Morgan Pico is just 19 years old, but already has a $52K/Yr Remote digital marketing job after dropping out of college and taking my course. She has an incredibly positive attitude and a stellar work ethic, and a real passion for both mental health and digital marketing. Her story will definitely inspire anyone who is questioning college out of high school to see what is possible. Here is the video interview and the transcription below.

Transcription:

Seth: Hey, this is Seth with In Demand Career. I show people how to get life-changing jobs in digital marketing with no previous experience or even a college degree. And that includes my very special guest today, Morgan, who is only 19 years old and dropped out of college to take my course and study practical skills in digital marketing. And after hustling for a few months in my course, working very hard, she got a remote job making 52K a year doing digital marketing. So I’m very excited to share her story with you. Thanks for being here, Morgan.

Morgan: It’s a pleasure being here. I’m really excited.

Seth: Awesome. So why don’t you tell people a little bit about your current job?

Morgan:  Yeah, so right now I work as a PPC specialist at a mental health company out in Colorado. It’s called All Points North Lodge and it’s an in-house position, which is kind of nice. There’s some pros and cons, in-house and agency. But yes, I’m working alongside the digital marketing manager and we are running like a pretty large budget in Google and we’re also working with Facebook platform and it’s a really great opportunity for me because I’m very, very passionate about mental health and digital marketing. And so being able to have this offer is just amazing ’cause I originally went to college for like a month or six months for psychology because I wanted to be a therapist. So now I’m kind of in the field and the best of both worlds. So yeah, that’s the summary of that.

Seth: Absolutely. You’re in a better, I think. Well, it depends on what each person wants to do, but I think you’re in a great position, especially for your age. I mean, it’s kind of… I had no idea you were 19 ’cause you were on all the coaching calls. I thought you were like 26 or something. And what’s the pay and what’s it like working remotely?

Morgan:  The pay is $52,000 a year, and working remotely is pretty great, I really like it. Everyone else is based out in Colorado. The marketing department is based out in L.A. and with two exceptions of like me and someone else, but working remotely is great. A lot of time on my hands, just do whatever I want whenever I want. And it’s just, yeah, created a lot of freedom and I’m able to work on other projects on the side so it’s just, it’s pretty great. Like, I wanna stay remote the rest of my life, honestly. And you can just travel whenever, it’s amazing.

Seth: That’s fantastic. And you’re speaking to some of the benefits of the work-life balance in digital marketing and we’ll talk in a moment more about what you’re actually doing, ’cause obviously you’re doing something very valuable to be paid this much for a first job. So why don’t you tell people a little bit about your story? How did you get here? Like, what was going on seven or eight months ago before you got into the program?

Morgan:  I actually have a pretty good storyline for that. So yeah, just kind of like the basic college student, I went to college for six months. I didn’t know what I was doing. My parents kinda wanted me to pursue college and they were willing to help me out with moving out into my own place with a few other roommates as long as I stayed in college, but I didn’t wanna go that route anymore because I wasn’t, again, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. So I wrote my parents a letter, put it in the mailbox and I was like, hey, I’m taking control of my life. Love you guys, but I gotta take some risk here. And so that’s exactly what I did. I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do when I dropped out. I didn’t know about your program. And I was just DoorDashing at the time to keep up with my rent, which I also highly recommend. If you’re wanting to pursue digital marketing on this and then keep up with rent on the side, it’s very flexible. But anyways, so yeah, that was my income at the time. And while DoorDashing, I was listening to a bunch of podcasts and it was The College Dropout Podcast that I was listening to. And Seth, I can’t remember if it was you that was on there or another student who was talking about your program. And I was just like, what is this digital marketing stuff? It sounds amazing. He was talking about how he dropped out as a 20-year-old and made a bunch of money. And I immediately went home, looked it up, watched all of your inspiring videos and fast forward here I am. I knew that this was something that was going to help my parents understand that I’m gonna be okay not going to college and that this is a great opportunity, a great career path, because there’s just so much growth and potential in this field. You can just learn… Like, once you get into it, you’re not gonna wanna get out. Like, you just know too much, in my opinion. So yeah, that’s basically the little short summary of that.

Seth: That’s fantastic. So yeah, let’s dig into that a little more ’cause it was a long story short, you did work very hard. I remember you were one of the most proactive students in the course. You even did some private sessions with Nick. You were on all the coaching calls. So let’s dig in a little bit to, well, actually, before we do that, I did wanna ask you, what do your parents think now?

