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A Snowball's Chance?
As a divorced woman dealing with lifelong depression and social anxiety, I chose not to earn a degree, focusing instead on working and raising my children.
Frankly, it took me 25 years to work my way up to a para-professional position, where I've been for 15 years.
Several times I've qualified, and interviewed, for a professional position as a natural progression from my current position. In the last interview, the interviewer stated that "x professionals rarely leave". I'm told this means I'll never get the position. Since then, they've spent a considerable amount of regular and overtime teaching degreed people how to perform the required tasks, some of which I used to do in a lateral position for the same company for 11 years.
They've announced another recruitment and I applied. Given the remark by the last interviewer, should I even accept an interview if offered?
I believe in myself, know I can do the job, and I want the position. Am I spinning my wheels with a snowball's chance, or do I lose nothing by trying...again? Thank you.
Hi Linda, you're never too old to pursue a passion! If that's your dream, by all means, follow it.
People have different goals in life. In my case, I weighed the debt for a degree against my retirement plans. Retirement won out for me. For many people, though, retirement isn't something they want; they want to stay productive.
I wish you all the best!
Hi there. All of my adult life I have wanted to go to school to become a counselor. I am 61 years old. Too old?
If you have the time and means to do this - by all means you should pursue your dreams. If its a financial hardship, have you thought about other ways you can help to counsel people on a volunteer basis? Something that would not require a certificate or degree, but still allow you to learn techniques and use those skills to help people?
Your position reminds me of my husband. He didn't have his degree but he had experience and he had the will to learn. That didn't help him much until he was open to hearing and discussing with others about what was really holding him back. In his case, he was highly technical but was rubbing many people the wrong way because he was always right and hadn't learned how to help people see his vision. He banged them over the head with it and didn't understand why they couldn't see his greatness ! . He wasn't doing it consciously but he was doing it. It took him not progressing for a while, and then changing jobs where the same thing happened. I had been gentle in my suggestions in the past but I finally had to hit him over the head and tell him that I didn't want to hear anything more on the topic until he either read some psychology books or spoke to a career counselor.
He heard me and read a couple of books about communication and having hard conversations. He then had some of those hard conversations with his boss and started to 'read the room' when in meetings with coworkers. It's been over a year and he just landed a promotion where his boss said that he had seen great growth in his leadership skills.
It sounds like you are ready for some hard conversations about making progress in your organization. As others have mentioned - that piece of paper may be a deal breaker or it might be something else that hasn't been on your radar that is holding you back. If it's the former - I'm sorry as that really sucks! If it's the later, and you are open to hearing it - then from the language of your post, it sounds like you would be willing to work on the issue to make progress. People make it without degrees - it's not an easy path to take but it's possible. You can do this!
Good Luck in your quest!
Thank you, Jennifer, for this insight! I believe your response is spot on and I need to discuss this with the new manager. When I tried this with the old manager, he stated that even if I got a degree, I'd be competing with the "hot, young things". By that he meant the young graduates. I should have sued, but didn't. Regardless, this isn't an approach I considered with the new manager. Thank you!
wow. 1- that statement is not ok from your manager.
2- maybe you're close to them and you know what they were getting at. Ageism and bias is real in this world. It's great you believe in yourself and you're confident in your job skills, however you are not convincing yourself. You are convincing others. This is what frustrates many job seekers so much, they have to think about the job *poster* and play by those rules.
FYI - I have seen hires in senior roles who did not have degrees! Experience speaks louder. Degrees are merely shorthands for certain knowledge. Only very specific majors and degrees even end up using their book smarts in their everyday jobs. And ALWAYS TAKE THE INTERVIEW!
Thank you! That's a good reminder-I need to convince them, not me.
I agree. Keep applying.
You also might take a relevant online course or two to show your commitment to life-long learning even though you didn't go to college. There are many free and low-fee courses available on sites such as Udemy and Coursera. Some have options for certification--for a reasonable fee. Some are taught by top universities such as Harvard and Stanford. Others are taught by corporations and experts.
Lynne, thank you for this advice. In the past I have taken courses to help with a certain position held at the time. It's good to be reminded I should still up my game. Being physically present in a class is difficult for me, so your recommendation is great!
Glad I could help.
I think you should keep trying. Sometimes it's difficult to change "hearts and minds", but if you're the right person for the job, that will become clear in an interview. Often a job announcement will say that years of experience can substitute for a degree. Please don't give up!!
Thank you, Denise. I do qualify based on experience. I believe it's their mindset that only a person with a degree can do the job, although it's possible they're worried about having to defend our data because I don't have a degree. Regardless, I will keep trying, and hope to succeed.
I am a firm believer in attitude and experience, which beats a degree any day! Sometimes it takes convincing management and HR of that as well. I would definitely keep trying. There are always exceptions to "the rule." You may also want to consider scheduling a meeting with HR to get advice on what more you need to do to secure the job of your dreams. Let your passion show! Best of luck!
Thank you, Rhonda. The position, according to the HR announcement, doesn't require a degree. I'm a positive, hopeful person and I will continue trying. Never say never.
That's exactly right! Good for you!!!