Comments on: 10 Tips to Secure a Management Position without a College Degree

By: Jonha

Jonha — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:19:30 +0000

Wow, very inspiring. Right after I finished my 2-year computer programming course, I applied for a job in a call center and got hired because I wanted and proved that I could do the job. Sometimes what becomes a stumbling block is our own mind-set that we can’t do it. The moment we decide to succeed and GRADUALLY work towards it, we sure will.

By: what is a decent to high paying job with no trade school or college education required??

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:06:14 +0000

[...] http://www.steve-olson.com/10-tips-to-secure-a-management-position-without-a-college-degree/ [...]

By: Joy

Joy — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:22:12 +0000

I have a job offer and have good skills but do not have a college degree. I told the recruiter I do have an “AA” degree and all the company wants to see is my resume faxed to them and then the company will pick the best resume. This is a temp to hire job. I really need this job and it finally will pay what I need. “Administrative” position. Will start tomorrow….but I lied about have a college degree. I should find out in 2 hours if the company picks me…….

By: asha singh

asha singh — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 16:48:35 +0000

I work in an engineering college as an Administrative officer and i am involved in all kinds of adninistration- academic as well as general. As I dont hold the relevant degree of a Ph.D in any technical field I am restricted to be designated as the Principal of the college as per the norms which govern the engineering colleges. As i am working in the institution for more than four years the Principals who come also take my advice on most matters. The management trusts my capacities and appreciates my capabilities, yet do not designate me in a positio which will place me in a higher salary slot. Ultimately inspite of all my positive attributes i still remain a n administrative officer just because i do not hold a degree.

By: Should You Quit School Because You’re Brilliant? » Silicon Valley Blog About Money

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:57:50 +0000

[...] If you are extremely talented, dropping out may not hinder you from making a fortune. In fact, some may argue that if you’re a business genius, school can actually crimp your style. More typically though, it’s possible to make it with some measure of success without that formal education, but you’ll have to work much much harder given society’s preconceptions. Plus don’t forget that luck plays a huge part in your circumstances. Going to school is supposed to be a safety net to make sure that you always have something to fall back on in order to survive, but you already knew that. [...]

By: Joan Schramm

Joan Schramm — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:49:14 +0000

Wow! This should be required reading for anyone, degreed or not, who wants to know how to get ahead in the business world. When I was in a position to hire people, I always looked for people with energy, a positive attitude, willingness to be flexible, and who wanted the job. With those characteristics, I knew I could always train them on the “mechanics” of the work, but most people can’t be trained to have the right attitude.

Great article! Thanks.

By: Monica Ricci

Monica Ricci — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:49:05 +0000

Great post Steve! I am SO adding you to my blogroll! And yes, education is a nice plus to have under your belt. I would never say “Don’t go to college, son”. But I truly believe that there are indeed things that can be more important than education — with the exception of a few industries such as brain surgery and rocket science — but I digress. I believe people skills, communication skills, (both writing and speaking), persistence, a positive attitude, self confidence, and a willingness to learn from others are crucial to success, regardless of how much formal education one possesses.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:15:00 +0000

Anon,

The long hours are temporary. Look at the hard work as an education. You are learning the business. Learning to be valuable.

I know a guy that went for making 10K a year to 50K by working like this for only 18 months.

I know another guy that did it for 3 years and went from 30K to over 100K.

Learning that much about any business will make you tremendously valuable. Once you have the value you won’t have to work so many hours.

If you don’t want to work hard to get ahead, I don’t know what advice anyone can give you. For most people getting through college is 4-6 years of working a job and studying which adds up to 40-80 hours a week too depending how efficient you are with your time.

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 06:28:30 +0000

The reason why people don’t like this is because , for most, the price is too high for the benefits they would give. Most people do not want to work 70-80 hrs per week (or 16hrs/per day for 5 days a wk).

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 10:55:58 +0000

There are actually so many graduates these days that this post is a good tip on how to get a top job even if you DO have a degree.

I’m about to finish law school (with a so-so GPA from a so-so institution) and I used tactics like these to get myself a job offer as a corporate attorney–begging for a job as a part-time intern making crap money, and mastering a few key tasks so that I became indispensable.

The toughest part, of course, is hearing just about everyone say “no” and still sticking it out. It helps if you’re willing to sacrifice your personal life, dignity and checkbook for a little while.

To me, the keys are:

1) Stay awake, and jump on opportunities when you see them

2) Make people trust you, which is largely a matter of having a professional style (invest in some nice clothes, keep your hair cut, your breath clean and your armpits deodorized)

3) Make friends with your boss. This is more than sucking up: you have to get inside your boss’s head to learn what their problems are at work. Once you understand those problems, you can help solve those problems in a way that makes your boss happy. Then they’ll love you, and you’ll never have to worry about your job. (This is an incredibly important skill even when you become the boss, because then you have to do the same thing with respect to your customers.)