Shows
The Unpulled LeverE10 | Which College Programs Survive the New Earnings Test | Dr. Steve Taylor, Vice Chair of NACIQIA college program that can't beat a high school diploma on earnings can now lose federal funds for its students. So who pays to keep it open, and which programs survive?
Dr. Steve Taylor is Vice Chair of NACIQI, the federal committee that advises the Education Department on accreditation. He also chairs the Academic Affairs committee of Virginia's State Council of Higher Education, which reviews degree programs at every public university in the state, and he is Policy Director and Senior Fellow for Economic Mobility at Stand Together Trust. For a college president, provost or state higher education leader, he...
2026-10-2156 min
The Unpulled LeverInside the Largest Nursing School in America | Amelia Manning, President of Chamberlain UniversityNursing has more open jobs than nurses, yet teaching it well is hard.This one is for college leaders, workforce teams, and anyone weighing a nursing career.I sat down with Amelia Manning, President of Chamberlain University, the largest nursing focused institution in the country. She joined in May 2026 after 20 years at Southern New Hampshire University. We talk about why more schools don't start nursing programs, who the typical Chamberlain student is (the average age is 37), and how a BSN opens the door to management and leadership roles in hospitals. Chamberlain runs 27 campuses plus hybrid and...
2026-10-1340 min
The Unpulled LeverE8 | Job Demand, Career Roadmaps & Adult Learners | Dr. Mike Burkett, Northbridge UniversityWhat changes when a university starts with the jobs a community needs, then works backward to build programs for the people who live there?In Episode 8 of The Unpulled Lever, Rod Danan talks with Dr. James Michael “Mike” Burkett, President of U.S. Operations at Northbridge University, about connecting education to local job demand and designing around working adult students.Burkett describes how employer and community advisory boards inform program decisions, why technical curricula have to keep changing, and how Northbridge’s career roadmap lets students start with a shorter credential and continue toward a degree...
2026-09-2952 min
The Unpulled LeverE7 | Experiential Learning, Career Discovery & Retention | Chris Parrish, Podium EducationMost universities agree that career outcomes matter. The harder question is how to give every student meaningful work experience before graduation.In Episode 7 of The Unpulled Lever, Rod Danan talks with Chris Parrish, co-founder and president of Podium Education, about building experiential learning into the degree instead of leaving students to compete for a limited supply of internships.Chris explains what experiential learning is, how employer projects can run for academic credit, and how schools can layer career discovery, rotations, and deeper project work from the first year through...
2026-09-2250 min
The Unpulled LeverE6 | Short Credentials, Broken Hiring & Apprenticeships | Kathleen deLaski, Education Design LabThe four-year degree is still the default. For a growing number of learners, it is not the only path to a good job.Kathleen deLaski founded Education Design Lab after seeing colleges struggle to respond to MOOCs, boot camps, changing employer needs, and pressure to unbundle the degree. She now serves as the Lab's board chair and writes Who Needs College Anymore?Kathleen explains how community colleges are becoming regional talent hubs, why short-term credentials need to stack toward degrees, and what it takes to build a pathway with learners and employers in the room...
2026-09-0855 minThe Unpulled LeverE5 | Scalable Co-Ops, Career Curricula & College as a Gym | Kemi Jona, Vice Provost of UVAWhy do universities map every academic requirement while leaving students to improvise the path from campus to work?In Episode 5 of The Unpulled Lever, Rod Danan talks with Kemi Jona, Vice Provost of Online Education and Digital Innovation at the University of Virginia, about building career-connected learning that works for students with real constraints.They discuss why online is not the same as flexible, the hidden operating system behind Northeastern's co-op model, UVA's effort to build a career journey instead of a petting zoo of disconnected platforms, and Kemi's plan to "flood the zone" with...
2026-09-0155 minThe Unpulled LeverE4 | Internships Beat Majors | Brandon Busteed, CEO, EdconicAn internship matters more than a major for a graduate's odds of landing a good job. Brandon Busteed has the data to back that up.Brandon is the CEO of Edconic and the former leader of Gallup's education and workforce practice. He helped build the Gallup-Purdue Index, a study of more than 100,000 college graduates that asked a question rankings still dodge: which college experiences actually lead to a good job and a good life?In this episode, Brandon joins Rod Danan to explain the six experiences that double the odds of workplace engagement and wellbeing...
