Jonaed Iqbal

NoDegree.com

NoDegree.com is a career resource for people without college degrees. Search jobs, sort through career advice and more at NoDegree.com 

•	Design go-to-market-strategy and develop product roadmap, bootstrapping company to positive annual cashflows
•	Research SEO, marketing, branding, and affiliate marketing to prioritize content, features, and products
•	Spearhead website redesign with web development team using agile methodologies and adapting to changing markets
•	Place 50 sales, IT, marketing, and business development candidates at small and medium sized businesses
•	Develop, present 20+ networking and resume workshops to 500+ job seekers at nonprofit organizations
•	Create curriculum and teach summer high school classes to 60+ students on entrepreneurship and networking
•	Analyze Gallup Strength Finder reports and assist 52+ clients with career development goals/strategies
•	Write 300+ resumes in front of clients for 1K+ hours (2-6 hour sessions) and assist clients with career development strategies, landing clients jobs at Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Disney, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Sony, and Tesla

Program Manager & Recruiter

•	Present 20+ networking and resume workshops to 500+ job seekers at nonprofit organizations
•	Teach summer high school classes to 60+ students on entrepreneurship, networking, and communication
•	Analyze Gallup Strength Finder reports and assist 52+ clients with career development goals/strategies
•	Write 300+ resumes in front of clients for 1K+ hours (2-6 hour sessions) and assist clients with job searching strategies, landing clients jobs at Amazon, Adorama, Coinbase, Disney, DraftKings, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Tesla, and the IRS

My process is very different.

If you are looking for someone who just writes a resume based off of a few job descriptions, that isn't me.  I will sit down with my clients for 3-6 hours and ask a lot of questions. I need to dig out their accomplishments to make them stand out. I write the resume in front of my clients so that they can see how it is done.

Career Coach & Community Manager

No Degree? No Problem! The NoDegree Podcast helps those without degrees figure out the opportunities that are available to them. Get career advice and learn how to navigate and succeed without a degree. NoDegree will interview successful people without college degrees to figure what made them successful. Learn how they got into their respective fields and listen to the advice they have so you can follow in their path. 

•	Notable Guests: JT McCormick (Scribe Media CEO), Demetrious Johnson (UFC Fighter), Sheridan Clayborne (LendTable)
•	Release 90 episodes and interview CEOs, founders, employees, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes without college degrees, generating 250K+ downloads

Podcast Host

Ace Virtual Agency

ACE was created to bring premier virtual events to companies that need exceptional virtual events. 
 
With a strong background in the physical event world, marketing, and strategy, we apply our deep knowledge to every event produced for our clients. Our team has done 300+ events.
 
ACE can handle everything from virtual networking events to full, turnkey, virtual conference solutions. We made it happen many times before, and we will do the same for you.

• Partner with Remo engineering team to define/prioritize features, customer needs, and architectural improvements • Collaborate with 3 partners to generate $1M+ in sales from event management, tech support, and consulting services 
• Train and mentor 30+ college students and working professionals on tech support, careers, and communication 
• Hire team of 80+ through referrals and word of mouth globally
• Deliver exceptional customer service, resulting in recurring business and events from 22 clients • Host virtual careers with 300+ attendees and speakers from Google, Microsoft, Tesla, NBC, NASA, LinkedIn, and Twitch • Host 300+ virtual events with 30-1K+ attendees for global clients (nonprofits, associations, enterprises)

Content Strategist

EOS Network Foundation

•	Develop social audio strategy and host Twitter spaces,
•	Research, script, and shoot content creation course on learn portal to support UGC initiatives and ambassador program
•	Foster relationships with Web3/blockchain community and generate repeat speakers on social audio 
•	Interview 10 Web3 professionals on blockchain, industry trends, forecasts, and marketing strategies
•	Conduct LinkedIn strategy workshops for marketing and developer relations departments

