in this day and age....is it possible to get a job w/out a degree?

[Semidevil]

specifically, if I am experienced in photoshop, frontpage, dreamweaver, and a buttload of programming languages, is it possible to get a job with a decent salary, even if I dont have the degree or certifications?

My degree doesnt have to do with computers, but if my resume say that I am experienced in this and that....what does my future look like, in getting a computer related job, whether it be, into software, webpage design, or anything computer related...........

just kind of wanted to be open minded about my future job, that's all.

any wise words?

 

[Drakkon]

if you build up a REALLY good portfolio and take on a few cheapy jobs to build up your resume theres a possiblity

oh and my degree is in mathematics but i took on a lot of jobs with computers all through college...now my job is with computers with no certs/degrees in it at all so yes its possible

 

[Yzzim]

Talk to Russ, NCNE

 

[her209]

Sure look at Bill Gates.

 

[tami]

Originally posted by: her209
Sure look at Bill Gates.

he said today's day and age. bill gates made a name for himself in the 80s/90s.

 

Degrees are a farce.

 

[Maleficus]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Degrees are a farce.

yep.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Originally posted by: tami

Originally posted by: her209
Sure look at Bill Gates.

he said today's day and age. bill gates made a name for himself in the 80s/90s.

Bill Gates started his own company and made himself successful, you don't need a degree to do that.

 

[nakedfrog]

I'm a web developer with no degree. Just twenty-some-odd hours from the CCAF. Of course I started as customer service, worked up to email broadcasting after three months, and then three months later I was programming.
The biggest waste of space and money we ever hired had a master's degree. Seriously, a box of hair would have done a better job as a programmer, because at least it wouldn't have cost us any money. I don't think there was a think she touched that she didn't make worse. She called her husband and asked HIM for help with stuff.

 

[Rogue]

High school diploma and some college and making $60k per year in Kansas. It's possible with experience and know-how and a damn good resume.

Degrees are a farce, however, sadly, in order for me to progress further in life to get where I want to be, I will need one. I'm about 18 hours away from an Associates degree right now.

 

[Ornery]

Start your own business. Lots of people do it!

 

[virtuamike]

Possible but not easy. Experience becomes an equalizer eventually but the degree helps to get your foot in the door.

This'll be year 5 for me in IT without a degree. The sidejobs are getting more interesting though, helped start up a cafe this summer and currently doing some freelance programming for a start-up back home, plus I still get the occasional webpage and tech support call here and there. It's work but I get enough $$$ to feed my cats and support my drinking habit.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Start your own business. Lots of people do it!

And the majority of them fail!

 

[PoPPeR]

education only makes it easier. nothing is guarenteed. You will have to work harder, and deal with people that look down on you. But as many said, it can be done

 

[notfred]

Less than 25% of this country has college degrees.

Unemployment is significantly below 75%

Therefore, it msut be possible to get a job without a degree.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: Rogue
High school diploma and some college and making $60k per year in Kansas. It's possible with experience and know-how and a damn good resume.

Degrees are a farce, however, sadly, in order for me to progress further in life to get where I want to be, I will need one. I'm about 18 hours away from an Associates degree right now.

Call it a farce all you want, but plenty of employers will not even look at your resumé without a college degree. You've done well without the college, but if you ever are unemployed - and the market is soft, it might prove to be a bit hard to get re-hired.

 

[StageLeft]

Of course Degrees are overrated. Take the easy path; it will serve you well.

 

[tami]

Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech

Originally posted by: Rogue
High school diploma and some college and making $60k per year in Kansas. It's possible with experience and know-how and a damn good resume.

Degrees are a farce, however, sadly, in order for me to progress further in life to get where I want to be, I will need one. I'm about 18 hours away from an Associates degree right now.

Call it a farce all you want, but plenty of employers will not even look at your resumé without a college degree. You've done well without the college, but if you ever are unemployed - and the market is soft, it might prove to be a bit hard to get re-hired.

this is true. unless you have a great idea (in which case, most of us who DID go to college would have pursued this avenue as well), you're in the same boat as the rest of us -- except those of us with college degrees have a significant advantage over you, unless you can prove that your experience surpasses other candidates with degrees.