Morgan:  Oh my God. Total 360-degree change. My parents don’t really think that college is necessary for everyone. They think STEM majors, yeah, but if you wanna go into marketing or any other type of field, there’s just so many resources that you can learn from. But just being able to get a job like this at my age has completely changed their perspective. And they’re so supportive and they’re so just everything’s just changed. It’s honestly, my life has changed. It’s been amazing.

Seth: That’s so wonderful. And I’m happy we could reach the parents. Like, I know that sometimes even when students, well, mostly once you get the job, it kind of wakes them up, but that’s really inspiring. I’m glad to hear that. And also, I did wanna point this out, where are you living right now? By the way, what city do you live in and are you still living with roommates?

Morgan:  Yeah, so I’ve always lived in Ohio, I guess, moved out into the city area, like the outskirts of the city when I was going to college. And I lived with a few roommates at the time and I just really wanted my own space, that was kind of my main goal. I’m kind of like I would say an introvert to some sense, I just like having my own space. And so when I got this job, it gave me the opportunity to move out into the actual city. And now I’m in the business area, this amazing beautiful studio. And yeah, I did all that in like seven months. So I just can’t even believe it, honestly.

Seth: That’s so amazing. I’m gonna tell you guys, the percentage of 19-year-olds who have their own place and are making enough money to be comfortable is probably less than a percent of the whole population. That’s why I asked you ’cause I’m thinking it took me until my thirties to be able to have my own place because that was how long it took for me to discover digital marketing. So that’s fantastic. And so now let’s dig in a little more into like, I guess the job and how you got here. So you took the course and I know you did all the assignments, you were learning PPC, you were learning SEO. How did you end up getting this particular job and what drew you to this job?

Morgan:  Hmm, good question. Like, what steps I particularly took to get this?

Seth: Well, just yeah, how many interviews, I know you did a bunch of interviews and I just want a sense of the real work it takes to get this kind of a position.

Morgan:  Right. So it is a negative learning kind of thing. I made a lot of mistakes sending out applications, doing interviews. I think I had like five interviews and they didn’t really go that great, but it’s okay. Like, that’s how you learn. And let’s see, yeah, I found this company on LinkedIn and I reached out to them and I had from the SEO section, I created my own mental health and wellness blog that I posted on pretty regularly. I had a fairly decent amount of posts on there. And since it was a mental health company, I kind of tailored towards that. And that’s what made me stand out as a competitor against other people. And so, yeah, that’s how I kinda got the first few interviews down and it was a pretty short and to the point kind of process. I think they just really liked that I was really passionate about mental health because they told me that the other digital markers that applied were not at the same passionate level. So there was that. And so yeah, the SEO part really came handy. But yeah, that’s basically it.

Seth: That’s fantastic. And it’s a good insight, people, because I mean, there’s so many different companies and so many different agencies out there and you are gonna stand out with your resume. First of all, the fact that you’ve got interviews at age 19, I mean, did you have any previous work experience to put on your resume?

Morgan:  Just retail, nothing too surprising. So yeah, I mean, I had a few months of freelance experience, that was about it.

Seth: Right. But you did get interviews. Companies got back to you?

Morgan:  Yes, I did. There was actually a few. Isaac Rudansky, I really wanted to work at his agency. I applied to him. He was gonna give me an interview, but I didn’t pass the test, but it’s okay, like I said. Yeah, so there are a few.

Seth: Isaac’s pretty intense. I know Cynthia worked for him. But I just gotta stress this, guys, I don’t know if you’re watching this you’re in high school or you’re in college. I mean, I’ve had students, I’ve known people who have two college degrees, sent out hundreds of job applications and receive literally zero responses. And this still happens all the time. So to even get a response or an interview is a huge accomplishment. And also Morgan, you had the absolute right attitude. For anyone in the course or anyone doing anything really, I remember you started interviewing and I was like, this is amazing. Like, you’re 19, you’ve never been trained in this. No one in school ever talked to you about this stuff. You’re starting from scratch. You’re like in kindergarten. And you did, you had like a few interviews and I remember you felt they didn’t go well. Now, it’s possible you’re just being hard on yourself and they went better than you thought that they did, but you had the right attitude. You were like, okay, I’m just gonna keep going, I’m gonna stay positive. And that is really the key to success. I had other people who are like, they have one interview and they go, oh, I didn’t get the job, this doesn’t work. And I’m like, well, that’s all your mindset, man. You kept going and I think it’s really awesome. Like, the blog and showing that you have experience has made a difference with so many other students, but in your case, it really connected you to this company, which I think is awesome. So now they hired you really based, I think, it sounds like on your knowledge and cultural fit. And now that you’re working there, you’re making 52K a year, did they just hand you a bunch of stuff and say, okay, market our company, or are you getting some support, what’s it like?

