This is the best guide on how to start a sales career without going to college. If you are looking to advance from an entry level sales role to a b2b sales role, then this book will help you. Have you ever wondered if you can go into sales without a college degree? This shows you exactly how you can do that. If you currently work in a call center, retail sales, or internship, then we can help you advance your career to B2B sales
MARGINALIZATION (Different learners in Marginalized Group
The ultimate guide to starting your sales career without a degree
1. The Ultimate Guide to Starting
your Sales Career Without a
College Degree
By Troy Buckholdt
2. Here at CourseCareers, we are on a mission to
empower people to start and advance their
careers without having to rely on college.
This guide will show you exactly what you need to do to take your sales career
to the next level without a college degree.
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4. Preface
I created this e-book because I wanted to share all of the
experiences I learned while trying to start my sales career directly out
of high school. After deciding that college was not the best path for me,
I began learning all about sales and even specialized in a specific
sales role. I thought that this would allow me to become so valuable to
a company that perhaps they would choose me over a college
graduate. I was right. At age 18 I started working as a sales
development representative for a startup company in one of Atlanta’s
technology incubators. In less than a year I was able to get promoted
to an account executive closing large six figure deals and managing
another sales rep.
Currently, I’m on a mission to empower people to start and
advance their careers without having to rely on college. I founded
CourseCareers as my means to be able to accomplish this goal. I hope
you’re able to greatly benefit from this book and share it with anyone
else who could also benefit. Please checkout coursecareers.com to
see how we can help you start your career.
.
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5. Companies Perspective
“Have you ever wondered why companies require you to
have a degree even when it wouldn’t benefit the job?”
In this chapter we will discuss the following subjects:
1. Why companies require degrees
2. Who makes the hiring decision
Chapter 1
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6. ● Too many applicants: Most of the time when a company posts a job for
an entry level sales position a bunch of people apply to it due to the low
barrier of entry. There isn’t much to go off of when looking through
applicants either, so it’s mostly based on soft skills. The companies also
don’t have time to interview everyone, so it puts companies in a very easy
position to think that candidates with a degree are probably more motivated
and have better soft skills. This means there is a good chance anyone
without a degree is screened out before they even read the resume.
Why Companies Require Degrees
5
Companies require degrees for 3 main reasons.
● Companies don’t want to get sued: The government has made it very
hard for HR professionals and recruiters to legally weave out candidates that
aren’t qualified without running the risk of getting sued. The easiest way
around this is by filtering based on formal education which is completely
legal. Thanks, government.
● Attract the best people: When people look at a job description that
requires a degree they are more prone to thinking it’s a better, more
exclusive job. This helps attract the college graduates that don’t want to
think their degree was a waste and be considered under employed. This
means that even if companies say they require degrees, some actually don’t.
7. Who Makes the Hiring Decision
5
There are two main types of people you need approval from to get from the
application to the job.
Human Resources & Hiring Manager
Human Resources
The human resources department or recruiter is normally the first person
who sees your application(if they see it at all). This person is responsible
for finding the cream of the crop. They are told by the hiring manager
what type of person they need and what to look for.
They start by looking at the format of your resume to see how well it’s
organized, then proceed to look at your most relevant experience. This
experience is normally anything sales related since this is an entry level
sales position. If they can’t find anything, then they look at your
education and see what you majored in. If it’s something relevant or they
don’t have enough good candidates then they will probably schedule a
phone screen. If they can’t find something that would make them think
that you would be a good fit, or if they have too many good candidates
then you will probably not hear anything back from them.
6
8. Who Makes the Hiring Decision
There are two main types of people you need approval from to get from the
application to the job.
Human Resources & Hiring Manager
Hiring Manager
The hiring manager is normally the person who is looking for someone to
add to his team. He is responsible for managing his team’s performance,
hiring new reps, training new reps, and sometimes even closing deals.
This person would be directly responsible for managing the new hire, so
he wants someone who would work well with him and his team.
He also wants someone who is dependable and has a good work ethic. He
wants to know that they can be trained to do the role effectively as soon
as possible while not jumping ship. This is where the previous experience
or expertise comes into play. He is very concerned with lowering the risk
for his hiring decisions. He needs to truly believe that if he hires this
person that there is a very good chance he or she will be successful. If for
whatever reason they aren’t successful, then it’s the hiring manager that
will be questioned, especially if they hired someone without a degree.