2026-08-2556 minThe Unpulled LeverE3 | College Closures, Skills-Based Hiring & Elements of Suck | Michael Horn, Co-Host, Future UMichael Horn predicted in 2013 that a quarter of colleges would close. Fifteen percent already have. Now he says a fifth of private colleges will close or merge within ten years, and the schools left standing will win on one thing: whether they actually get their students hired.In this episode, Michael Horn (co-host of Future U with Jeff Selingo, co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute, author of Job Moves and Choosing College) joins host Rod Danan to break down why skills-based hiring keeps failing, why 50 to 85 percent of jobs come through networks and not applications...
2026-08-1855 min
The Unpulled LeverE2 | Why "Career Services Must Die" | Andy Chan, VP of Wake ForestAndy Chan, VP for Innovation and Career Development at Wake Forest University, joins Rod Danan to explain why more than 200 colleges have sent staff to study his office. They get into his 2013 TED talk "Career Services Must Die", why the boss matters more than the org chart, the ten-minute LinkedIn search that changed a writing class, curiosity conversations instead of networking, and what he'd fund first if he had to rebuild a career office from zero. The Unpulled Lever is an interview series on why schools don't act on career outcomes. New episodes every Tuesday.
2026-08-1149 min
The Unpulled LeverE1 | Get Students Hired or Close | Jason Altmire, CEO of CECUJason Altmire, President and CEO of CECU and a former U.S. Congressman, joins Rod Danan to explain why career schools have been graded on job placement for years while most of higher ed never had to answer the same question. They dig into the new federal accountability law, the stigma that still follows for-profit schools, and what actually keeps a student enrolled through graduation. The Unpulled Lever is an interview series on why schools don't act on career outcomes. New episodes every two weeks.
2026-08-0457 min
Edtech InsidersWeek in Edtech 6/11/25: OpenAI’s $10B Milestone, Meta’s AI Superteam, Grammarly’s $1B Raise, Ohio State’s AI Mandate, IXL & CodeHS Acquisitions, and More! Feat. Rod Danan of Prentus & Lars-Petter Kjos of We Are LearningJoin hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they explore the latest developments in education technology, from AI breakthroughs to high-stakes funding rounds and institutional shifts in AI strategy.✨ Episode Highlights:[00:02:45] OpenAI’s $10B Annual Run Rate: ChatGPT drives unprecedented growth[00:05:12] Anthropic CEO criticizes proposed 10-year ban on state AI regulation[00:08:04] Google.org Accelerator: New cohort tackling generative AI for good[00:10:17] News Sites Struggle as Google AI Summarizes Content[00:13:33] Zuckerberg’s Meta Bets Big: $14B stake in Scale AI and ‘S...
2025-06-171h 17
The PriceWriter PodcastBooks of 2024 on the Price Writer Podcast Episode 23Books mentioned:Best of the yearA Risky Business: An Actuary's Guide to Quantifying and Managing Risk in Society - Catrin TownsendNon-fictionFluke - Dr Brian KlaasEscape from Model Land - Erica ThompsonYou're Better Than They Think You Are - Sir Rod AldridgeBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim, Renee MauborgneThe Power of Moments - Chip Heath, Dan HeathEnzo Ferrari - Luca Dal MonteThe Diary of a CEO: The 33...
2025-03-1846 min
The Tony Shap Method: Achieving Business Growth and MasteryEpisode 121 Rod DananRod Danan
Building the bridge between bootcamp and career | Founder & CEO at Prentus | Host of the Booting Up Podcast & Community
2021-09-2011 min
Council Of The Wise DevelopersEpisode 2 - COUNCIL: Tech Interviewing | Entrepreneur or Cult Leader | Rod Danan @ PrentusThe council discusses the wondrous privilege of tech interviews, and tries to guess if a quote is from an entrepreneur or a serial killer. The head of the council interviews Rod Danan of prentus.cocouncilofthewise.dev
2021-07-0656 min
Booting UpOvercoming adversity, recovering from injury, and secrets to getting offers with Charity GarciaThe most inspirational episode of the season with Charity Garcia who is a Software Engineer at The New York Times and graduated from Fullstack Academy in 2017.
