Do You Really Need A Degree To Start Your Career?

A lot of us were raised to believe that the thing to do after high school is get a college degree. In some cases, this makes a great deal of sense. In others, it doesn’t make much sense at all.

There is also plenty of middle ground between no degree and a four-year degree. Vocational college is a better option for some, and others may benefit more from certifications.

Here’s how you figure out what’s best for you: Ask yourself what your career goals are, what field you want to work in, and figure it out from there.

Let’s say you want to work in a highly advanced, technical field. On the cutting edge of science, mathematics, medicine, engineering, or computer programming. This would be a situation where a traditional four-year degree would probably make sense.

You might need the degree to get the education necessary to fulfill the job role. The education might also help you to build the right connections. A degree can prove to an employer that you have what it takes to work in a high-earning field.

For many people, a two-year associate’s degree from a vocational or online school is more logical than a four-year degree. This is the case for many technical fields as well.

Many healthcare jobs for example don’t really require four-year degrees. Medical billing and coding, nursing, and a number of other job positions only require an associate’s degree along with some relevant certifications.

Certifications are sometimes more important than actual degrees for some people.

If you already have a degree and are having a hard time getting a job because you’re a little behind on current technology or information, certification is one of the best ways to show that you’ve updated your knowledge. Maybe you have a degree in computer science, but it’s ten years old.

Getting some software certifications can help you to boost your viability. Some fields also require a certification but not a degree.

You can take online classes so that you know what you need to pass certification exams. This is a good alternative instead of spending all that time and money on a degree you don’t need.

There are some jobs where you don’t need a degree at all!

Having a degree can even make it more difficult to qualify since you can be seen as overqualified for many entry-level jobs.

For instance, If you’re trying to go into customer service or administration, you might actually have a better shot at getting a job if all you have are certifications and you don’t have a college degree.

Think about it.

Why would you want to spend all that money just so you can get a job making $10.00 an hour? Figure out what you need, and then decide on your educational route from there.