Does lack of a degree spell career doom, or do skills and experience count?

Q: Many job listings have college-degree requirements listed. Sometimes you believe you could do the job, but you don't have the degree. What is the best way to deal with such job opportunities?

Nick's reply: Lots of non-degreed folks get along fine. Before investing in a degree, it's often worth adjusting your perspective.

First, let's look at the practical question about job descriptions and requirements, then at the issue of education, and finally at the larger question about what professional circles you want to be a part of.

-- Job descriptions. Like want ads, job descriptions sometimes don't matter much. Oh, the skills part matters, but the rest is usually negotiable as long as you can prove you can do the job. When a manager submits a job requisition to the Human Resources department, HR adds criteria including number of years' required experience, degrees, which leg of your pants you put on first and so on. It makes it easier for them to sort the applicants.

In many cases, years of experience can be substituted for degrees and an employer will even forgo some specific skills if the candidate is a self-motivated fast learner who already has the fundamentals under his belt.

Don't let degrees get in your way until you've attempted to demonstrate your abilities and skills. When you're in an interview, be forthright about education, but don't apologize. Focus on what you're going to do to make the employer more successful, and you'll help the manager keep the educational requirements in perspective.

-- Degrees of success. There's a time for everything, including degrees. If you're well along in your career, you may be at a point where a degree is now the ante required to sit down at the table.

We can argue about what a degree really represents, but in the end it means you share a certain level of knowledge with other degreed people in your field. Granted, in some cases all it means is that you all showed up for class and passed the tests. But among some of the best professionals, a degree is proof of your dedication to your field. No matter how good you are at your job, something may always nag at your employer. Your boss and co-workers may harbor concerns about how solid your knowledge foundation is. If in their minds the potential risk is too high, they may skip over you for promotion if you lack a degree. That decision may cost them but it'll cost you more. It may be time to get a degree.

-- Entering a new professional circle. If others in your professional circle don't have degrees, they may be holding you back. They simply may not be helpful in the areas where you now want to work. If the jobs you want require a degree, it may be time to start hanging out with people who are in a higher-level professional circle.

I'm not suggesting you leave your friends behind -- just that you learn to "travel" more widely. Get to know people who do the kind of work you want to do. Ask them whether a degree is really necessary. More important, ask them what kind of education you should get if you want to join their circle.

Rather than limit yourself to those people you normally run into, you need to pick up the phone and call every relevant person you read or hear about. Not to ask for a job, of course, but to engage them in a discussion about their work. That's how you might gradually get invited into their circle. They may recognize your abilities and help you get the next job you want, even without a degree. Often, the best credential is the endorsement of your professional circle. Let them help you decide whether you need a degree.

My suggestion is to think long term, since the cost of education is significant. Recalculate the investment you need to make to get to the next level of your career. To do that you must ask whether you need a degree and what kind. That means turning to the circle of people you want to work with for advice.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.