 

[T2T III]

A few days back, my friend gave me a link to his resumé. He's had about 7 years of I.T. experience and I have over 14. I have a bachelor's degree, but he doesn't even have an associate's degree. I felt kind of insulted reading his resumé because he had it professionally done. I guess it kind of struck me as odd because the resumé didn't seem to factual and in several areas, it referred to his role as a manager. Clearly, in the company that we worked for, management level didn't start until a few more salary grades up the chain. Heck, at his current level, he doesn't even have a formal title of supervisor. I guess the point I'm trying to make is - don't fluff up your resumé too much. After all, you can polish a turd - but, it's still a turd.

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Start your own business. Lots of people do it!

Those are wise words. Run your own business and you don't have to worry about a degree.

 

[tallest1]

Short Answer: Yes

Long Answer: No

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Degrees are a farce.

Degrees are not a farce.

1. Many employers use level of education to sort resume's for professional positions.
2. Statistics show that people with degrees earn more on average
3. Degrees from four year colleges give you a breadth of education that prepares you to communicate your ideas more effectively, and problem solve in a variety of ways.
4. There are many jobs you can't do without a degree, period, and none too coincidentally they usually have better pay/working conditions. (Dr., Atty., CPA, Engineer, etc.)

You can learn a technical skill, or a job well enough to earn good money, but the person with the experience plus the education will always beat you for the job, or get their foot in the door at entry level. Just the way it is. Sorry to burst your "farce" balloon.

P.S. We all know the guy with his Master's or PHd that's a putz, but you can't judge a group by the traits of an individual or two?

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Ornery
Start your own business. Lots of people do it!

And the majority of them fail!

How many people with degrees truly "succeed"? That is, get a career more fullfilling, or lucrative than if they'd simply gotten any old job without school? My wife was in HR at a bank, and was turning away one applicant after another for freakin teller positions. MANY with degrees! One sad SOB got turned down because he owed so much in student loans!

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Ornery
Start your own business. Lots of people do it!

And the majority of them fail!

How many people with degrees truly "succeed"? That is, get a career more fullfilling, or lucrative than if they'd simply gotten any old job without school? My wife was in HR at a bank, and was turning away one applicant after another for freakin teller positions. MANY with degrees! One sad SOB got turned down because he owed so much in student loans!

Well, I went to university and got a "stupid" degree (BSc in psychology). I "knew" at the time how stupid it was. How was a class in psychology going to help me? Now I make far more than the average person my age, and there's simply no way I could have done it without the degree. My resume would have been in the garbage. Also, by the time university ended I realized that I'd grown up a lot - more, I think, than if I'd been working some other job and not doing whatever I did in university.

For me it was invaluable, and very worthwhile. You'll hear the same from most people with degrees, and the statistics easily bear out the benefits of degrees from a wage perspective. The more subjective "is one's life really better?" is really far too personal an experience to really qualify.

Degrees are increasingly a prerequisite for jobs now. If you're 45 without one you may be able to get by on experience, but it will be far harder for a youngin these days to get by without a degree.

 

[Ornery]

I'm already looking at IT people and engineer's jobs being outsourced left and right. You'll hear wondrous success stories from people who have started their own businesses as well. Nobody is going to chime in here about how they're stuck selling shoes at Footlocker, even though they have a degree.

I had a guy come in here to install a digital cable box for a couple free months promotion. He was another displaced IT pro! It's happening more & more...

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

Originally posted by: Ornery
Quite a few US factory workers I currently work with, seem to think the world owes them a living. I'll take the lower prices, and find myself a job that can't be outsourced, thank you.

...Could you please suggest some knowledge-based, college-education-requiring occupations that cannot be outsourced? (Anything that can be done on a computer can be done elsewhere for 1/10 the wages.) Uh...uhm...Biotechnology research! Nope--that can be done in other countries. Try again. Uh...uhm...Nanotechnology research! Nope--that can be done in other countries. Uh...uhm..."Next Big Thing Technology research, yeah!" Nope, same. The list of occupations that can be outsourced will surprise you--anything to do with computers or engineering, science R&D, accounting, architecture, legal research, financial analysis, interpreting radiology tests, etc.

Guess what? If you can think of a knowledge-based field that cannot be outsourced, millions of Americans will rush into it, increasing the supply of labor and lowering the price point (wages). So, even that occupation will be affected. Foreign outsourcing will thus end up affecting all Americans in just about every occupation...

A knowledge-based field? Gee, how about a trade? Although I'd sure hate to see anybody here getting their delicate hands dirty!