1:32 What her plan was before diving into tech
8:43 The fateful car crash that set her back
14:02 How to learn with a weakened memory
18:50 4 hour commutes to Fullstack every day
21:20 Why giving up was not an option
23:23 Starting her job search with a kid in hand
27:53 The secret that got her 10 job offers
3...
2021-04-0854 min
Efecto Aura (Con Rodrygho Felinix)ENTRE PAREDES NADIE SABE LO QUE PASAEste episodio está dedicado a ayudarte sobre los ataques que pueden suceder en nuestro alrededor, una reflexión sobre los instantes que nos dañan y que podemos hacer lo más conveniente FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RodryghoFelinix14 https://www.facebook.com/EfectoAura20 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/felinix14/ https://www.instagram.com/efectoaura_mx20/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@rod_felinix?lang=es TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Rod_Felinix TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/rodryghofelinix DISCROD: https://discord.com/channels/@RodryghoFelinix--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ea-rodrygho-felinix/message
2021-03-2831 minBooting Up11: Bootcamp to Engineering Manager in 3 Years with Vivek Tumrukota of UserLeapVivek is a Senior Software Engineer at UserLeap. He first spent 3 years in Technical Sales at Texas Instruments before joining Hack Reactor. Then, he joined the startup WorkSpan and became a manager in just 3 years. Listen in to gain some secrets to level up your career.
6:08 Selling to startups in Silicon Valley (environment is key!)
12:04 Surrounding yourself with people that will lift you up
18:28 Bootcampers are always extra motivated
21:07 The process of landing a first job
27:14 Startups the perfect fit for career...
2021-03-261h 00Booting Up10: iOS vs. Web Dev, keys to the job search, & fixing Slack bugs for Twitter CEO with Laura WeaverLaura Weaver started at Hack Reactor and has worked at Yelp & Slack. Her latest venture is at an exciting new startup called WhatNot. Some of the things we dived into include:
8:24 Why she chose the bootcamp route to get into tech
11:56 Freaking out coming out of bootcamp
13:40 iOS is harder than web development?
18:26 Searching for iOS jobs vs. Web Dev jobs
22:46 Why companies actually hire junior devs
25:32 The key to gaming the job search
27:16 Joining an unstructured startup within Yelp
2021-03-1958 min
Forward Thinking Founders577 - Rod Danan (Prentus) On Getting Startups Vetted Tech Interns on DemandRod Danan is the founder of Prentus. Prentus sources and vets diverse tech talent that you can trial on demand. Save $10,000 in salary and start hiring with confidence.
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2021-03-1510 minBooting Up9: Company sponsored career switching, Google interviews, & remote life with Danielle Katz9:21 How to get support from manager on transitioning into tech
14:40 What the QA role is like
19:05 Lessons of the first year as a Software Developer
23:49 Interview process after a cold DM from Google recruiter
26:37 How she prepared for the technical interview
31:24 Life at Google vs. working at a startup
36:35 Learning new languages on the job
39:30 How work changes when you go remote
43:17 Game plan to get hired out of a bootcamp today
44:52 What to do in your first year as an...
2021-03-1247 minBooting Up8: Self-teaching Product Design, pro-bono projects, and life at Netflix with Jessica Gaddis of TwitterJessica Gaddis is a Product Designer at Twitter that taught her way into the field. She worked at Netflix and did some pro-bono work too. Listen in on her secrets to learning:
6:30 How she discovered product design and started learning
13:38 Why she didn’t go to a bootcamp (but still used one)
19:28 Getting experience without a job
22:38 Product design is impossible without collaboration
23:56 Real-life design is different from those listicles
29:45 Process for kicking off her job search
33:14 The structure of tech company’s li...
