Aaron McDaniel is a corporate manager & entrepreneur with a passion for helping millennials build the foundation for successful careers. He is also the author of The Young Professional's Guide to the Working World: Savvy Strategies to Get In, Get Ahead, and Rise to the Top. After graduating from UC Berkeley’s Haas Undergraduate School of Business, Aaron entered the Leadership Development Program at AT&T, a Fortune Global 100 company. After holding various management roles, Aaron was one of the youngest to serve as Regional Vice President. His experience includes roles in marketing, customer service, operations, business development, strategy, and sales management, where he was named to AT&T's Diamond Club, being recognized as one of the company’s top 1% of sales leaders worldwide.
Aaron is the founder of multiple ventures, one that successfully sold in 2012. He is also the founder of Spark Source, an organization focused on empowering young professionals to succeed in their careers. His passion for helping young professionals succeed reaches back to his time at Haas where he instructed the highly rated student-led course, “Leadership and Organizational Dynamics” from 2002–2004. As an active member of the National Speakers Association, Aaron continues to share strategies for success, having spoken at many universities and to young professionals at top companies like Wells Fargo.
Outside of his professional life Aaron is passionate about giving back to the community through active involvement in the Full Circle Fund, Junior Achievement, and as a “Big” in Big Brothers Big Sisters. In 2011, Aaron founded the Jill Wakeman Foundation for Equality and is always on the hunt for new restaurants and cultural experiences in San Francisco, where he lives. You can follow Aaron's blog at YPEdge.com.
Is Going to College Really Worth the Cost?
The cost of college has steadily risen over the years. So is earning a degree still worth it? Our experts explain why it is for several unexpected reasons.