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9. Specializing
“Have you ever wondered why you are forced to learn things
that you know will never be applicable to your job?”
In this chapter we will discuss the following subjects:
1. Why it’s important to specialize
2. Available specializations for sales
3. How to choose a specialization
Chapter 2
8
10. Millions of people go to college every year to learn very broad
subjects. Some of the most popular things to study are
psychology, business, communications, etc. The problem
about these types of studies are that people start with the
education and then search for a role where it can be used.
This normally doesn’t work too well because companies
require a much differen’t skill set and expertise than what
people learn in college. This makes college an extremely
ineffective way to start your career.
This does however give people who specialize in a particular
role a huge advantage since they can easily stand out in that
role when being compared to generalists with a college
degree.
Why it’s Important to Specialize
9
11. There are many different roles which someone can specialize in. It could be a particular
type of sales, marketing, customer service, analyst, etc. For the purpose of this book, we
will only be talking about sales.
There are two main types of sales: B2C and B2B.
● Business to Consumer sales is normally more entry level such as retail sales or
insurance sales. You could also sell higher ticket items such as houses, boats, or
planes.
● Business to Business sales is where most salespeople are able to make large
amounts of money. They could sell anything from software to printers to
professional services.
Different Types of Sales
Available Specializations For Sales
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12. Inside Sales VS Outside Sales
• Inside sales is where you work inside an office and spend the majority
of your time on the computer. You connect with people through three
main channels: phone, email, social.
• Outside sales is where you go out of the office to meet with prospects.
You can meet at someone's house if its B2C or at an executives office
if its B2B.
Type of Industry
• There are many types of industries you can also specialize in. Here are
a few in B2B sales:
Software
Hardware
Medical
Professional services
Available Specializations For Sales
11
13. 8
What's Hot
I would start by doing research on the sales position you’re
interested in and seeing if it’s in high demand. Choosing a role
that companies are struggling to hire enough people for is key
as it will make getting a job so much easier.
Entry Level
Is this an entry level role, or do you need a lot of experience to
break into it? Make sure there is an entry point into the
industry before you choose to specialize in it.
Natural Interests & Abilities
If you absolutely hate software, then don’t work in it! Choose
an industry you are attracted to and would enjoy becoming an
expert in.
Choosing a Specialization
How do you go about choosing a specialization?
12
14. Learning
“The only way to become a specialist in a role is by putting in
the time to learn everything about it”
In this chapter we will discuss the following subjects:
1. Figuring out what to learn
2. Ways to learn
Chapter 3
13
15. Before you go ahead and start trying to learn everything, you want to get a general
idea of what skills & knowledge is required to do the role effectively.
Skills
1. Hard Skills
Hard skills are the ones you are able to prove you know without saying a word. These
could be things such as computer literacy, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and strong
undertstanding of CRM software.
2. Soft Skills
Soft skills are the ones you are able to prove you know by talking to someone. These
could be things such as being a good listener, critical thinking, and the ability to hold a
strong conversation.
14
Figuring Out What to Learn
Skills & Knowledge
16. Before you go ahead and start trying to learn everything, you want to get a general
idea of what skills & knowledge is required to do the role effectively.
Knowledge
Knowledge is the expertise you have on a particular subject. In
sales these could be things like how to write effective cold
emails based on buyer personas, or a thorough understanding
of different sales processes. It could also be knowledge of the
industry your selling in such as an understanding of software
as a service.
15
Figuring Out What to Learn
Skills & Knowledge
17. Read job descriptions!
To undertstand what skills and knowledge companies want
you to learn for your specialization you need to read every
relevant job description you can find for it.
Look for correlations: Start looking for commonalities
between what all of the companies require.
Create a list: Put together a list of all the hard skills, soft skills,
sales knowledge, and industry knowledge that companies are
looking for in your specialization.
16
Figuring Out What to Learn
18. Once you have your list of all the most important
requirements for the role, the next step is to understand
which skills you need to acquire or improve.
If you realize that some of the required soft skills are ones
you don’t possess or don’t wish to possess, then it might be
smart to think about choosing a different specialization that
requires a different skill set, e.g., strong analytical skills vs
very good phone communication skills.
