To create a more inclusive and diverse workplace, it's crucial for organizations to consider the unique challenges faced by different employees and find ways to accommodate their needs. This might include offering flexible schedules, providing child care or elder care support, or offering on-site training. By doing so, we can ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to grow and develop within their organizations.
Learning from Others' Experiences: Insights and Inspiration: Learning from others' experiences can provide valuable insights and inspiration for personal and professional growth. Humility and adaptability are essential for success, no matter the size of the organization.
Learning from others' experiences, whether through books or personal conversations, can provide valuable insights and inspiration for personal and professional growth. Bob Iger's autobiography, "The Ride of a Lifetime," offers a compelling example of this. Iger's leadership of Disney, despite the challenges of navigating politics and strategy within a large organization, prepared him well for leading a multinational global organization. Entrepreneurship and leading a large company may differ, but both require clear goals and the ability to adapt and make tough decisions. Iger's approach to leadership, including his humility and willingness to learn from others, resonated with successful partnerships with companies like Pixar and Marvel. Overall, the book serves as a reminder that the path to accomplishing our goals may not be the same for everyone, but the ability to learn and adapt is essential for success.
Leadership, Empathy, and Innovation: Effective leadership combines empathy, understanding, and innovative ideas to connect with influential figures, close deals, and bring about change.
Effective leadership, as exemplified by Bob Iger, involves the ability to connect with influential figures and close deals through empathy and understanding, while Steve Jobs and George Lucas brought about change through their innovative ideas. Another key takeaway is the concept of infinite games, as discussed in Simon Sinek's latest book, where the focus is on outlasting the competition rather than finite goals, and the importance of continuous learning, as emphasized by the author's personal experience with the book "Successful Intelligence." This book challenged the notion that academic success equates to successful life outcomes and sparked the author's commitment to becoming a great learner. Overall, these discussions highlight the significance of adaptability, empathy, and continuous learning in achieving success.
The importance of balancing academic success with happiness: Prioritize raising children who are content, creative, and love learning, rather than solely focusing on academic achievements and perfect test scores. Encourage real-world projects to contextualize learning and develop various skills.
The pressure to conform to societal expectations of achieving academic success at all costs can lead to unhappiness and even tragic consequences. The speaker's experience as a driven test-taker and later, as the founder of Degree.com, allowed them to question this narrative and reconsider their approach to education and parenting. They now prioritize raising children who are content, creative, and love learning, rather than focusing on getting into elite schools or achieving perfect test scores. The speaker's philosophy of parenting includes building an apprenticeship for their kids through real-world projects, such as helping to build and launch Book Club Junior. This approach not only contextualizes learning but also allows children to develop skills in various areas like interviewing, emailing, communications, video production, and web development. By anchoring learning in real-world tasks, the building process never stops, providing a breadth of knowledge and experiences.
Fostering children's interests for personal and financial growth: Encouraging young children's unique interests could lead to potential business opportunities and investments within the family, promoting personal growth and financial gains.
Nurturing children's unique interests at a young age could lead to potential entrepreneurial opportunities and investments within the family. This not only allows for personal growth but also has the potential for financial gains. The speaker shares his experience of starting a micro school during the pandemic and encouraging his 10-year-old daughter's interests in baking and fashion, considering the possibility of investing in her potential businesses. He also discusses the concept of an apprenticeship startup, where young individuals could work with experienced entrepreneurs or CEOs, but notes the challenges in aligning incentives for such a program. By creating a business built around apprenticeships, the speaker has been able to provide valuable experiences and build successful businesses simultaneously. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of fostering children's interests and exploring innovative solutions to education and entrepreneurship.
Focus on building a strong fan base to get on TWI, not PR firms: Founders should create an impressive product, build a fan base, and avoid PR firms to increase chances of being discovered by TWI hosts
Founders looking to be featured on This Week in Startups (TWI) should focus on building a strong fan base and grassroots following, rather than relying on PR firms to secure a spot on the show. The hosts of TWI only listen to recommendations from fans and super fans, and explicitly ban PR pitches. If a PR firm claims to have secured a spot for a client on the show, it is a lie. The hosts maintain a list of PR firms and ban them from contacting them directly. To increase chances of being discovered by TWI, founders should focus on creating an impressive product or service and building a loyal fan base who can advocate for them to the TWI team.