Developer Advocate

NHP Talent Group

Recruiter

Amazon

MetLife

•	Modeled $50B+ of monthly liabilities and future sales assumptions for 5 products using company interest rates
•	Utilized VBA to reduce time spent on monthly processes by 50% (10 hours weekly) and improve reporting infrastructure
•	Consolidated liabilities, assets, expenses, and net investment income to report projected earnings for 7 institutional finance products and present variances and insights to senior executives and key business partners

Actuarial Analyst

Today’s Tutors Tomorrow’s Teachers (Queens College Tutoring Club)

Recruited by the club president to tutor students in high school, undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses
•	Condensed 5 hours of lecture material into hourly tutoring sessions resulting in an average 22 point increase in scores
•	Taught students how to apply mathematical theories through real world applications

Tutor

@NoDegree.com | Recruiting Nontraditional Talent That Transforms Businesses | Host @The NoDegree Podcast | ATS Executive Resumes | Resume, Job Search, & LinkedIn optimization course on website | 290+ LinkedIn Reviews

Giving is my fuel.

I felt like I was locked in a cage, producing excel reports for executives that looked at them for just a few seconds at most. I wasn’t impacting anyone. My future was bound to be filled with useless meetings as the core of my personality, my passion for helping people, wasted away.

Did you know that 95% of job postings are inaccurate and misleading? The job search and interview process is broken. Many good candidates pass over listings because they don’t feel they’re good enough and, instead, unfit candidates apply. There is also a stigma associated with people without college degrees, who’re most often left behind as a result. You wouldn't judge your mechanic by his/her ability to pass a math test, would you? 

For job seekers who are seeking employment or looking to transition, NoDegree provides customized career strategy assistance. 

For businesses who need assistance with their recruiting and interview process, NoDegree’s role allows you to gain a competitive advantage by having “the right” employee. While you focus on your company culture and bottom line, the candidate you need for your business is being filtered and found. 

Most recruiters just try to push candidates through so they can get their fee. NoDegree is different. Through the established relationship with the candidate, knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses, NoDegree only places them in environments that they will excel in.

NoDegree works with companies that see past the college degree. Companies like Google, VaynerMedia, IBM and others are on the forefront of this new trend. I am a fierce advocate for extraordinary individuals who have chosen to bypass the traditional college route and go straight into impacting the world. 

I remember all the people that were kind to me and my mission is to make a difference in companies and in lives. Empathy makes the world a better place and I’m proud to be a contributor. My dream of giving for a living has come true in so many ways. 

Let’s connect. I have not hit the 30K connection limit. Send me a message if you feel we can work together. I will provide the highest level of service because that's what you deserve.

https://link.chtbl.com/TheNoDegreePodcast

Talent Program Manager

Smiling Bowtie

I used to teach people how to lead with emotional intelligence.
Now, I build technology that does the same.

After two decades in tech, product, and leadership, I realized something big... the apps we use every day influence how we feel just as much as how we function. Yet most are built for efficiency, not empathy.

So, I pivoted.

Today, Smiling Bowtie helps founders, solopreneurs, and small business owners turn their boldest ideas into AI-powered apps that hit different. Designed with trust, emotion, and human connection built right in.

What that looks like:

AI App Development — Custom AI applications built with emotionally intelligent UX. From concept to deployment, I design for trust and adoption, not just features.

Human-Centered AI Consulting — Helping product teams design user flows that increase engagement and retention by turning powerful AI into experiences people actually love using.

Fractional Product & Experience Partner — Architecting both the technology and the human journey behind AI products. Strategy, security, and emotion in one.

Because the best tech doesn’t just work.
It feels right.

And that’s the real competitive edge.

Founder and Chief Product Officer

Human connection has always been at the core of what I do.
After two decades in tech and leadership, I realized people weren’t hiring me for my technical skills, they were hiring me for how I showed up: authentic, curious, and connected.

That insight sparked The Bowtie Effect. A framework for strengthening emotional intelligence to build trust, engagement, and psychologically safe teams.

Through keynotes, coaching, and workshops, I’ve helped 100+ leaders and teams turn emotional intelligence into real connection and communication that actually sticks.

