Online bootcamps and learning programs are becoming a popular way for people to learn new skill sets that can jumpstart their careers.
However, combing through the internet to find the program that meets your career objectives can be a challenge.
That's where Career Karma comes in. The website considers a user's job history, skills and career goals and then matches them with one of hundreds of tech bootcamps or training programs available on its marketplace.
The startup is setting its sights on new goals as it scales. In January, Career Karma raised $40 million in a series B round stacked with investors, including Google Ventures, SoftBank and Y Combinator. Now, the company is partnering with businesses to connect employees and contractors with job training programs that can help them advance to the next stage of their careers.
"Most people go to bootcamps focused on building a specific skill and holding themselves accountable to get a job, promotion or raise," CEO Ruben Harris said.
Career Karma, which is free for users, earns a fee every time it successfully matches a student to a school or bootcamp. The courses must be available online and offer accessible financing options, such as deferred tuition or income-based repayment options, to be included in Career Karma's marketplace.
The ability to pick up new skills, and quickly, has been essential since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people turned to tech bootcamps to help them transition into new jobs after layoffs or long-term business closures, while others were forced to boost their digital skills to master remote work during lockdown.
Miami's large hospitality and service sector makes it an ideal location to grow the enterprise side of Career Karma, Harris said.
"Those jobs are susceptible to automation," he said. "Rather than cutting those jobs, employers can offer education benefits [to workers] for IT roles that will need to be filled."
There's plenty of potential demand: As many as 375 million people worldwide will need to switch careers by 2030 as automation, artificial intelligence and digitization disrupt traditional jobs, according to the McKinsey Global Institute.
"Most of those people won't go to college to change careers," Harris said. "They'll use job training programs."
Career Karma went through the Y Combinator program in 2019. The Mountain View, California-based accelerator was behind the launches of tech heavyweights such as Airbnb, Coinbase, DoorDash, Reddit and Twitch. Career Karma received a financial investment, along with mentors and peers who encouraged its founders to do everything possible to make the concept a success.
"The biggest benefit of participating was having mentors and colleagues who have done it all before and hold you accountable," Harris said. "That kind of positive peer pressure keeps you on track."
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