Morgan:  Yeah, I have a tremendous amount of support. I was nervous about that. Now you mentioned that, I was like, oh my gosh, I’m just gonna get thrown into this and I’m not gonna know what I’m doing, but it started off pretty slow. So it’s kind of confusing deal where our company’s working with an agency right now, but we’re currently taking it in-house so we’re just in that process right now, but I’m running the Bing campaigns and the Google campaigns for this mental health company, but… Sorry, I lost track of the question.

Seth: That’s okay. That’s okay. I know how that can happen. No, I just I wanted you to kind of illustrate to people what you were telling me about what it’s like to work there, the support and the things you’re learning. Were you just sort of thrown into it, like you said, or were you given support?

Morgan:  Yeah, absolutely not. I was given support and I’m working underneath a digital marketing manager. And so we Zoom call every single day. And we walk through things together and we kind of bounce ideas off of each other. And then I work alongside the social media content manager, and we’re all just kind of like in a group setting. So in-house is a little different, we all just kind of bounce ideas off of each other. So there’s the SEO people and then the social media people and collaborate on different projects, help each other out. There’s no wrong answers, it’s trial and error. So yeah, I mean, I definitely didn’t feel like I was thrown into anything at all. It’s been a very smooth, easy process and it’s allowed me to learn more digital marketing on the side as well. That’s how easy and fun it is.

Seth: That’s so great. And speaking of on the side, didn’t you tell me you have… Is this your only source of income or do you have additional sources of income?

Morgan: I have another freelance client. I’ve had her for I’d say four or five months now. She’s great. Software, selling software. I make a thousand dollars a month for her. I found her on Upwork. I’ve had a few clients on Upwork, but gotta stick your foot in, get some trial and error before you can keep going. So, yeah, that’s my additional income.

Seth: You’re so underspoken about it. I mean, you’re making over 60K a year essentially at 19 and you’re enjoying yourself. I can’t tell you how rare that is. Now I lost my train of thought, I was gonna ask you one more question. Oh, so what was it like, I wanted to ask you about dropping out of college, but like, you did this all on your own, right? I mean, you are by yourself at the computer, you’re taking this online course. What was your experience like in the course? Did you feel like you were alone, or what was the community like?

Morgan:  Right, the community was the best part. I will tell you, if you really put yourself into that community, I felt rejuvenated every single time I got off those calls with Nicholas and I even did some one on one calls with him and he did some like extra therapy sessions with me ’cause I would ask him some questions. The community was really the part that kept me going. And I remember Nick was telling me that when he started, he didn’t have that community. And I was astonished. I was like, that takes tremendous mental strength to do that. But yes, I have had a handful of people that I still keep in contact with to this day, probably will for the rest of my life. And this community was basically my college community that I didn’t get. So it was definitely, yeah, I will always be bonded.

Seth: I am so thrilled because you know how passionate I am about people skipping college. And one of the big draws of college for everybody, myself included, is the social, right? You’re gonna pay all this money and waste all your time in these classes because you get to meet other people and party. And that was always the liability of learning online. So when I created this course, that was one of my visions. I was like, I wanna have this community that is as great if not better than college. And I’m so happy. And the funny thing is, when Nick took the course, the community was there ’cause I had the forum inside the members area, but it was only this year that I really focused on that Facebook group. And I think the Facebook group is where you probably met and the coaching calls and all that other stuff.

Morgan: Yeah, the coaching calls, Facebook group.

Seth: I wanted to ask you a little bit more about dropping out of college just because I know a lot of people watching, a lot of my subscribers are in that same position you’re in. And I even had a student I interviewed or spoke to last week. You’re kind of held hostage by your parents because you’ve been their child for 18 years. You’re like a baby, you haven’t learned anything about money or jobs. And they are like, we’ll keep giving you money if you do what we say, which is go to college. So how did you bring yourself to make that decision to not go along with the program and what was it like for you?