Because great leadership isn’t about charisma, it’s about connection.

Founder & Chief EQ Strategist

The Outlier Project

Member

University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies

•In-class instruction for continuing education students on DevOps, its principles and practices, and applications in the current workplace
•Developed, and presented topics surrounding DevOps: Life Before DevOps, SDLC framework, Agile Principles, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Continuous delivery/deployment, Pillars of DevOps, DevOps tools

DevOps Guest Lecturer

ObjectSharp (a Centrilogic Company)

Helping teams deliver value through the benefits of business agility through mentorship, training, and team/1-on-1 coaching.

Team Agility Coach

•Helped form several cross-functional, self-organizing scrum teams across the areas of learning, networking, and employee enablement within TD's Infrastructure Technology Solutions.
•Coached and led one-on-ones, on-the-spot coaching, and workshops for up to 30 people.
•Facilitated Scrum Events, Agile Games along with Scrum of Scrums.
•Identified many scrum anti-patterns that were the root causes of impediments and ongoing late delivery through Value Stream Mapping
•Helped teams build trust and psychological safety through assessments and custom workshops, and increasing throughput by 20%
•Increased team happiness factor which increased the amount of value-based outcomes by 30%

Scrum Master / Agile Coach

AntonIT Training

•Presented technical topics with emphasis on Google Cloud Platform, resulting in 100% pass rate for certification exam
•Developed and implemented a complete syllabus and 80 hours of instructional videos for the Associate Cloud Engineer, Professional Cloud Architect, and Professional Cloud Security Engineer Google Cloud certifications
•Learned new technologies and apply knowledge to teach 1500+ students’ and communicate in Slack community
•Coached and mentored leaders, teams, and individuals on cloud, DevOps, Agile, career growth, and certification prep to secure cloud related roles

Trainer / Agile Coach

Slalom

•Facilitated first virtual Cloud Academy with 35 students with a 100% pass rate for AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification
•Developed 20 hours of in-class technical training content with an emphasis on Amazon Web Services
•Measured the effectiveness of the training through created activities, reporting a 90% student comprehension rate
•Coached and mentored students to deepen their knowledge and for better understanding of technical concepts
•Partnered with cross-functional stakeholders and Slalom Partners (Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Hashicorp) to develop new AWS, GCP, and Terraform training initiatives to upskill technical staff

Technical Cloud Instructor / Team facilitator

IGNITE

LinkedIn Local Panel Speaker

Linux Academy

•Developed and implemented a complete syllabus while presenting all the technical topics needed for passing the  Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer certification exam on the Google Cloud Platform, leading to 15K+ students taking the course
•Developed Lucidchart architectural diagrams accompanying each component of the course

Google Cloud Training Architect

Slalom Build

•Communicated with clients on a business level and translated their needs into technical solutions
•Collaborated with a team of engineers to create fully automated pipelines for developer environments 
•Cloud agnostic architect (AWS, GCP, Azure) with specialties on the AWS platform
•Developed/implemented complex automation tasks using DevOps methodologies and Agile principles, resulting in a 40% reduction of time
•Contributor/facilitator in Scrum events (backlog refinement, daily scrum, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives)
•Coached and mentored junior engineers
•Facilitated internal/external learning activities and presentations, to promote knowledge sharing
•Designed and implemented end to end Continuous Delivery pipelines (Bitbucket, CircleCI, Jenkins, Codepipeline) while using configuration management and Infrastructure as Code tools (Cloudformation, Terraform, Ansible, Packer)

Senior Cloud and DevOps Engineer

Make happiness your company’s superpower | Using positivity experiments and a happiness blueprint to unlock your team’s performance | Team Coach | Founder @ Smiling Bowtie

You’re Not Just Building an App. You’re Building a Feeling.

Most founders think they’re selling a product.
They’re not.
They’re selling a feeling.

Confidence. Ease. Trust. Belonging.

But somewhere between the idea in your head and the code on the screen, that feeling gets lost. 
It gets buried under features, frameworks, and friction.