2021-03-0557 minBooting Up7: Networking to get hired, being a woman in tech, & starting with freelancing with Skye FreeSkye Free went from sociology and sales to tech. It wasn't easy but she did some freelancing with a heavy lean on her network. Listen in for how she did it:
11:04 - Starting off her career as a freelancer
22:21 - What were her multiple roles in her first company
26:12 - How is it to be a women in an engineering position
30:46 - Biggest factor in staying in a company for a long time
37:40 - Difference between working in a small or a big company
2021-02-2659 minBooting Up6: Going from startup founder, developer, or designer to Product Manager with Ryan JonesRyan Jones founded a startup called Pixbi in 2015 and realized that tech was the way. He enrolled in Hack Reactor engineering program and then worked his way into a Product Manager role. Learn how you can wiggle your way into Product Management – no matter what bootcamp program you did.
4:57 Getting pushed down the “safe” finance path
10:36 How his startup came to start
18:08 The decision to shut down the startup
20:48 Why he chose Hack Reactor as his first post-startup step
24:49 Start a company vs. bootcamp to break into Product Management
32:54 The interview process for PM...
2021-02-1953 minBooting Up5: Design thinking and misconceptions of a UX bootcamp with Abhi Bhattacharya from FacebookAbhi Bhattacharya went from graduating CareerFoundry’s UX Design program to Product Designer at Facebook. Along the way, he made stops at CARFAX, Capital One, and other companies which gave him unique insight into how different design teams work. If you want to know what UX Designers do, listen in.
7:57 Getting his feet wet in UX
18:30 What is Design Thinking?
26:11 How the UX role works at different types of companies
30:44 Breaking down UX designer interviews
36:42 Design systems mean you don’t need as much UI skills
41:00 Giving back as a mentor at Care...
2021-02-1250 minBooting Up4: Career paths for bootcamp grads & being your real self with Chloe Condon from MicrosoftChloe Condon is a Senior Developer Advocate at Microsoft and graduated from Hackbright in 2017. She got pushed into tech by accident but has now helped to touch so many lives. Hear her story and lessons in this fun episode.
8:08 How a random talk pushed her into tech
18:20 Why diversity of opinions matter in building products
21:20 Authenticity helped make her Twitter famous
31:53 Applying bootcamp learning to multiple things
34:31 The lows (& highs) of searching for her first job
41:40 Don’t settle when choosing your first job
44:34 What does a Developer Advocate do ev...
2021-02-0557 minBooting Up3: Pros & Cons of Bootcamps, Making Yourself an Attractive Candidate, & more with Raymond GanRaymond is currently a Senior Software Engineer at Tubi. He started at Flatiron School and moved his way through working with Will.I.Am, working for $300 a month in Ecuador, and a host of other gigs. We dive into a ton of interesting topics around bootcamps and learning like:
11:00 - Switching to a new career path
17:20 - Starting a bootcamp
19:44 - A better way to teach
28:15 - What it means to be a great student
37:46 - The downside of bootcamps
49:45...
2021-01-291h 16Booting Up2: Going from Pro Sports to Engineer at Twitter with Sam GouldDespite getting a Bachelors's in Biology from Stanford, Samuel never went into that field. Instead, he played squash professionally until 2017 when he decided to enroll at Thinkful. He leveraged his network to get a shot at a Twitter job and snagged a position with his hard work. Listen in on what happened during the first years and lessons you can learn from him.
7:02 Why he chose Thinkful to learn software engineering
12:35 Starting at Thinkful
16:23 Mindset of being a bootcamp grad
19:04 Landing an interview with...
2021-01-2251 minBooting Up1: What is Product Management and How to Break Into It with Clement KaoClement Kao is a Product Manager at Blend and Co-Founder at Product Manager HQ. He's one of the smartest people in the Product Management field. Some topics we go over in this episode include:
What is Product Management?
How he accidentally became a Product Manager
How to level up once you get your first job
The inspiration behind launching & growing Product Manager HQ
What Product Managers WISH developers and designers knew
His gameplan if he were job searching today
Overcoming impostor syndrome to publish 3 books
Feel free to connect with Clement on...
2021-01-181h 03