Morgan:  Whew, that’s a loaded question. So it was definitely intimidating, it was scary. Love my family, but ultimately I knew that I had to do what was right for me and what I knew that I could do as a human being and just unleash my potential. I was always kind of an outcast and I wanted to do things differently. That’s always been how I am. And so I would say the main thing that kept my parents from really just dropping me off the edge of the earth was keeping them updated with my progress and really showing them things that I’m doing in this course and I was setting a path for me, but I was also telling them about it, just keeping an open dialogue, because if you kind of keep things a secret, that’s where it can get a little messy. But ultimately, just diving in even when you’re not ready and that kind of applies to every aspect of your life. You’re gonna think that you’re not ready and you’re never gonna be fully ready, but that’s when you need to just take action. And if you’re not happy, you gotta do something about it ’cause you’re just gonna get stuck. Like, I don’t know. And it was the best decision I ever made, even though it was scary for a few months, it really was. But you have to take risks. And if you wanna become a digital marketer too, they tell you, you have to take risks in order to be successful in the campaigns. And so it’s just like, you just got to take risks sometimes.

Seth: Well said, well said. I’m gonna dig into this a little more and this might even be a separate video. So just like logistically, because I know a lot of people, like you, again, your parents are paying for college, I assume, and they’re paying for your housing. So you told me-

Morgan:  I was paying for that. I was paying for that.

Seth: Oh, you were paying for your housing?

Morgan: I was paying for my housing, yes.

Seth: Oh, okay. So you already had money from DoorDash?

Morgan:  Yes, I did. I’ve always been kind of like a hustler, so I’ve saved up a fair amount of money in order to allow me to move out at the age of 18.

Seth: So did you move out when you were 18?

Morgan: I moved out when I was 18 to live with roommates.

Seth: Okay, well, that is a very key point because one of the things I was gonna talk about is that… So what power do your parents really have over you? And in some cases-

Morgan: Exactly. What’s that?

Seth: Yeah, so it’s emotional, psychological, financial, and what I say, everybody should be like you and the first thing you have the most control over is financial. Well, so it depends on the situation in the family, but financial is a very powerful component. So if you took it upon yourself to work part-time jobs while you’re in high school, save money, literally like you said, when you live with roommates, it’s cheaper and you just have to have that attitude of I’m gonna get out of the house because you have so little power when you’re living in the home of the people who they’re paying for everything. You’re like still like a child. You’re like a baby. I made that mistake in my twenties. I came home like two or three times. I was out in the world doing my thing. And for some reason, it’s like I was the first generation of people who did this craziness. And when I was back home, I love my parents, but it was difficult for me and it was difficult for them because it’s just unnatural. You’re supposed to be out there. I mean, unless you’re in a culture, some cultures, people all stay together, but I mean, in our culture, in the Western culture, if you wanna be independent and grow up and be an adult, you have to move out on your own. And if you’re living in Ohio, it sounds to me like it was manageable, right? It’s not like you live in L.A. where you have to pay thousands and thousands of dollars every month for rent. You had to pay a few hundred dollars a month in rent.

Yes. It was like 600. Wasn’t that bad. And then obviously still working part-time on the side, but yeah, I would, sorry, go ahead.

Seth: Oh, no, this is last thing I’ll say, and I’ll let you talk, which is that. So you said your parents dropping you off the face of the earth. Again, they didn’t have financial power over you because you moved out. What did you mean by that, like, dropping you off the face of the earth?

Morgan: So it always has, if I’m gonna be vulnerable here, it’s always been really rocky with my parents from the start, but that’s definitely, like, we’re tighter than ever and my parents and I are just ever since, yeah, it’s been great. But yes, they did threaten to completely cut me off emotionally, financially, ’cause they did help me pay for… What were they paying for? Like, my car bill and medical and insurance. And that was basically it. But yeah, they kind of threatened to cut off all communication lines with me and stuff like that, which I really didn’t want. So that’s what I meant by dropping me off the face of the earth.

Seth: Well, I appreciate you sharing that because frankly, that is what a lot of parents do. When I was your age, I feel so old, I was not of this mindset. I was a college, you know, I was indoctrinated. So I wanted to go to college and I didn’t know it was gonna be as big a waste. But a lot of people come to me in this situation and their parents are threatening them, holding them hostage, emotionally manipulating them with like, you know. And that is a real manipulation to say, I’m going to cut off communication with you if you don’t do what I say. That’s just so manipulative. But it’s normal because parents feel this pressure because of their own indoctrination into the belief this is what my child should do. But a lot of young people aren’t as enterprising as you to take the initiative to work and to support themselves. So I think that’s really fantastic. And like when you said they were still paying for some of your stuff, like, yeah, I mean, yeah, how are you supposed to afford all those things? Now, I’m just curious, just getting logistical, are you generally healthy?

Morgan:  Like, what do you mean healthy?

Seth: You have like a chronic illness or anything?

Morgan: Nope.