17
Figuring Out What to Learn
Very Important
19. There are so many great resources out there to learn from which are either free or nearly
free.
● Books
● Online courses
● Blogs
● Youtube Channels
● Podcasts
● Organizations
I suggest you start by searching for very broad books & courses on your role as they will
help give you an idea of the bigger picture. You can normally do this by simply searching
for “books on your specialization”. You can then use other resources such as blogs from
the top companies in the industry to learn some of the best practices and details.
18
Ways to Learn
Use Your Resources
20. LinkedIn & Resume
“LinkedIn is the new resume. It is absolutly essiential to have
a good LinkedIn profile in this day & age.”
In this chapter we will discuss the following subjects:
1. Why LinkedIn is important
2. Profile tips
3. Resume
Chapter 4
19
21. Having a bad LinkedIn profile is a surefire way to instantly
kill your prospects of getting hired.
Dead: One of the first things hiring managers or recruiters do
when they get an application is look at the applicant’s LinkedIn
profile. If you have a bad profile, they will judge you heavily for
it. This is especially true if it’s for a B2B sales position since
LinkedIn is such an important part of B2B sales.
Alive: While LinkedIn is a good way to kill your application, it’s
also a very good way to position yourself to get ahead. If a
hiring manager looks at your LinkedIn profile and is impressed,
then you are one step closer to a job interview.
20
Why LinkedIn is Important
Dead or Alive
22. Get professional pictures taken of you for your profile. At the time of writing this,
JCPenney’s had them for around $30.
Get at least 500+ connections. On LinkedIn, your profile only displays up to 500
connections. It makes you look much more professional by having the maximum
number. Trust me.
Start connecting with everyone who works in your specialization. This could be an entry
level person, manager, or thought leader. By doing this, it shows
recruiters / hiring managers that you are deep in the industry.
Find people who work in the role you are aiming for and see how their profile looks.
Mirror the best profiles you can find. As a general rule, talk about accomishments &
responsibilities in your previous roles rather than just what your day to day was like.
Don’t list your high school education. This helps remove yourself from the bucket
employers put you in as a non college graduate. Instead put a respected resource or
credential in your education section. This will also help you cater to an employer's
imagination by positioning yourself as someone they assume must be a college
graduate.
21
Profile Tips
Pro Tip #2
Pro Tip #1
Pro Tip #3
Pro Tip #5
Pro Tip #4
24. I strongly believe LinkedIn is the new resume. If a hiring manager /
recruiter asks for my resume, then I would send them a pdf
screenshot of my entire LinkedIn profile. I would also say something
such as:
Hiring Manager,
I hope my resume format is
acceptable. I am a heavy LinkedIn
user and believe it is the modern
resume. Please let me know if you
need a more standard one.
23
Resume
New Resume
Make sure you actually have a standard resume as a backup just in case they
do ask for one. There are many guides out there on how to write a resume.
Just make sure it aligns with your LinkedIn profile.
25. Google Presence
“Employers love google. It gives them a very easy way to find
out who someone really is.”
In this chapter we will discuss the following subjects:
1. Why your Google presence matters
2. How to control the search
Chapter 5
24
26. Dead: Other than just searching your LinkedIn profile,
employers also Google you. If they find something that makes
you look bad or unprofessional, your application might be
killed right then and there. As a good rule to follow, if you
wouldn’t want your grandma to see it, delete it.
Alive: Just like LinkedIn, you also have the opportunity to get
ahead of the game by impressing people and gaining
credibility when they search for you. You can do this through a
variety of different mediums.
25
Why Your Google Presence Matters
Dead or Alive
Having a bad Google presence is just like your LinkedIn
profile. It is a surefire way to instantly kill your prospects
of getting hired.
27. You can easily position yourself as an expert by creating
relevant content about your target industry.
● Create your own personal website
● Create YouTube content
● Write articles on Medium or LinkedIn
● Answer questions on forums or Quora
26
How to Control The Search
Gaining Credibility
When an employer searches for you and finds out just how plugged
into the industry you are, they will start thinking of you as an expert.
This is the best position you can put yourself in.
29. Target Companies
“Having a strong list of target companies you are a good fit
for is the first step in the job search process.”