That’s where I come in.

I don’t just build apps.
I build experiences that feel right.

The kind that makes your audience say, “Finally, someone gets me.”
The kind that turns your big idea into something people actually use and love.

Because good tech doesn’t just work.
It connects.

And connection is what makes your brand unforgettable.

ABOUT ME
🧠 EQ-Driven App Builder & Fractional CTO
💡 I turn ideas into apps that hit different
👔 Former Engineer, Product Manager & Leadership Coach
🎤 7× Career Pivoter & Global Keynote Speaker
🎀 Bowtie Loyalist | 🍕 Pizza-Fueled | 💻 DevOps Nerd Turned App Genius

Hey, I’m Antoni!

A systems-thinking creative who spent 20+ years leading in fashion, tech, devops, coaching, and EQ before realizing something big:

I wasn’t meant to just build systems.
I was meant to build experiences that make people feel something.

Now I help founders, solopreneurs, and small business owners bring their ideas to life through emotionally intelligent design. The kind of apps that feel as good as they function.

Sometimes that looks like building custom AI apps designed for trust, not just features.
Other times it’s helping product teams craft user flows that increase engagement and retention.
And for growing businesses, it’s partnering as a Fractional Product & Experience lead, architecting both the tech and the human journey behind AI products.

Because the future of tech isn’t just artificial intelligence.
It’s emotional intelligence... built right in.

Antoni Tzavelas, ACC

I’m ecstatic to have started this software company with Danny DelVecchio ✌️ over a month ago, and I'm making it official today that I’m Co-Founder at Content On Easy Mode!

We're about to make waves!!

Your App Genius | Turn your ideas into full apps that feel as good as they function | AI Technologist | Fractional CTO | Coffee + Pizza Aficionado

I spent the whole weekend knocked out by the flu.  
Not the cute kind either.

Even coding felt challenging, like I had mittens on.
 
So I tapped out and Netflix and tea it was.
 
I’m still a bit wobbly, but I’ll be back at it tomorrow with more updates on what I’ve been building.
 
Funny how a little forced shutdown reminds you you’re human.

Yesterday I took a little field trip downtown to the Google offices.  

Yes… an actual show and tell.  

Showing off the apps I’ve been building like they were my secret recipes.
 
I wanted to give the team some real context on the apps I’m building and how they could support me and my co-founders as we get ready to scale. 

And honestly, it felt a bit like coming home. 

You see, I’ve used Google Cloud for years. 
I’ve passed their certs. 
I even used to teach this stuff. 

So of course, it’s the platform I chose to launch everything on.
 
Plus, I want my apps to be ready for 1000's of users overnight (you never know when something you build is about to take off, and I like being prepared).
 
The best part?

Even in a room filled with tech, the real magic was the people.

Through my friend Victor, I met Ashley and Jeffrey, who jumped in right away and helped guide me through exactly what I needed for my startups.

Connection always changes the game for me.  

It’s wild how a single conversation can turn a hard thing into a clear path forward. 

That’s why human connection isn’t just something I teach, it’s how I build, lead, and partner.
 
------
 
Moments like this remind me why one of my unfair advantages is knowing how to build things the right way in the cloud and knowing how to build things with people.

Fast, secure, and built to grow.

Not just the apps, but the relationships behind them.

Not just “it works,” but “it scales,” “it’s safe,” and “it won’t explode when 4,000 people click the same button at once.”

And Google Cloud… you made Bowtie Wednesday feel extra special.  

Like grown-up show and tell with coffee, real conversations, and way better snacks.

We’re finally here.
 
After a month of long days, late nights, and a bit of dancing in my studio… Danny and I are almost ready to launch this thing.
 
It still blows my mind how fast this all happened. One comment, one conversation, and suddenly we were building a real product.

A tool made for creators who want their content on easy mode.
 
I’ve poured everything into it. Not just the tech, but the feeling behind it. I wanted this to run like software people actually want to use. 

