You Don't Need a Degree to Succeed
College Degree: Overrated or Essential?
Read on Substack
Read time - Less than 5 minutes
"You're applying for this job? Do you even have a degree?"
"How are you going to succeed without a degree?"
You're sick and tired of hearing naysayers discouraging you from pursuing your dreams, that you need a degree to succeed.
In today’s newsletter, I’m going to share why you don’t need a degree to succeed, and how industries are looking past a degree.
I’m not one of those “entrepreneur bros” who tell you that a college degree is useless.
If you’re looking to become a:
Doctor
Lawyer
Or any job that is academically driven
It pays to have a college degree.
However, industries are becoming open to non-college degree holders.
Even if a job posting says they require a degree, it should not deter you from applying.
They put up a degree requirement as a filter, not a rule.
Most applicants are deterred from applying because they lack a degree, but I will prove to you with a real-life case study why this is a mistake.
Let’s visit the story of Alicia:
Alicia is a technical school graduate (ITE) who became a manager in an established airline company.
She did all these:
Without a college degree
When the aviation industry was worse hit by COVID
Lacking experience as a manager
And was only an airport service staff
Here’s how:
1) Her passion for the airline industry
I remember how she always shared her dream of working in the airport ever since we were classmates.
She never gave up on her passion and instead was on the constant lookout for job opportunities.
A dream sparked in her when she saw the job posting for an airport duty station manager.
2) She did not allow herself to be deterred
At first, she hesitated to apply because the job required a degree and she felt incompetent with only a diploma.
But she applied later on because the worst thing that can happen is to get a “No”.
She would still keep her airport service staff job.
3) She communicated her skills well
Alicia had to go through 2 rounds of interviews.
She was asked questions about handling difficult airport tasks, which she answered well based on her prior experiences.
Note again that she does not have any experience as a manager.
And she got hired.
Most of us would feel that a corporate company is stringent in its hiring process, which is the opposite in this case.
Here’s her mini-celebration:
Conclusion
You can be like my good friend, Alicia, and achieve your dream job even without a degree.
To recap, here are the steps she took:
She had a strong passion
She ignored the requirement of a degree
She communicated her skills well
Do you have a dream job that requires a degree?
Cover up the degree part and click apply.
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