April 16, 2026

Fixing the Gap Between the Degree and the Job

By Kim Bode

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Every single thing an employee does or does not do has a direct impact on your company’s growth; when they cannot communicate, solve problems independently, or navigate basic workplace dynamics, it costs you a whole bunch of money.

This isn’t about degrees or technical certifications; it’s about people who cannot communicate, solve problems independently, or navigate basic workplace dynamics, and it is costing us a lot of money. In a small business environment, every single thing an employee does or does not do has a direct impact on operations, and when these skills are missing, we become the default solution for everything. Instead of focusing on growth, strategy, and actually running the company, we end up mired in details and problems employees should be able to work through on their own.

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If you ever need proof that personal brand matters...Kim got to see the @nasaartemis II launch in person as a direct result of her Big Deal Energy™.

You need to work hard, show up authentically, and provide value. That was her message to a room full of students and young professionals at @western_michigan_pmi`s theProject Collegiate Competition.

The Big Deal Energy™ Workshop is on June 23. Register at the link in bio.

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Employers think Gen Z is lazy, entitled, and will quit the second things get hard. That perception is keeping you out of the room before you ever get a chance to prove otherwise.

The good news is, you can flip the script, but it will take some serious work and a personal brand, or as Kim Bode refers to it: Big Deal Energy™.

Kim is speaking at theProject™ Collegiate Event, hosted by the Project Management Institute Western Michigan Chapter on April 14. She`ll cover how to build a personal brand that actually sounds like you (not ChatGPT) and how you can show your value through social, content and networking.

Link in bio to learn more.

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We are so focused on unraveling the cause that we lost sight of the people in the center of it. Kim`s recent piece in the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan`s FOCUS Magazine on the Hard Cost of Soft Skills struck a nerve.

Everyone has an opinion on who`s to blame for where the skills gap is, but nobody is actually fixing it. It`s why we`re having this conversation.

Join us on April 28, link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18110696536811979

We are so focused on unraveling the cause that we lost sight of the people in the center of it. Kim's recent piece in the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan's FOCUS Magazine on the Hard Cost of Soft Skills struck a nerve.

Everyone has an opinion on who's to blame for where the skills gap is, but nobody is actually fixing it. It's why we're having this conversation.

Join us on April 28, link in bio.

Last week, we got to see history. The kind you remember where you were when it happened.

Kim was there on April 1 for the @nasa Artemis II launch - the first crewed flight around the moon in more than 50 years.

We don`t take moments or opportunities like this for granted.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18073557704220854

Last week, we got to see history. The kind you remember where you were when it happened.

Kim was there on April 1 for the @nasa Artemis II launch - the first crewed flight around the moon in more than 50 years.

We don't take moments or opportunities like this for granted.

No one talks about how lonely it is to own a business. The tough decisions land on you, the business doesn`t pause when you need a break, and nobody - not your employees or your spouse - really gets it.

If you know a business owner, tell them they`re doing a good job. It matters more than you know.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18115092436709128

No one talks about how lonely it is to own a business. The tough decisions land on you, the business doesn't pause when you need a break, and nobody - not your employees or your spouse - really gets it.

If you know a business owner, tell them they're doing a good job. It matters more than you know.

The growth stage is the hardest part of building a business.

Kim was recently quoted in @corpmagazine on what she sees running the Women`s Entrepreneurial Fellowship: women who have built something, survived the hardest part, and are still doing everything themselves. The natural tendency to be humble and attached to their work creates unique business challenges for women; they put up walls because they can`t be vulnerable.

Meanwhile, when a woman CEO needs growth capital, she compiles three years of tax returns before a bank will schedule a meeting, while her male competitor closes the same deal over drinks.

When women have access to the right resources, they grow and invest back. Full article at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18078804740143427

The growth stage is the hardest part of building a business.

Kim was recently quoted in @corpmagazine on what she sees running the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship: women who have built something, survived the hardest part, and are still doing everything themselves. The natural tendency to be humble and attached to their work creates unique business challenges for women; they put up walls because they can't be vulnerable.

Meanwhile, when a woman CEO needs growth capital, she compiles three years of tax returns before a bank will schedule a meeting, while her male competitor closes the same deal over drinks.

When women have access to the right resources, they grow and invest back. Full article at the link in bio.

Join Us for Uncomfortable Conversations: The Skills Crisis

April 28, 2026

We’re putting employers and Gen Z in the same room, across a table from each other. They’ll discuss what’s working, what’s missing, and what they wish the other side understood.

Fixing the Gap Between the Degree and the Job

8THIRTYFOUR Skills Survival School

8THIRTYFOUR Skills Survival School

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