Clean. Fast. Simple. 

Something you can open and instantly think, “Yep… this makes my life easier.”
 
Danny’s been right there with me the whole time... refining, testing, and dreaming up what this could become.
 
And now I’m down to the final touches. The tiny details no one sees, but the ones that make all the difference.
 
What gets me is how far we’ve come in just a month. It started as an idea… a spark… a “hey, what if?”
 
Now it’s real. And we’re days away from letting people get their hands on it.
 
I’m psyched. I’m proud.  

And I can’t wait to share what we’ve built.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans!

Grateful for you to be in my life, and me in yours. ❤️

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The last 24 hours was one giant reminder that control is a myth… especially when you spend the whole day wrestling a bug that pretends it isn’t there.

My app worked perfectly on my machine.

Then I deployed it… and it fell apart like wet cardboard.

I kept whispering, “I’m in control,” while the bug laughed at me from behind the cache I wasn’t even looking at. 

Classic.

But honestly? This is why I love building.
The surprises keep me curious.
The chaos keeps me humble.
And the struggle gives me stories.

So no, I didn’t fully win my bug battle.
But I did remember something important:

You can’t predict the future.
You can only debug the present.
And if you can’t laugh at the mess, the mess will laugh at you first.

And here’s a pic of my morning, bug-free  cortado to satisfy the algorithm.

I used to roast people who said AI would change everything. 

Now I’m using it to build apps like it’s nothing.

I swore AI would never touch the coaching world, and honestly, it still can’t do the human stuff.

Feeling someone’s energy.
Catching the pause before the truth lands.
Building trust from real connection.
 
But vibe coding?  Yeah… that flipped everything for me.
 
3 months ago, I went from full-time EQ coaching to building apps. Not because I stopped caring about people, but because I finally saw the future.

Human instinct + machine speed.
 
Every day I sit down, start talking to AI like it’s my co-builder, and watch entire features spin up in front of me.  

It feels like creativity with rocket fuel.  

It’s wild.  
It’s fun.  
And it’s made me rethink what “tech skills” even mean anymore.
 
Here’s the part that even I didn't want to accept... 

If you refuse to adapt, you will fall behind. 
 
Not because AI replaces humans, but because humans who use AI will outpace everyone else.
 
I used to teach emotional intelligence.  
Now I’m building apps that breathe emotional intelligence into how people connect.  

And honestly? 
It feels like my past and my future finally shook hands.
 
This isn’t humans vs AI.  

This is humans who know how to vibe with AI…  and everyone else catching up later.
 
The train’s already moving.  

Better jump on before the doors close.

I found this photo last night and honestly… I had to laugh.

It was a reminder of how far I've come.

When I was 12 my Dad moved my family from the big city of Toronto to the country.

I grew up on a marina in the small town of Pefferlaw, still sporting that city vibe I loved, with a dog named Bronco who loved me more than anything.
 
And honestly… this was me dreaming big before I even knew what dreaming big meant.

Back then, my “big plan” was simple.

Make it through High School, get back to the city, and chase the big dreams of becoming a big name fashion designer... even though my world at the time meant selling minnows and pumping gas.

And trust me… I had zero idea what was ahead.  

No roadmap.  
No strategy.  

Just raw confidence and a dream bigger than the boat parked behind the house.
 
And somehow… that messy, clueless energy carried me through a wild career ride.  Fashion.  Tech.  Cloud.  Coaching.  And now building apps that help people connect in ways that 90’s-me didn’t even know existed.
 
Which brings me to the fun part:
 
If a kid who wanted to be the next big fashion name with absolutely no plan except “look cool in photos” can grow up to build apps that actually make a difference…
 
You better believe your dream is worth chasing too.
 
Go for it.  

Your younger self already thinks you’re cooler than you realize.

I’m sitting in a coffee shop right now vibecoding.  
Yes, actually coding.  

Past-me would’ve laughed at this.

For anyone wondering what “vibecoding” is, it’s simply telling AI what you want and letting it write the code while you focus on the idea. 

