Carol

See how Carol built an art business entirely on her own terms by utilizing her strong work ethic and on-the-job experience.

Carol grew up with a family that instilled in her a strong work ethic as her parents worked long hours in retail and in gas stations. Carol learned that work is a part of life and requires dedication and responsibility. She became a mother in high school, and took a break from school but parenthood ignited a new flame for Carol. “After I had kids, exploring with them and teaching them, I just learned to enjoy learning a lot more.” Seeing the world through the eyes of her children showed her a path forward.

Carol developed strong communications skills working at call centers and through a stint studying broadcasting. Data entry taught her attention to detail and efficiency. Being a mother meant managing schedules, budgets, and personalities. And yet, when she got her associates degree in Veterinary Science, she had a hard time finding a job that fit her family obligations and made her feel valued. She felt overlooked on the job for not having a bachelor’s degree.

Always an amateur artist, she realized she had the skills to develop products that she could sell. She started her own business where she found the fulfillment and freedom that she had been looking for. Carol worked at trade shows for five years, but when the pandemic hit, the shows were suspended and she did not have the resources to move her business online. Carol has been without work for the past two years but she looks forward to rebuilding her business and selling her art in the future.

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Jon

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Alisha

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Darryl

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Sheree

Ansaer

Ansaer

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Danielle

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Meghan

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Micah

Find out how Army veteran Micah built his own business from the ground up and how problem-solving became the foundation of everything he's built.

Micah

Sean

See how Sean's STAR status led to his thriving career as a 3D chalk artist and ice and snow sculptor on his own terms.

Sean

Lakisha

See how Lakisha built a successful administrative career through sheer work ethic and the hard-won confidence to know her own worth.

Lakisha

Mark

Find out how a childhood love of food inspired Mark's culinary management career, built entirely through empathy, practice, and hard work.

Mark

Dalton

See how Dalton is building two careers at once through hands-on learning and how he's channeling his emergency response skills into a growing media platform.

Dalton

Erika

Read about how Erika's STAR status and hands-on experience earned her a quality Technician role and how she continues to defy expectations every day.

Erika

Sam

See how Sam applied decades of relentless curiosity and hands-on learning into a career that defies any single job title.

Sam

Jamie

Find out how a work-study program became the launchpad for Jamie's career.

Jamie

Thaddaeus

Read about how Thaddaeus's STAR status landed him a position as a university IT Specialist, where his self-taught tech skills and passion for helping others are his greatest credentials.

Thaddaeus

Kent

See how Army veteran Kent built an entire tech career through mentorship, persistence, and problem solving.

Kent

Laura

Read how Laura's willingness to keep learning is the credential that keeps opening doors.

Laura

Katy

Find out how Katy made one of the most unexpected career leaps around, and now helps others do the same.

Katy

Lynnette

See how Lynnette turned a hobby into a business while embracing entrepreneurship in retirement.

Lynnette

Barbara

Find out how Barbara's STAR status guided her career within the nonprofit sector and how lived experience can be the most powerful credential of all.

Barbara

Carmen

Find out how Carmen is building toward owning her own home health agency, one skill at a time, without a four-year degree.

Carmen

Quinn

See how military veteran Quinn is challenging employers to value experience over credentials.

Quinn

Daquan

Read how Daquan's self-taught skills as a home health aide and carpenter built a career that no one can ever take away from him.

Daquan

Tadarius

Find out how Tadarius turned a moment of crisis into a calling, guided by lived experience and hard-earned certifications.

Tadarius

Mary

Read about Mary's philosophy on people-first leadership and how integrity and empathy can define a career, even without a degree.

Mary

Elizabeth

See how Elizabeth found her calling as an employment counselor, helping formerly incarcerated job seekers reclaim their futures.

Elizabeth

Debrena

Find out how self-advocacy and a self-taught mindset launched Debrena's QA engineering career.

Debrena

Courtney

Find out how Courtney made the career leap from construction to IT client services.

Courtney

Ricky

See how learning to fail became Ricky's secret to building a career in acting and coaching.

Ricky

Robert

See how Robert's work ethic carried him from a skate shop to corporate merchandising and shaped him into an empathetic leader.

Robert

Carol

See how Carol built an art business entirely on her own terms by utilizing her strong work ethic and on-the-job experience.

Carol

Reyna

Read about how Reyna's STAR status is leading her path toward computer science and a dream of building a platform for low-income youth, powered entirely by grit and on-the-job learning.

Reyna

Sharon

After observing how firms overlooked colleagues without degrees, see how Sharon transitioned into her role as Billing Coordinator by investing in herself at every turn.

Sharon

Erin

Read about how Erin's STAR status landed her a position as an Internal Audit Manager... without a bachelor's degree.

Erin

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