This Week in Startups

Bridging academia and job market realities with Extern’s Matt Wilkerson | E1945

May 9, 2024

59:52

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Matt Wilkerson discusses bridging academia and job market realities with externships, emphasizing the demand for cybersecurity professionals, the value of externships in career decisions, and the impact and evolution of Extern. The conversation highlights the challenges of student loans and work experience, the gap between academic curriculum and job market reality, and the benefits of multiple externships for equal opportunities. It also explores the transition from academia to the real world, the importance of adaptable skills, and Extern.com as a solution to bridge the education-job outcome gap.

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Quick takeaways

Externships bridge academia-job market gap by offering remote project-based experiences for practical skill development.

Externships enhance employability by providing verified skills aligned with career aspirations and addressing industry demands.

Externships offer a cost-effective solution for companies to recruit top talent through a platform connecting employers with skilled externs.

Deep dives

Revolutionizing Work Experience with Externships

Creating a new model of work experience, Externships offer a solution to the limited availability of quality internships. The concept introduces remote project-based experiences that connect companies with a pool of hundreds of externs. Unlike traditional internships that may favor students with social status, externships are accessible, flexible, and allow for practical asynchronous work. With over 25,000 students served through this innovative approach, externships aim to bridge the gap between education and real-world job requirements.

Introduction

6min

Innovative Externship Model and Cloud Solutions for Startups

3min

Connecting Students with Externship Opportunities

13min

Exploring Skills Development and Startup Support in Academia

5min

Redefining Education and Internships for Equal Opportunities

5min

Developing a Talent Marketplace and Million Dollar Pitch Competition

3min

Navigating the Transition to Real-World Success

17min

Selecting the Right Problem to Solve

8min

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Todays show:

Extern’s Matt Wilkerson joins Jason to discuss the concept of externships and their role in bridging the gap between academic curriculum and job market reality. They delve into the demand for cybersecurity professionals (14:18), the value externships offer in career path decisions (28:43), and the impact and evolution of Extern (37:20).

Timestamps:

(0:00) Extern’s Matt Wilkerson joins Jason

(4:22) The concept of externships and he problem of student loans and work experience

(7:04) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://deploy.equinix.com/startups

(8:09) The Extern student experience

(14:18) The demand for cybersecurity professionals and the benefits of externships

(19:11) The gap between academic curriculum and job market reality

(23:58) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech

(25:30) The value of externships in helping students figure out their career paths

(33:02) HubSpot - Be sure to check out the Million Dollar pitch competition from Hubspot for Startups & HubSpot Ventures. Apply now at ⁠⁠https://www.hubspot.com/milliondollarpitch

(34:17) The impact of Extern on students and the job market

(46:04) Understanding customers and the evolution of Extern

(52:11) The mission of Extern and advice for new founders

Mentioned on the show: https://www.hotjar.com/net-promoter-score

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Follow Matt:

X: https://twitter.com/mwilker

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwilkerson/

Check out: https://www.extern.com/

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

(7:04) Equinix - Join the Equinix Startup Program for up to $100K in credits and much more at https://deploy.equinix.com/startups

(23:58) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech

(33:02) HubSpot - Be sure to check out the Million Dollar pitch competition from Hubspot for Startups & HubSpot Ventures. Apply now at ⁠⁠https://www.hubspot.com/milliondollarpitch

Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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