Areas of Interest

Sofia has a very long list of accolades. She first got her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in English from UC Davis, she then went on to get her Juris Doctor from Syracuse University. Sofia not only passed the New York Bar, but then went on to pass the California bar during the COVID lockdown. 

I had such a fun time talking about exercise science with Matt Tometz, and he had so many great tips on how to get into the research field,  making academic connections, how COVID derailed his plans, and how he is still working towards his own personal career goals. Matt got his B.S. in Exercise Science from Truman State University and a M.S. in Kinesiology from Texas Christian University. 

Check out Matt Tometz on The Talking Shop Podcast

Socials: Instagram & TikTok @coachbigtoe Twitter 

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Sophee Payne received her undergraduate degree in International Affairs from Florida State University, and went on to pursue a Master's degree in Urban Planning at the same school. In this interview, she explains her academic journey around the world, pursuing a career in Vancouver, then trying something new in...New York, and who knows where she will go next? Where in the world is Sophee Payne? Also, did I mention that she makes balloon art as a hobby? This was such a fun interview, and Sophee has so much knowledge and tips to share on navigating your career, and how to keep a good attitude about following your passions. To get in touch with her, and to sign up for a free 30-min call, visit her beautiful website at sopheepayne.com

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Today's episode is a story of success with a community college degree! Joe shared his journey from dropping out of a four-year university and pursuing his Associates Degree. In this episode, we talked about what the engineering industry is like, how CC can teach you skills in the field, and how Joe landed his job as a machinist. Spoiler alert: this field desperately needs young and new talented workers. 

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Sound effects for this episode can be found at: https://freesound.org/s/326102/

Matt had a very interesting experience at UC Santa Cruz; he had to balance a pandemic and wildfires. Thankfully, Matt is an extremely optimistic and overall lovely human being to have a conversation with. One of his passions in life is analyzing professional sports, and does so with friends in his podcast called Bay Area Sports Counsel. Matt had a lot of great insights to sports with his background in Economics. In this episode, we dive into Supermax Contracts, the campus life at Santa Cruz, great tips on how to keep the peace with roommates. At the end of the episode, I will talk more about UC Santa Cruz and how it stacks up, in terms of stats and my own personal experience visiting the campus. 

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Ranger and I are "literally the same person" according to him, and he isn't entirely wrong. The similarities throughout the interview were shockingly funny, and we had some serious nerd moments when it came to reptiles and arthropods. Ranger received his degree in Managerial Economics with an emphasis in Agribusiness, but Ranger just likes to call it Ag-Economics for short. He now has his own coaching services to help people reach their goals and realize their potential in life. He is also the President of the Northern California Herpetological Society. This conversation is just a wealth of knowledge, and I talk more about UC Davis at the end of the episode (and I talk about the controversial mess in 2011). 

You can email Ranger at [email protected] or check him out on TikTok and Instagram

Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Noah's time at Otterbein University was not the kind of positive stories we've heard before. By the time this episode comes out, Noah will have already graduated with his undergraduate degree in Journalism & Media Communications (Congrats!). The truth is that if Noah could do it all over again, he would. Different degree, different school, different path. This isn't a conversation on why Otterbein is a terrible school, but rather one lackluster experience that didn't pan out the way it was supposed to happen. That's not to say that Noah became unsuccessful, in fact, Noah was able to land an awesome internship and pursue his passion through his podcast Retrospection Radio. I really really like this podcast because of its story-telling style, Noah's voice, and his thoughts on the subject.

Stay tuned for the end of the episode where I lay out some facts and stats about Otterbein University, and why I think their mascot should be a clam-crushing fierce Otter.

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Evan got his degree in Food Science from Clark Atlanta University and went on to become a skilled food quality analyst. He has worked for large companies to ensure that the food we eat is safe. Evan has great advice on hard work, determination, innovative ideas, and how to plan for the future. He had some thoughts about where young people fit into his field of work, and what it's like to be underrepresented in the workplace. If you would like to get in touch with Evan, you can check him out on Instagram @awesome_nobody

Listen to Evan and Candace's podcast The Wedding Edition to hear more about their journey planning their future wedding together. 

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Is this real?! Can someone pinch me? Jack Rhysider was such a fun guest, and shared his college/career experience in Computer Engineering. The beginning of the episode talks about his very popular podcast called Darknet Diaries. I just recently snagged an awesome t-shirt for my friend Cesar, who is also a big fan of the show.

If you are familiar with the show's background, then you can jump to ~12:45 mins into the episode where we pick up on Jack's early days at community college. Later on in the episode we talk more about Jack's time as an undergraduate student, his career in the field, how Darknet Diaries started to form, and future ideas for his career. 

For more info on Jack's blog on podcasting, check out Lime Link

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod 

Today's guest doesn't have their 4-year degree yet, but they wanted to shed light on the dual enrollment program in Georgia. What is Dual Enrollment? Well, among other things, it is a program that allows high school students to take college classes. This is different than AP (Advanced Placement), and Hayden will discuss all the advantages and disadvantages to taking college classes while still in high school. In the second-half of this interview, we will discuss Hayden's passion in life and why he is considering switching career paths.

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Socials: Twitter @areasointerest

Song Credit: Kevin Macleod