In this chapter the following subjects will be discussed :
1. How to identify target Companies
2. How to use a CRM
Chapter 6
28
30. You will need to put together a set of criteria for the type of
company you want to work for in your specialization.
● Where do you want to work?
● What size company do you want to work for?
● Is there a particular vertical you want to work in?
Developing this criteria allows you to better focus your time on only the
companies you are the best fit for.
Some larger companies still have strict rules in place that won’t allow
them to hire someone without a degree for a particular position even if
they are qualified. Unless a large company explicitly states that it
doesn’t require a degree, I would target smaller to midsize companies.
(50-1000 employees.)
29
How to Identify Target Companies
Company Criteria
Pro Tip
31. Once you have a criteria in place you can start putting a list
of companies together. A very good place to find
companies hiring your role is by searching for jobs in that
role on job boards.
Go through each company that is hiring and make sure the
job description matches up with your specialization. If it
does, then research their company more in depth and see if
it fits your criteria before you add it to your list. Try to find
between 10-20 companies at the start.
30
How to Identify Target Companies
Finding Companies
32. If you have already started specializing in sales then you will already
know just how important a CRM is. You will be using a CRM in the
same way someone would in a sales position. After all, you are selling
yourself to companies, right? I have chosen to use HubSpot as my
CRM of choice for this.
Main Benefits of Using a CRM :
• Helps organize companies
• Helps keep track of both companies & contacts when
applying.
• Helps you stay on top of things
• HubSpot Is free
• HubSpot is relatively simple, but still has enough
features to be helpful
31
How to Use a CRM
Why CRM?
33. Step 1. Setup a HubSpot Account
Step 2. Take a quick course on how to use the
CRM on HubSpot’s website
Step 3. Change deal stages to match the hiring
process
Step 4. Start adding your target companies
32
How to Use a CRM
34. Applying
“When you don’t have a degree, you can’t apply for a job
that requires a degree through a tradiatonal job board”
In this chapter we will discuss the following subjects:
1. The correct way to apply
2. How to identify the best contacts
3. How to find contact information
4. How to reach out to your contacts
5. Using organizations & events
Chapter 7
33
35. The vast majority of people apply to a company through an online
application and hope they get back to you. This is a big mistake.
The problem with this is that there is too high of a chance that
your resume will get missed or immediately filtered out since
you don’t have a degree. The best way to get around this is by
treating your job search process just like a sales process.
34
The Correct Way to Apply
36. Choose around 10 companies from your CRM that you want to start the
application process with.
Submit an application on their website. This will most likely not get you
an interview, but it will give you a better reason for reaching out to them.
Have the best contacts identified in each company. This is normally the
hiring manager, but you can also add human resources or an executive
of the department.
Reach out to the contacts through phone, email, and social media. You
can also try to figure out which organizations or events they hangout at
and meet them there.
Schedule an interview with one of them.
35
The Correct Way to Apply
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
37. 36
How to Identify the Best Contacts
LinkedIn is your best friend
This step in the process is going to be done almost solely through
LinkedIn. I will be using Sales Development as my specialization for
this example.
1. Search your target company in LinkedIn
2. Select employees and filter for your role
38. 37
How to Identify the Best Contacts
3. Look through all of the results until you find a manger or
director. Read their profile and see if they seem like the person
who would be the hiring manager. Proceed to add them to your
CRM.
PS: They will probably be in the same location as the job.
4. Continue to add the human resources contact by searching
for “HR, Human Resources, Talent, Recruiter” under title.
39. 38
How to find contact information
Once you have all of your contacts in your CRM, the next step is
to find their contact information.
Email
1. Connect with them on LinkedIn if you haven’t already. Sometimes
you will be able to see their contact information if you are connected
to them. It’s highly preferable if it’s their corporate email address
2. If you can’t get their email on LinkedIn, then guess their email
using “neverbounce.com”. You get 1000 free validations per month.
Try combinations like these:
shane@gatherhere.com, shane.foster@gatherhere.com, shanef@gatherhere.com,
shane_f@gatherhere.com, shanefoster@gatherhere.com, fosters@gatherhere.com
40. 39
How to find contact information
Once you have all of your contacts in your CRM, the next step is
to find their contact information.
