How to Get By Without a College Degree (And When You Need One)

College is getting harder to pay for, and a startling number of people have degrees they don't need for their job, or have jobs unrelated to their major. Whether you're thinking about college, already enrolled, or graduated with a degree you can't use, there are ways to find employment regardless of what the paper says.

In the interest of full disclosure: I'm a college dropout. I went to a tech school for about half of a two-year program studying television production and graphic design. It was the only formal training I have. Today, my job uses some of those skills in a secondary way, but I don't have a certificate saying I can do it, and most of my duties are things I had to learn to do on my own. It can be done. Skipping college (or dropping out) isn't for everyone, and life never has any guarantees, but the exceptions aren't totally limited to Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.

To be totally clear, we would never say you shouldn't go to college. But if avoiding the experience is an option you're keen on, here's what you'll have to consider.


Some Jobs Require College, Period


If I'm getting my car worked on, I'm just as inclined to talk to the guy who's been working on cars his whole life with his dad as I am with the guy who paid for an education. If I'm getting my body worked on, it's a whole different story. If your life's ambition is to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or any other academically-focused trade, the no-college path isn't for you. Sorry. One reader put it this way:

If you are interested in a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics), a Bachelors at minimum, Masters, PhD, or medical training for most. I am just finishing my PhD in a STEM field (10 years of post high-school education) and most of the jobs I was interested in I am barely or not quite qualified for. I was fortunate to find a good position that pays decently (though by no means lavishly) and if I only had a Masters I would never have been looked at. It depends what you are doing, but make sure the skills you are learning are more practical than theoretical—those are the ones that will get you a job.

If you're not looking for one of the classic eight-year programs, however, then it's a little more up in the air. Many creative jobs will look for a level of training, but if you can produce something amazing, someone will want to hire you. Writers, graphic designers, visual effects artists and to a certain extent photographers often fall into this category. When something looks or sounds good, it's good.


Trade skills are another area where formal education is often eschewed in favor of on-the-job training or apprenticeship programs. People who work in construction, truck driving, or other blue collar jobs can often find avenues of getting an education that don't involve taking out loans and pledging four (or more) years of your life away. If your life's goal is to be the best air conditioner repairman you can be, you might not need to enroll. Some jobs may be better suited to getting the right certification.

Ultimately, the point isn't whether or not you need college. It's whether the job you want needs college. Some careers require it. Some will merely be easier to pursue with a degree. Others don't care one way or another as long as you can do the work. If college absolutely isn't an option, look into careers that don't require university-style education such as sales, electricians, or even commercial airline pilots.

Learning Is Your Responsibility


Even if you don't go to college, you still have to learn. You can probably get a job without having some form of education, but well-paid ones will require skills. Skilled trades have the aforementioned apprenticeship programs that will teach you what you need to know, but if you're looking for a creative job or something in IT, you'll need to teach yourself.

There are plenty of places to learn skills for free or cheap. For starters, even if you don't enroll in college properly, you can still get access to college resources. Many high-end colleges offer free online courses to anyone who wants to sign up. There are also tutorials for a variety of topics on the internet. If you're looking for a place to start, you can always check out our Lifehacker U series for a roundup of some of the best free classes and resources.

Don't stop at following tutorials or online classes, though. Find a community to get involved with on a regular basis. Having a group of people that you can discuss problems and connect with is vital to career building. In addition to being able to learn from other like-minded people, knowing people in the industry you want to break into can help you get a job. Which leads us to the next key point:

You Have to Know People


Any time you visit a site that covers the type of work you want to get involved in, check out the comments. If you enroll in an online course, ask any available professor where you can find other like-minded students outside of class. If you meet someone who enjoys what you do, chat them up. This is not only basic networking, it's one of the best ways to find a job.

You're not just going to learn skills from people around you in the industry. You'll learn what it takes to get that job. Someone who's come before you can tell you what employers in your field will look for and how to demonstrate your skills. We've talked a lot about how to network effectively by creating your own mastermind group, even if you're more introverted.

Most importantly, keep asking questions. Fear of appearing ignorant will keep you ignorant. There's no point in surrounding yourself with skilled people who can teach you if they don't know you want to learn. Then, follow their advice. Emulate the people who have achieved what you want in life.

Create Jobs Where There Are None


Sometimes, you'll have to create a job. There hasn't been a better time to do it, in fact. The last couple decades of technological advancement has eliminated some jobs that have existed for years while creating whole new categories of jobs that were never available. If you're looking for work while you learn some new skills, look for ways to make work for yourself.

If you're pursuing something creative, do work for free (under certain circumstances). Always be practicing. If you're pursuing a career in software development, write apps. One Google engineer shares how he gained relevant experience without the proper degree:



When he went to his boss and asked for help building the game, chances are he wasn't looking to get hired by Google with it. However, it still built both experience and his resume. There was no opening for a game developer at his company, so he made one. If you can prove that you can provide value to someone, a job listing isn't the only avenue towards getting paid for your work.

No one will give you a job out of charity. Ultimately, you're the CEO of a one-person business and your product is you. It's your job to find a buyer for your product and get the most money out of that deal that you can. This applies universally in the job market, but if you're skipping college, you're in charge of promoting yourself (which is an art form in itself).

There Are No Guarantees


Over the last eight years I've pushed shopping carts, shot wedding videos, worked in private investigations, sold software and video games, all in addition to writing. For some careers, there is no formula. I won't pretend that my experience can be universally applied to everyone. It can happen, though.

With costs of college skyrocketing and the job market becoming more friendly to skilled workers without degrees, the question of whether a university is for you is much more malleable than it once was. However, keep in mind that if you're starting college now, you're not betting on today's job market. You're betting on the job market 4-8 years from now. Eight years ago, we used BlackBerrys and almost no one knew about YouTube. The world can change fast.

While college is important, skills are what matter most in the end. To make it in the job market, you have to provide value in a way that other people don't. You have to have skills that are worth something to an employer, and you have to show the company you have them. If you're not very self-motivated in either of these areas, college is a great training ground. On the other hand, if you are capable of getting your hands dirty without being told, you might just be able to get by without the formal education. Just don't expect it to be easy.

Photos by Maryland GovPics, English106, Tech Cocktail, Official GDC, and Andreas Klinke Johannsen.