Since childhood, our parents have told us that a good college degree is essential for career success. After all, it’s easier to land a high-paying job if you graduated from the best courses to take in college, like engineering or accounting, right?
But what if you didn’t take an accounting, engineering, or medical degree? What if you studied History, Interdisciplinary Arts, or Creative Writing? Does choosing the wrong degree limit your career options?
Well, yes and no. Despite what your judgy relatives and acquaintances may tell you, your degree shouldn’t dictate or limit your career options.
Here’s why.
Employers Today Are Looking for Candidates With Transferable Skills- Regardless of Your Academic Background.
Today’s work environment is vastly different from the one our parents are accustomed to. More than your academic background, employers are more concerned with the amount of transferable skills you have.
As their name implies, transferable skills are skills you can apply to multiple roles and jobs. These include soft skills like leadership, creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability.
According to a survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, ninety-three percent (93%) of employers deem critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills as more vital than a candidate’s diploma.
Besides this, there are bound to be skills you’ve learned from your degree that you can apply to other fields too. Take me, for example. I graduated with a degree in History, but here I am, working in Remote Staff as a content writer.
It’s not really a big stretch, as my background in history has equipped me with a keen eye for details, the ability to conduct research, and write a cohesive narrative. I simply learned to apply the skills I gained from my degree to a different field.
Today’s Employees are the Multi-hyphenates.
Multitasking is the name of the game in today’s rapidly-changing business world. And millennials and Gen Z have become excellent at it. It’s why we can chat with friends, watch videos on Youtube, and do our work simultaneously.
This is why today’s generation of workers is called the multi-hyphenated generation. Unlike our parents, we don’t focus on one particular career path. We usually have several other side hustles that we’re working on besides our main job.
So yes, your main job may be related to your degree, but why limit yourself to that?
There are Online Courses Available for Additional Training.
You don’t need to go back to college to learn new skills for a different job or career.
Thanks to modern technology, you can learn anything from how to use Microsoft Office tools to programming without leaving the house- all thanks to online courses.
Online courses are lessons you can access anytime and anywhere, either on your laptop or web browser. Once you finish a course, you’ll be awarded an accreditation certificate as proof. An example of this would be Google career certificates.
Thanks to these online courses, people who can’t afford going to college now have the opportunity to elevate their careers.
Today’s Companies Require a Degree, But They Don’t Specify Which One.
Most office-based and online jobs today require at least a bachelor’s degree. However, if you’re applying for administrative positions or as a creative (e.g., a graphic designer), your degree wouldn’t really matter.
Of course, having a degree relevant to these fields is still an advantage. But even if yours isn’t (or you don’t have one), you can still get hired.
So long as you possess the skills they need, your employer won’t even care what degree you pursued in college.
Having a Great Network Matters Just as Much as Your Degree.
Even if you graduated from a course that is supposedly in demand, it wouldn’t matter if you’re not putting yourself out there. Another reason your degree shouldn’t limit your career options is that having the right skills is just one factor in landing a job.
Having a broad network is another crucial factor. This opens you up to many opportunities you otherwise wouldn’t get if you’re just browsing job openings online.
You can start building your network by contacting your old professors again and inquiring about any internships or opportunities they know about. And don’t forget to talk to your friends – just in case they may have heard of job openings you’re interested in.
So, Do You Still Need a College Education to Have a Good Job?
That being said, is your college degree worthless? Not at all. Many jobs still require applicants to be graduates of a specific field. Medicine, law, and engineering all come to mind.
Aside from this, graduating from a four to five-year course shows your potential employers that you’re dedicated, hardworking, and capable of working well with others.
So, in the case of having a degree vs. not having a degree, having one still remains to be a significant plus on your resume today.
There’s More to Job Hunting Than Having the “Right” Degree.
Contrary to what our elders told us, graduating with a “good” degree from a good university isn’t the only ticket to success.
Conversely, just because you graduated with a degree from a more obscure field of study doesn’t mean you’re doomed to work in low-paying jobs forever.
Today, a “good” degree isn’t enough to help you land a high-paying job. The right connections and transferable skills are all part of the equation too.
In addition, many of us also have other side jobs. And if you want to learn new skills, there are now many accredited online courses you can enroll in to improve your skillset.
So don’t let your college degree limit your career options. There are plenty of opportunities out there, so long as you have the confidence and courage to seize them.
And if you’re looking for remote work opportunities, Remote Staff is here to help. Our jobs list has a wide range of positions available, many of which don’t require a specific degree for its applicants (if any).
Good luck!
