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Need career coaching or consulting? I can help!
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My Why
Many degree holders experience career and financial challenges they aren’t prepared to handle. I know this first hand because after completing my Ph.D., I faced joblessness and massive student loan debt, and after becoming a professor, I saw my students encounter similar situations. I knew I had to do something about it, so I set out to answer the following:
Why aren’t degrees providing the opportunities they are said to offer?
What can colleges and universities do to ensure the success of their grads?
How can individuals develop successful careers no matter their degree field?
How can people enjoy their careers and have complete control over their professional lives?
These questions led me to develop workshops and coaching programs that have helped hundreds of students and grads navigate higher education and the job market. This also prompted me to write, Dump Your Degree: How to Repurpose Your Education, Control Your Career, and Gain Financial Freedom. My mission is to provide tangible solutions to students and early career professionals so that they stop solely relying on their degrees but instead learn how to use the sum of their knowledge, skills, and talents in unique ways to create meaningful, viable careers.
What I Can Do For You
For Colleges & Universities
Consulting:
If you want to ensure that your students are prepared for the road ahead, let’s work together on developing programs that will help them thrive as professionals. My career development and higher education knowledge will help any young professional succeed. As a former professor, I know how the education system works. This makes me the go-to consultant for colleges and universities who want to help their student navigate the educational landscape in a way that serves their professional goals.
Your students will get:
Programs that help them best utilize their degree and gain the right skills that are in demand all over the world.
Realistic, actionable career guidance.
The secrets to getting the most out of their education.
An understanding of what they can do right now to prepare for the job market.
Strategies for deciding what path is best for them.
For Students & Professionals
Coaching:
Do you want to have the power to control your career instead of giving control to those doing the hiring? Do you want to create your own career opportunities, no matter your educational or professional background? If so, then I am here to help. I coach individuals with mapping out and actualizing their career goals.
You will get:
A fresh perspective on how to make the most of your education.
Proven strategies to use to enhance your career.
Unique ideas on how to monetize your passions.
An understanding of what you can do right now to prepare for the job market.
Renewed interest in the path ahead.
The No-Nonsense Guide to Success After College
Whether you’re an emerging professional or parent, student or recent grad, Dump Your Degree is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking guidance on navigating higher education, developing their career, and having financial security.
You'll learn how to:
- Correctly set the educational and professional goals
- Get the right advice about making career decisions
- Explore viable options outside of your degree field
- Build beneficial and meaningful professional connections
- Make and manage money
- And much more
The result: A sense of fulfillment, stability, and freedom!
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About the Author
Dr. Zakiya Akerele is a third-generation educator who found an early passion in academic pursuits hoping to use them to improve herself and the world around her.She sought higher education with full force, obtaining degrees from Florida A&M University (B.A.), Columbia University (Ed.M.), and Fordham University(M.A. and Ph.D.) in International Education, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.
She has served in various capacities at higher education institutions and at social justice, political, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) both in the U.S. and abroad. Zakiya has made it her mission to raise awareness and find tangible solutions to the issue of unemployment and underemployment experienced by college graduates.
As a professor and mentor, she’s taught hundreds of students how to control their careers by figuratively dumping their degrees and using the sum of their skills, knowledge, and connections to create a professional life they enjoy. An entrepreneur and globetrotter, Zakiya loves traveling while working remotely on her own terms and currently resides near Atlanta, GA, with her husband and two children.
Press
Download my media kit or listen to my latest podcast interviews.
FAQs
Yes, I coach both individuals and groups. I have a career readiness group coaching program releasing Fall 2022 so check back here for more info in the coming months.
At this time, I only do keynotes and workshops in the Atlanta, GA metro area. I am available for workshops. For more information book a FREE strategy call here.
You can order your autographed copy by clicking here or checking by visiting the book section on this site.
You can book me for your show by contacting my publicist Angela Bell at angelabliterary@gmail.com or by clicking here.
-I’m a parent, can you help me guide my child? Of course! I will work with you and your child on navigating their higher education journey and mapping out a path that will give them the best return on their investment. I also work with recent grads and early professionals on developing and enhancing their career.
The price varies based on program needs and outcomes, but I am able to work with different budgets. The best way to get a clearer and more accurate price is to book a strategy call here.