Matt Wilkerson is the CEO and co-founder of Extern, a company on a mission to help anyone discover and launch their career through real professional experiences. Extern has created externships for leading companies such as AT&T, HSBC, Meta, PwC, Home Depot, and National Geographic, serving more than 35,000 students and career switchers.

In this episode, I talk with Matt about the externship model and its impact. Matt shares his journey from growing up in Atlanta, to attending MIT, and eventually founding Extern. He discusses the challenges students face in gaining practical work experience, particularly in the current landscape where traditional internships are becoming more scarce. We also discuss broader issues in higher education, such as the misalignment between academic training and real-world job requirements, and how Extern’s model seeks to reimagine the pathway from education to employment.

In this episode:
(00:00) - Introduction to Extern’s vision
(01:05) - Meet Matt Wilkerson
(01:49) - Matt’s early life and career aspirations
(03:02) - Entrepreneurial beginnings
(05:33) - The journey to MIT and beyond
(09:15) - Founding Extern
(15:15) - Challenges in higher education and employment
(25:11) - Skills-based hiring
(26:24) - Challenges in internship programs
(29:30) - Introducing the externship model
(30:36) - Scaling externships for broader impact
(41:06) - Measuring success and future plans
(45:38) - Final thoughts and advice for graduates

Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.

ABOUT MINDFUL MONEY:
Do you struggle with money? You’re not alone.

Money is a means, not an end. It’s a necessity of life for sure, but more money does not always guarantee a “good life”. Money enables many aspects of modern life, but as a dominant consideration, it becomes destructive.

The paradox is that more time and energy spent on personal finance does NOT create better outcomes. Unlike many other parts of life, we can’t create better outcomes by being smarter, spending more time, or putting in more effort.

Join Mindful Money author and experienced 40-year investor Jonathan DeYoe as he shares stories from artists, authors, entrepreneurs, and other advisors about how they mindfully minimize their need to think about money and get more out of life.

If you aren’t happy with your finances, feel like money takes more time than it should, or want to place your financial decisions into the broader context of your life, this show is for you.

Each episode will draw the line between the “enough” activities that the academics tell us are additive to family outcomes, and those “little bit more” efforts that take time and sap energy but do NOT improve outcomes.

CONNECT WITH MATT:
Website: https://www.extern.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwilkerson

MINDFUL MONEY RESOURCES:
Website: https://mindful.money
Jonathan DeYoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandeyoe
Mindful Money on X / Twitter: https://x.com/MindfulMoney_Ed
Mindful Money on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindfulMoneyPlan
Mindful Money on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmoneyplan
Mindful Money on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney

🎙️Podcast Production by Turncast: https://turncast.com.