Phone
I will just show you how to get the company phone number for now. If
you are able to find their direct dial or cell phone number through
LinkedIn, Google, or a data provider then congrats to you.
There are 3 types of phone numbers you can find.
1. Company phone number: You can almost always find
this number and ask to get transferred over to the right
contact
2. Direct company phone number: This number is a bit
harder to get, but it connects you directly to the contact
and they normally pick it up more often.
3. Cell phone number: This is the best number to be
able to find, but normally the hardest.
Simply Google phone number besides the
companies name or look on their website.
41. 40
How to Reach Out to your Contacts
Reaching out to the right contacts is the best way to get an
interview.
You will be treating the job search process exactly like a sales process. This
means that you will be using different channels to connect with your
contacts. Phone, email, and social media. You can also do this a little more
systematically by creating a sequence in HubSpot.
Here is an example of a sequence of actions you can follow.
Day 1: 1st email
Day 2: 1st Phone call with voicemail
Day 4: Send a LinkedIn message or a LinkedIn InMail if not connected.
Day 5: 2nd Phone call, no voicemail
Day 6: 2nd email
Day 6: Like or comment on their LinkedIn post
Day 8: 3rd Phone call in the morning, no voicemail
Day 8: 4th Phone call in the evening with voicemail
Day 9: Move onto next contact
Try not to think of this many actions as being annoying. The hiring manager
will respect your hard work and perseverance since these are the same
skills you’ll need in the sales role.
42. 41
How to Reach Out to your Contacts
Here are a few examples of messages to the hiring manager. Keep in
mind that the goal of these messages is to get an interview. The first
interview is no more than a conversation to see If you would both be a
good fit to work together.
1st Email
LinkedIn Message
43. 42
How to Reach Out to your Contacts
Here are a few examples of messages to the hiring manager. Keep in
mind that the goal of these messages is to get an interview. The first
interview is no more than a conversation to see If you would both be a
good fit to work together.
1st Phone Call
1st Voicemail
Hey _____,
The reason I’m calling is because I noticed you had an open sales
development position . Well, I’m very interested and was wondering
if you would be the right hiring manager to talk to about it?
Great! When would you be available for a 15 minute call to discuss
more about it?
Hey _____,
My name is Troy. I just applied to the open sales development
position on your website. Assuming you the right hiring manager,
I’d love to learn more about the position over a 15 minute call.
Oh, and I promise I’m not stalking you, I’m just excited about the
role and don’t want to leave it all up to a single click on the “Apply”
button on your website.
44. 43
Using Organizations and Events
Meeting in person is always better.
If you have the chance to meet people in your specialization in person,
don’t pass it up. If you can talk to a hiring manager at a company and
impress them while also getting them to like you, then the chances of
you getting the job are astronomically higher. If you really impress
them they might actually start pursuing you.
I can’t think of a better way to go about meeting people in person
than using organizations and events. There are a few ways you can go
about finding these.
1. Assuming you followed my previous advice and connected with
500+ people in your specialization, then there is a good chance people
in your network will post about upcoming events on LinkedIn. You can
also look at your connections’ LinkedIn profiles that are in the same
specialization / location to see if they list any organizations they
belong to.
2. Another good way is by researching which events in your
specialization are near you, e.g., sales development events in Atlanta.
Eventbrite seems to be good for this.
45. Interviewing
“Most people don’t realize that an interview goes both
ways.”
In this chapter I will discuss the following subjects:
1. Interview process
2. Interview best practices & tips
3. Post interview follow up
Chapter 8
44
46. 45
Interview Process
When most people think of an interview they think it’s
the employer that asks you the questions and you
give them the answers that they’re hopefully looking
for.
An interview is no more than a conversation to see if both
you and the employer are a good fit for each other. Keep
in mind that they need good people just as much as you
need a good job.
The employer comes into the interview with skepticism
that you might not be a good fit for the company. You
should go into the interview with the same skepticism that
the company might not be a good fit for you. When they
ask you disqualifying questions, you should also ask them
disqualifying questions. This is called the mirroring and it
works especially well for this situation because “people
want what they can’t have”. By the end of the interview
your goal is to always make it so they are the ones asking
you to come work for them, not the other way around.
Keep in mind that having multiple offers at the same time
is the best way to negotiate higher pay or get an offer
faster.
