Need a new job!

Hormonal Filly

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 April 2013
Messages
3,218
Visit site
I really need to find a new job.

My office job is convenient. It’s 3 miles away from home, office hours - great, but it’s so boring and the pay isn’t good and I work hard. We have no pay rises, not even any staff reviews and no where to go in the small company. I am struggling to pay for the horses and really want to find something new.

I have a lot of experience in roles but no ‘uni’ degree as I always put my hobby (horses) first and wanted a full time job just to fund them therefore uni was out of the question. Stupid me, maybe? Mmm.

I have applied to a load of jobs, I have good experience and ‘proof’ I could do that role (proof of sales increases etc) with my current role being the same but all they are interested in is ‘does she have a degree’ no? Okay not interested. A few have even put that on the email.

My brother is younger, he has just got a degree, he has no experience in any workplace and got tons of interviews in roles not even related to his degree or had any experience. The role he took again not related to his degree, all they cared about was that degree.

Has anyone got a good job without a degree? It use to be about experience in a role.. now it feels like I could be amazing at marketing or selling with stats to prove it but they aren’t bothered if I dont have a degree. I’m 23 and have so many outgoings I can’t see I could do uni now!
 

HeyMich

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 October 2015
Messages
1,998
Location
Sunny Stirlingshire
Visit site
Yes. My BiL is on the NZ rich list (earned, not inherited) in his 40s and didn't do a single day of uni. He is motivated and focused and possibly the best businessman I have ever met.

I do have a degree though, and I literally couldn't do my job without it!
 

ed&arch

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 May 2012
Messages
83
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
I really need to find a new job.

My office job is convenient. It’s 3 miles away from home, office hours - great, but it’s so boring and the pay isn’t good and I work hard. We have no pay rises, not even any staff reviews and no where to go in the small company. I am struggling to pay for the horses and really want to find something new.

I have a lot of experience in roles but no ‘uni’ degree as I always put my hobby (horses) first and wanted a full time job just to fund them therefore uni was out of the question. Stupid me, maybe? Mmm.

I have applied to a load of jobs, I have good experience and ