No business degree v experience and achievements

[quote="stevejb"]BLUF - I have no business degree and am worried that I will get to a point in my career where experience and achievements are no longer enough for progression.[/quote]

As you progress in your career the degree you have becomes less and less important, experience and achievements become more and more important.

You will, in all likelihood, come into contact with companies who will refuse to hire you because you don't have a business degree. You'll also come across companies that won't hire you because you went to the 'wrong school', the area you come from, your accent, the interviewer didn't like your tie or any of a multitude of things that are only partially (if at all) under your control. The number and variety of ineffective behaviours in hiring is staggering.

What you need to balance is the cost (financial, time, opportunity, stress &c) of getting a business degree now vs the benefits it will give you. Sure a business degree will probably expose you to some theory and some tools you may not have seen before. But, is that the best way? Might your employer not send you on a few courses targeted to those particular skills and tools? Could you not take a night class or do some reading? Might your time not be better spent developing relationships and your network? How about finding a mentor?

Look at the job adverts for the sort of job you're looking at for your next position. Do they say a business degree is required? Do they say something like "Business related degree or equivalent experience"? Do they not mention a business degree at all?

At some point you might want to look at an MBA. Apply the same process. Given your limited resources (resources are always limited) is doing that the best way to achieve your aims?

Whilst there are jobs that require specific degrees (I really hope the people running the Large Hadron Collider at CERN have at least some knowledge of Physics else we could all be in real trouble) in general that someone has a degree at all is more important and a record of experience and achievements in that area of work and at an appropriate level is most important at all.

Stephen

[quote="stephenbooth_uk"] (I really hope the people running the Large Hadron Collider at CERN have at least some knowledge of Physics else we could all be in real trouble) [/quote]

I think it would be even more fun if they knew NOTHING about physics and the whole thing is just a really big HD TV antenna that's painted a pretty shade of blue.

Not surprisingly, I'd say Stephen nailed it. Any degree that you go back for later in your career has to be considered like any other business decision, most simply through ROI. But how to measure that....

You might just look at it as a master's degree could cost $50,000 and get you an $8,000 a year raise and pay back in 7 years (including interest on those student loans).

But what if the time is important too? If you have a newborn and want to be home, spending time with your child, how do you price that?

On the other hand, what if your biggest dream in life is to be a CEO? A CFO? Some other executive position? And no matter the personal and financial cost, that is what you want?

Maybe you just love to learn and don't care what it costs.

The biggest question is what you want to achieve and then what it will take you to get there. Just blanketly trying to see how far a degree will get you is almost impossible. Steve Jobs dropped out of school and I know unemployed PhD's.

A degree in your field will almost never hurt your credentials. It can only help. The question is whether the degree will help you specifically for what you want to do, because it's really expensive for something that's just a hobby.

[quote="stevejb"]I have a nagging fear that when it comes time for me to move on I may be overlooked based on the fact that I don't have any formal business qualifications. I am also worried that there will come a point in my career when it becomes *essential* to recruiters that I hold a business degree, regardless of experience and achievements.[/quote]

Steve - You're just makin' stuff up to worry about. Stop!

Business is about the results you produce, not the degrees you have. Results alone won't pave your way or save you from setbacks 100% of the time, but as your career goes on, your degree becomes less and less relevant.

Continue to study - look for ways to refresh and update your skills with professional development. And worry about results.

-Hugh

stevejb,

Just seen your question and I have considered this as well...as Look at the two unfinished MBA modules in my study!

My background and accomplishments speak for themselves, I think the skill is presenting them well (MT style). If a possible employer declines an applicant that would be a great fit just because of the lack of a business degree...then it's their loss not yours.

Good luck.

Steve,
I'm in the same boat. I'm 36 years old and do not have a college degree. At this point in my life, time is scarce (I'm a single mom as well) and I am not certain I'd reap a return on the investment.

My experience has been that there are doors that will not open to you because you lack the piece of paper, but it's typically not a problem. Where I do run into issues is on electronic applications like on Monster. I feel the non-degreed applicants are screened out by HR or by the software itself if that has been set up as a required criterion. I've made peace with it because I would not want to work for a company that places a choice I made 18 years ago over the choices I make every day on my job.

I do want to go back to school someday - but because I love learning and I'd like to have the achievement under my belt. I suggest you go back for those reasons if you feel a strong desire to do it.