Seth: Okay. I was just saying in terms of like health insurance, so I was like, yeah, if your parents are saying, we’re not gonna pay for your health insurance when you’re 19 or 20, I’d be like, you know.

Morgan:  The older I get, the more educated I get about all this insurance stuff, but yeah, it just seemed like a big deal. So I was like, whoa, better not mess with that.

Seth: That’s the reason I’m talking about this for people watching, is like, yeah. This is what I put in my book, “Skip College for Success”. I should probably make a separate book that isn’t about college, just about how to be an adult because you’re not taught this. And the reason I’m so passionate is because I was so good at school and I’m almost embarrassed by that because it was so worthless, it was such a worthless thing. Like, I got an A on this test. 20 years later, 10 years later, who cares? I never learned anything about money or just surviving as an adult. And I even tried to get my dad, I remember I was gonna talk to him about this even though in my forties, and say dad, you never talked to me about this stuff. I’d ask questions about loans and money and they just wouldn’t. It’s not a conversation. Parents are very weird about money, a lot of parents. So that’s why you’ve got to educate yourself, you have to learn about taxes, you’ve got to learn about this. Remember, you’re making great money, but you’re gonna pay those taxes. You’re gonna learn about paying rent and the utilities and your car payments. And it’s like, this is basic stuff, but it’s like most people 18 or 19 are literally like babies. They’re like, “What’s rent?” I have to pay someone money to live in a place?

Morgan: Yeah, though it can get pretty crazy pretty fast.

Seth: So Morgan, this is fantastic and I’m so excited for you because you’re really just at the very beginning of your journey, you’re learning new things, you’re being trained, you’re making money. You managed to be true to yourself and be accepted by your family, which I think is very important. And by the way, I do think it’s very important, people, to hear that if you go off on your own, you get a respect from your family. I had the same thing. I was always doing my own crazy thing. And for a while, there was like a question, is he crazy? And now that I stand on my own two feet and I’m my own man, there’s a deeper respect and a deeper ability for me to love my parents because I don’t feel like they’re, you know, they don’t have any power over me and we just love each other. And it sounds like you’re having that with your parents.

Morgan:  I do. And it wasn’t like that. I will tell you it was rough and it’s beautiful now. So, yeah.

Seth: That’s fantastic. So is there anything you’d like to say to me or to the people watching the interview?

Morgan:  Yeah, I think the one thing that you would take away from this or that I want you to take away from this is that it’s all up here. Really, once you realize that you can do whatever you want and you can utilize your powers up here, you can accomplish anything. It’s only your mind that’s limiting you to say, I can’t do this, this is too hard, this is too much work. It’s just your mindset. And I mean, I actually, sorry, this is kind of a side thing, but if you’re interested in learning about it, this book, “Psycho-Cybernetics”, the best book about how your success mechanism works for your brain. And it just really opened my eyes to pursuing everything that I wanna have. And like you said, I’m just getting started and I know so many other people are just getting starting, but it is possible and you 100% got this and people are here to support you, not tear you down.

Seth: That’s great. Do you have anything you wanna say to people about the course itself, anyone who’s considering the course?

Morgan: Yeah, this course, just the best thing that has ever happened, changed my life. Seth, Andrea, Nicholas, amazing. The support here is just constant. The course really just provides you the framework for what you need to really get a job, that’s all you need. And yes, there’s a lot more that you learn after that, but just to get your foot in the door, this is the perfect spot. And just open your curiosity levels. Very grateful to have found this course. And if anyone is debating whether or not they wanna sign up and really invest in this, I’m telling you to do it. It’s completely worth it. I mean, you’ve just heard my story, so hopefully that’s motivating enough.

Seth: Oh, you froze up for a second there, but that’s very well said. And well, great. And can people reach out to you if they want to ask any questions on LinkedIn?

Morgan: Yes, if you wanna reach out to me on LinkedIn, it should just be my name, Morgan Pico, also Facebook.

Seth: I’ll put the link up. Yeah.

Morgan: Any questions, be more than happy to answer.

Seth: Awesome. I appreciate that. And thanks for sharing that with people. Yeah, this is why I’m so passionate about it. You are the embodiment of skip college for success and you’re only 19. So we’ll do follow-up interviews. I’m super excited to see where you go not just professionally, but personally. I’m happy for you and your family and your studio with your crazy cat that we saw a little bit of during the interview. So anyway, Morgan, thanks so much for talking with me and we’ll talk soon.

Morgan:  Yeah, appreciate it. Yep, thank you so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure.

Seth: You’re welcome. Bye-bye.

Morgan: Bye.