14112693:CaptainObvious. said:
There’s not a single way to do it and as many can attest to, your plans and dreams will evolve. First question is: if you’re not hoping to work in the field, why are you spending time on that degree.
me personally I spent all of college working as a computer tech for the school. So I graduated with a linguistics degree in the hope of using it but I had 4 years of credible IT experience to fall back on. Which I did. Things evolved and 11 years later I’m working in finance. It’s very situationally specific as to how you can spin sufficient bullshit to make yourself appealing.
There are
great comments here that I would echo.
I originally went to school for marine biology (I wanted to be a professor and study sharks) but went through major trauma when I had less than a year left and dropped out of school to move back to Alaska and reset. I never finished school or obtained a degree.
When I moved back, I got an entry-level job with the State of Alaska at DMV. My boss then got a job working at the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and recruited me to move over there with her. I eventually worked my way up the totem pole until I was second in command, where I drafted the original marijuana regulations with two lawyers and created the structure for the regulated industry in Alaska (the third state to legalize commercial MJ). When the director resigned, I applied for that position but was overlooked because I didn't have a degree, I was "young", and I was pregnant with my second kid (lots of questions during my "informal chat" about childcare arrangements and plans for additional kids...). They hired someone whose priorities and execution I could not support, as I found them immoral and damaging to the industries.
Six months later, I applied for my current position as President & CEO of the trade association that represents the hospitality industry (restaurants, bars, retail stores, hotels) in Alaska. The search committee was looking for someone with a master's degree, and as someone without even an associate's, I have had to prove to the search committee and my full board of directors that my 9 years of knowledge and experience in regulation (particularly that of the industry that I now represent) combined with 3 years of experience working in various jobs within the hospitality industry and 5 combined years in professional leadership roles make me the best person for this position. I also do private consulting for the alcohol and cannabis industries as a side job, and I sit on the board of directors for the cannabis trade association in Alaska.
There have been countless times when I've been doubted or discredited due to my lack of a degree, especially when I tried to advance as a government employee. The way I was treated by the government was miserable and demoralizing. My current board went outside of its comfort zone and gave a highly-qualified yet degree-lacking young woman a chance, but I have worked my ass off to prove myself (both before and since). I highly encourage those of you in similar situations to not give up - more employers are weighing experience more heavily than degrees; this includes skills that you can utilize in positions/roles that you don't necessarily have direct experience in (eg: I had zero nonprofit experience before this job, but I did have lots of experience with creating/maintaining budgets, leadership, legal interpretation/implementation, etc., and now I run three nonprofits and sit on the board of a fourth).
I have no regrets. I love my jobs (usually - the past six months have been absolute heartbreak and hell) and am proud of my achievements, but I would still like to go back to school someday and possibly get a MBA or degree in law or political sciences.
Edit: Sorry for the essay. It looked a lot shorter on my screen when I was typing it, but this topic is obviously something I'm batshit passionate about.
**This post was edited on Sep 30th 2020 at 4:28:27pm
