Degree vs. Skills in Career Development

Software engineering is trade work. And as trade work, one can be highly successful doing it without the academic background of a college degree. Consider brick laying and masonry. If you're working to develop new building materials or to better understand the fluid dynamics of mortar, or to perform forensic analysis on why a structure failed, sure... a degree in materials science or chemistry would be supportive. But if you're building walls, fences, and buildings? You can absolutely become highly skilled through apprenticeship and experience. Writing software is no different. If you're writing compilers or CPU firmware, or designing a new database engine, then yes.... absolutely. Deep knowledge of theory and application, the kind that you get from academic study, is appropriate. But the vast of software engineers aren't doing that. They're adding features to existing codebases, they are writing new products to solve business and enterprise problems, they are creating snazzy websites or data processing pipelines, they are building infrastructure platforms to power those products. These are skills that are absolutely learnable through apprenticeship and experience. I've been in working in tech for just about 25 years now. I don't have a degree, having left college my Junior year to take care of my newly-born child. In that 25 year span, I have designed and built a network of EV charging stations, I've written control software for ion beam and electron microscopes, I've produced flight deck software for commercial jets, I designed a web-based tool for programming ECUs on vocational trucks. How did I learn how to do that? I read books, I took baby steps, I made mistakes, I sought out new knowledge and skills, and I learned whenever I could. For every architect working on a new building, there might be hundreds of construction workers, whose skillsets are just as valid, just as necessary, and readily learnable for those who wish to learn them. Software engineering is no different. There is room.... there is NEED... for software engineers who are skilled laborers. And we need a lot of them! If your job descriptions call out a degree requirement, it's highly likely you are overestimating the complexity of the work and the benefit of having a degree. And if you're hiring Jr. or entry-level software developers, asking for a degree or professional experience? You are doing your team and the industry a grave disservice. Do they have drive and rudimentary skills? That's enough to be Junior. Are you looking for someone to build and lead a diverse, inclusive, high-performing software engineering team? One that represents many roads to skill acquisition and career success? That's what I do.... reach out and let's talk!

Skills should be more important than years of experience and pieces of paper (degrees/certificates). Have you ever worked with someone who has years of experience doing a specific job, but still needs help with some of the most basic tasks of the job? Have you ever met someone that has several doctorates, but has to be reminded about foundational knowledge from the subject they have degrees in? Just like with the learning content we create, if people can't sustainably and consistently DO the thing they're learning about after they complete the course, was the course successful? Throughout my job search, I have never applied to a position that I wasn't positive that I could successfully do. I don't spray and pray. I don't just look for job titles and push easy apply. If there are "nice to have" programs I haven't used before, I research them to see if I've used similar programs or if I can easily learn. One of the main reasons Learning and Development seemed like a natural transition for me is because whenever we had to learn new programs/procedures (which was always), I would create learning content for myself and my co-workers. No one had to tell me to do it. I observed the struggle of my co-workers, I asked a lot of questions, and I created content to help alleviate that struggle. I created content to quickly get everyone up to speed on whatever new shiny program we were using so we could be better at our jobs. Unfortunately, the job search seems to only be focused on ticking boxes and selling yourself. I am not a salesperson, nor do I want to be. Reasons for being rejected from jobs: You don't have a degree in Instructional Design. I've been constantly learning and upskilling over the last 2 years to fill in any gaps. Degrees cost money I don't have so I've had to be resourceful. I thought resourcefulness would be a trait that is valued in corporate America where sometimes you have to cut costs and make do with what you have. You don't have X years of experience with X title. I was busy having a career as an educator. If I'd known that Learning & Development was an option, I would've transitioned way sooner. I still have years of experience creating learning content for adults in a professional environment. You were "just a teacher". There aren't enough characters for me to cover why this is absurd. Your "high paced environment" is a normal day in the life of an educator. You only have K-12 experience and this job requires teaching adults. Of the thousands of humans I have taught, 75% of my students, the students' parents, and my co-workers were all adults. I taught them. You need corporate experience. I worked at a charter school in a corporate environment, not isolated in a classroom. We constantly had meetings (many of which I led and/or created content for) and I have 7 years of leadership experience. I would rather work somewhere that sees my value without me having to beg them to respect my skills and experience.

I have 2 Master's Degrees. Let me fix your car's engine. Who the heck would say yes to this? Would you hand over your keys? If you would, you probably shouldn't. Why? Being a car mechanic is a vocation and a trade, and you want a mechanic with hands-on experience and skills working on your car. You want to know if your mechanic went to a trade school. A mechanic with just a Master's degree is an absurdity. What does reading about how engines work translate to actually working on and fixing a car? Not much. The same is true for corporate instructional design. Companies will not hire you to solve performance problems for their organization just because you know how to research and write papers. That's why IDOL Academy is a trade school. Instructional Design is a vocation and a practice. As an instructional designer, you are a practitioner. This means that if you want to take the company's keys to fix its business challenges, you're going to need evidence that you've done this before. You need a portfolio that demonstrates your experience, and you need hands-on experience in the field that was supervised by experts. A Master's Degree won't help you land a job in corporate instructional design, just like it won't help you become a car mechanic. My prediction is that this sentiment is true not just for instructional design but also for many of the other vocations that used to be supported only through higher education. Skills > degrees Act accordingly. Curious to hear your thoughts! 💭 Can you share a time when hands-on experience outweighed formal education in your field? Have you come across an opposite scenario? ⚙️🎓 Like, comment, or share to keep this important conversation going.

Every time I present on workforce development and career paths, I highlight the viable option of skilled trades in addition to college degrees. As the mother of a plumber who is also a firefighter/paramedic, I personally know the value of non-degree paths that lead to good salaries without incurring debt along the way. Just this week in a meeting with leadership at one of our 2-year colleges, we discussed multiple real-life examples of students who recently completed short-term training and are now employed in jobs making more than the average starting salary for most bachelor degrees. Still yet, there is also high value in a college education. This article, like many, cites the cost of college and references a private university that is $100,000 a year. The ROI for that is completely different than the ROI for most public institutions. For example, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock average tuition and fees is less than $10,000 an academic year, and that's without considering all of the financial aid options. While we have a shortage of skilled trades workers and need more entering those fields, we still need workers with degrees, especially in STEM fields. We must clarify the narrative being propagated about the value of degrees and the false dichotomy of trades or degrees being needed. BOTH are needed and should be equally respected. BOTH can have a positive ROI. https://lnkd.in/enT6Aa8i