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Many people assume attending higher education or college is the only way to succeed in making money and finding a career. However, it often leads to thousands of dollars in student debt with no real passion for a profession. What if there was another way to succeed besides following the herd? Luke Sophinos is founder and CEO of CourseKey, an education management software for trade schools. CourseKey supports schools that provide an alternative pathway to the traditional education route, and helps students from supporting enrollment to career placement.

Luke was born and raised in Denver, Colo., and was interested in entrepreneurship and business growing up. At 16, he started his first business, an events focused application that would help him and his peers find things to do or events to go to. During college, Luke realized he did not want to follow the traditional path to success that was limited and costly, and joined The Thiel Fellowship, a program that gave $100,000 to young people who want to build new things instead of sitting in a classroom. There, he learned how to think big and differently, and developed CourseKey over time.

Initially, Luke tried to bring CourseKey’s software to traditional education institutions and universities. However, he realized there was little interest in student success, as his research showed that less than 1% of their annual budget was used to actually help students get jobs. As a result, he focused on providing software for businesses with credential training programs to help boost student retention and complete their classes. These schools actually wanted to help students learn what they were genuinely in and assist them in getting a job in that field of study. With the help of CourseKey, they are able to effectively boost revenue, manage tasks, and drive career placement.

Listen to Luke Sophinos share his personal insight on the limitations of higher education and how CourseKey offers alternatives routes towards professional success through their education management software. 

 

His favorite local tacos:

Puesto at San Diego

 

Connect with Luke:

LinkedIn

 

Learn more about CourseKey:

Website: https://coursekey.com/ 

Facebook: @coursekey

Twitter: @coursekeyedu

LinkedIn

Instagram: @coursekeyeducation

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