Forget an MBA. This accountant has spent $250 to teach himself how to be a data analyst so he can get a $30,000 raise and buy a house.

• Jeremy Peer felt stuck at his $60,000 accounting salary but can't afford to go to business school.
• A TikTok account inspired him to pursue business analytics as a career switch.
• His SQL data analytics training was only $250, and he's working towards a free Microsoft certification.

It took Jeremy Peer 10 years to pay off $40,000 in student loans for his bachelor's degree in accounting. Now, he's taking online courses to land a higher-paying job in business analytics instead of shelling out tens of thousands of dollars on business school.  

During the pandemic, Peer moved from his hometown of Detroit to Colorado Springs mainly to explore the outdoors. But he also moved to Colorado for its diverse mix of industries and job stability compared to Michigan.