Success without a degree

[smellslikecinnamon]

I'm hearing that more young people are choosing not to go to uni. Do people have examples of their dc or themselves doing really well without a degree? Maybe people under 35 as life is different now ti say 40 years ago. Can people make it without a degree (or trade qualification) and how? If all the ads ask for a degree?

Why so?

My brother never got further than GCSEs. He's now an operations manager for a manufacturing company...

Doing?

And they still want a pay rise!

@smellslikecinnamon

I’ve now ‘worked my way up’ and really resent how hard I had to work compared to those with degrees. 80 hour weeks, awful working conditions, no work/life balance. I know not everyone is the same, and no one HAS to put up with this kind of stuff, but I felt like I did to get anywhere quickly with my career.
Life is so much simpler (and IMO people treated better) in a corporate environment. Not the same for everyone I know! But for me if I had the chance to do it all over, I’d be going to uni.

I don’t have a degree or GCSEs or A Levels. I’m still only 27 but I have worked upwards in the financial sector from the bottom and did some professional qualifications along the way which are equivalent to a degree (Level 6). I work in a ‘magic circle’ law firm now and I am allowed to sit the solicitors qualifying exam despite not having a degree based on experience and professional qualifications, although I’ve decided not to as i can make the same (or more) in my current field without a degree or having to pay to qualify. My job is in compliance and the pay for a top role at my job is anywhere from 100-200k. There is also a lot of companies paying consultants in my type of job £750-1000 a day for 6-12 months full time work. It has been a lot harder to get my foot in the door and navigating this career path without a degree but it’s definitely not impossible if you have the vernacular to explain yourself and prove yourself. That being said, sometimes I think it intrigues people when I apply and I have interviews. There is a lot more opportunities nowadays for those who don’t want to do the traditional uni path than what I had 10 years ago though fortunately.

Tech sales.

The only thing that I slightly regret about not going to university is the social element and ongoing network, however that’s not holding me back.

DH doesn’t have a degree. He joined the Merchant Navy after his A Levels, working on oil tankers, then went into cargo inspection (still oil) and then on to a refinery. When the refinery went up for sale a Canadian company came recruiting for employees. We emigrated 13 years ago. Still in oil, but high up in senior management. He now earns roughly £325K.

Nope, not in the case of my ex/DH - self taught coder and now Vice President of Software Engineering.

Computer science degrees become obsolete before they've been completed a lot of the time anyway,

@Mstxxx
How did you end up without even GCSEs and how did you get your foot in the door?

@smellslikecinnamon

It’s not what you know it’s who you sometimes!

It's an awfully long story, I was assaulted in Year 9 and had to leave my current school due to the court case etc. The council struggled to get me into another school for nearly two years (at this point it was nearly the end of high school, missing all my mock exams & GCSE build up). The council placed me in a 'hospital school' towards the end of Yr 11 for kids with terminal illnesses/severe mental health issues such as schizophrenia etc although I didn't have these, as it was the only space they had available apparently. Due to the nature of the kids there, they didn't do GCSEs, which I didn't know until I joined at exam time, and so I left with none. I wasn't ever offered a 'resit' as I was enrolled at a school who did not offer GCSEs and my Mum couldn't afford to pay privately. Just a massive mess up really and there isn't much I could do about it at the time so I've had to make do with what I could.

Meant to tag you! @smellslikecinnamon

@Mstxxx wow. That's a crazy time. I'm so glad you built a great life for yourself.

What was your entry to work? How did you end up where you are and how old are you now?
Your story is so inspiring

im early 40s and left school at 16 with nothing, by 18 i was on 30k in a managerial position in a large well known company, i changed careers at 25 and have been on over 60k plus Bonuses since my early 30s.
im a firm believer in life skills over education. managing people is the hardest job their is and no degree can teach it, if your good at it and don't get stressed the financial rewards are there.

in reality though by the time my kids get near Uni AI will be doing everyone's job and we will all get pocket money from the government 😂

Sorry as for the foot in the door, the only college course I could get on was a beauty course because I went with a full face of makeup and they gave me a chance, even though they technically shouldn't have and it wasn't what I wanted to do. I got a Level 2 & 3 makeup BTEC qualification and then went on a Makeup Foundation Year at university and passed. Had a part time job working check in at an airport. I then applied for a foundation year in Law at a separate university not thinking I would get in, but somehow did. That didn't matter in the end as I didn't even end up finishing university as honestly I was not well equipped for it at all after not having to write an essay since I was 14. I did get a Level 4 law qualification from it atleast. I received compensation from the assault when I was 18/19 so lived off that and travelled for a while. Started a business doing events when I was 22 which went well for about a year until I ran out of money. Got an entry level job infinance on the phones which I did for 2.5 years and worked my way up. Transferred in-company to Compliance and did that for another 2 years and worked my way up - got some good professional qualifications along the way. I then applied for a more senior compliance job at a magic circle law firm who said they would support my application to qualify as a solicitor if I wanted to do that. I thought about it for a period but came to the conclusion I don't need to be a solicitor to earn a high salary anymore. I make nearly 40k up north at 27 at the moment, and I think all things considering, I've done pretty well from where I started but it's not been easy in the slightest. I do feel I have to work 2x as hard as my colleagues with a good degree to prove my worth and be respected the same but perhaps that's just the industry I'm in! Also apologies for the length of these, it's hard to cram it all in briefly.

Well, it depends on what you see as ‘successful’, surely? My job requires at least two postgraduate degrees to start at the most junior level, for instance. If you desperately want to do something that doesn’t require a degree, or you just want to earn a certain amount doing anything, then knock yourself out.

Depends what you mean by success but my husband has 1 A’Level and nothing more and earns a hell of a lot of money, worked his way up and changed jobs every 5 years apparently…!

I trained as a nurse in the 90,s the entry requirements were five o levels ,/ GCSE,s at grade c and above with English and maths or a science ,I never passed maths gcse but had two grade c,s in biology and chemistry so was accepted many of my contemporaries are high up in the NHS now only having similar qualifications

I doubt someone could do the same now though

Obviously they would have passed the nursing course and got their diploma

Didn't go to uni, had a wiggly career path through banking, sales and HR and now a Sr Manager earning 60k+

You don't need to have a degree to be successful.

No degree, started a new job just over a year ago that said a degree was desirable in the advert. New industry for me but had transferable skills. Went for it and was successful.

No A levels or university education. Both under 40. Our household income is just under £400k a year.

No uni degree, am 40 yo immigrant with English as second language on a 100k in a professional firm who paid for my ACCA qualification whilst I was working full time. I arrived in the UK at 20 and worked as a receptionist in London for the first 2 years. I don't use my qualification now and haven't actually ever. I am an Analytics Translator in an AI practice. Became a home owner at 25 with no deposit too, got friends to advise me how to.