When someone hits a ball at you, hit it right back. Don’t play
defense, always be on offense.
This is the wrong way to think of the interview process.
47. 46
Interview Process
Here is a general idea of what a typical interview process
looks like.
Step 1: Screen. This is normally done by human
resources or the recruiter to see if you match the
qualifications they were told to look for by the hiring
manager. Hopefully you were able to talk directly to the
hiring manager and skip this step.
Step 2: Phone Interview. This will probably be with the
hiring manager and is the first conversation to see if you
would both be a good fit for each other. You will hopefully
start the process here.
Step 3: In-person Interview. This interview will normally
be more in depth and involve multiple decision makers
such as the hiring manager’s boss and HR to see if you
are a culture fit.
Step 4: Offer Made: This is when they have decided they
want to hire you and extend a formal offer.
48. 47
Interview Best Practices & Tips
Before Interview
Research: Before you reached out to the company, you should
have done some basic research to understand what the company
does and what the position entails. Once you have an interview
scheduled, then you need to invest much more time into doing in
depth research on the company. You should know the company
history, major recent events, their competition, main value to the
market, etc. I was reading an article how a woman got an interview
with Google and read an entire book just on the company history
before she went in for the interview.
Dress: You should understand what the company culture is like
regarding dress. If they are the type to wear t-shirts and hoodies,
then you should probably just wear a nice button shirt and dress
pants. If they wear business casual, then you should probably wear
a suit. At least dress one level better than they normally do.
Documents: You should probably have at least 3 references in
mind and perhaps even a sheet with all of their contact info. You
should also bring your resume, which could be the PDF screenshot
of your LinkedIn profile, and a notepad to take notes.
Arriving: I suggest you give yourself plenty of time to get to the
interview so there is absolutely no chance you are late, but only
actually walk into the reception about 5 minutes before the
Interview.
49. 48
Interview Best Practices & Tips
During Interview
First Contact: Make sure you understand the basics of
meetings including handshakes, body language, and introductions.
Education Question: They will ask about your education
and why you don’t have a college listed. The correct way to
respond to this is be proud and say you are self taught. Proceed to
then list some of the resources you used to learn from including the
best companies, organizations, books, courses, etc. Remember
that companies put a high value on self starters so learning on your
own is a positive, not a negative.
Example Questions: Try to make the interview as
conversational as possible. Show your expertise by continuously
asking intelligent questions during the interview.
1. How long is your average sales cycle?
2. What does your ideal customer profile look like?
3. What buyer personas do you go after?
4. What % of your reps are hitting quota?
5. What % are exceeding quota and what do they have in
common?
6. What is your best channel for reaching your buyers?
7. What kind of formal training does your management team
have?
Things to Avoid: Do your research on interviewing and
learn some of the basic things to avoid talking about in the
interview. Normally it’s best to not talk about the leisurely part
of the job, e.g., vacation time.
50. 49
Interview Best Practices & Tips
During Interview
Closing: Most people think you should close by asking for the
job, but I disagree. You should close by learning about what their
timeframe is to make a decision, who is involved in the decision,
and what the next steps are. Always try to close on very solid next
steps and even push to get a time on the calendar for the next
steps.
51. 50
Post Interview Follow Up
After Interview
Thank You Letter: Sending a thank you note is an absolute
must for a sales interview. Send an email to each person you
interviewed with thanking them for their time and consideration.
This should be sent the same day, or no later than 24 hours after
the interview. You don’t want them to already make the decision to
not hire you, then get the letter.
Next Steps: If you were able to set next steps on the
calendar with them, then follow up a day before the meeting
reminding them of it. If you weren’t able to set next steps on
the calendar, then hopefully you still learned about their
timeframe. This will allow you to appropriately time your
follow ups, whether that’s 3 days or 1 week.
Here is an example follow up email:
Hey _____,
Following up to see if you have any updates on the hiring process.
Before you said that ________ needed to happen. Were you able to
get that taken care of? Also, let me know if you need anything else
from my side.
Regards,
______
52. Conclusion
Chapter 9
51
Due to the rapidly growing number of great resources to learn
from, there is no longer a need to rely on college to expand
your knowledge. Combined with this helpful guide, you can
now use that knowledge to start and advance your career.
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Checkout
CourseCareers.com
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