No magic. Just prompts.

Now here’s the funny part:  I used to be on the “AI isn’t real coding” train.

Mostly because I didn’t understand it.  

Once I got curious, everything changed, and realized that the train was on it's way to nowhere.

I began prompting, testing, and building, and suddenly, I wasn’t just reading code anymore.

I could build full applications from end to end. 
Architecture, security, frontend, backend. 

All of it.

AI didn’t replace my skills.  
It removed the walls that kept me from using them.

Here’s the part I want you to hear:  

You don’t need to be a full-stack developer to benefit from this.  

If you’re in tech, product, security, devops, coaching, design, heck, anything... curiosity is all you need to start.

Try it.  
See how it fits.  

Not because it’s trendy, but because it might open a door you didn’t know existed.

Because the moment you drop the ego and pick up the curiosity…  You might just find the same freedom I did.
 
And trust me.

That freedom hits different.

I never pass up a real-life coffee chat on Bow Tie Wednesday, especially with a friend I haven’t seen in 6 years.

Yesterday, I met up with my friend Alex. 

We used to bump into each other at cloud events, always busy, always moving. 

But this time, it wasn’t about work or tech. 
It was about life.

We talked about everything.

Work, family, the highs, the lows. 

As the coffee flowed, we dropped the small talk and got real. 
The kind of honest chat where you feel lighter after.

That’s what true connection feels like. 

You can go years without seeing someone and still pick up like no time passed. 

No pretending. 
No walls. 
Just real people being real.

It reminded me that connection isn’t about how often you talk, it’s about showing up fully when you do.

We spend so much time talking through screens. 
But some conversations? 
They need eye contact, not Wi-Fi.

And who knows, I might’ve just found a new office buddy. 😉

You see, connection doesn’t happen by accident. 
It happens when you choose to slow down, make space, and show up for someone. 

That’s where the magic lives.

A part of my journey that I rarely talk about is 2nd attempt at entrepreneurship.

That business was called Mobile Genius.

It was built to help small business owners with their IT setup. 

Back then, Gmail was still giving away free business email, and I was helping people move their operations to the cloud. 

I worked with nightclubs, recruiters, solopreneurs... anyone trying to get their systems running smoothly.

For 2 years, I gave it everything. 

I even planned to buy an ambulance and retrofit it into a mobile repair office. 
My business coach told me to refinance my house to do it. 

That’s when I knew it was time to shut it down.

That chapter taught me three things about entrepreneurship:

1. Resilience — When things fall apart, you get up anyway. Every failed attempt builds your ability to keep moving forward.
   
2. Emotional fortitude — You learn to handle the emotional rollercoaster that comes with risking everything for a vision.

3. Connection — No matter how smart your idea is, it’s the people you meet, help, and learn from who keep you in the game.

That business didn’t make me rich. 
But it made me real.
And it shaped how I approach every new venture since.

Sometimes, the businesses that fail are the ones that teach you how to lead the ones that won’t.

If you need instructions for your GPT, it’s not a product. 

It’s homework.
 
You know the drill.  You built something cool inside ChatGPT or Claude.  
It works… as long as people follow your step-by-step guide.
 
Truthfully, if your customer needs a tutorial just to use your tool, you’ve already lost them.
 
The problem isn’t your idea.  It’s the container.
 
GPTs and Claude projects are great for building and testing, but they’re not how real people want to interact with your brand.
 
That’s why I turn them into full apps.
 
Real apps feel natural.  
Real apps feel intuitive.  
Real apps feel like 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
 
When your tool becomes an actual application with your branding, your flow, and your personality baked in, it stops being “a side project” and becomes an extension of your business.
 
People shouldn’t have to learn your product.  
It should just make sense the second they open it.
 
That’s the difference between something people try once, and something they build their business around.


If you want your idea to feel real, not clunky, DM me and I’ll show you what’s possible.

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The Battle

Jonaed Iqbal

Antoni Tzavelas, ACC

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The Battle

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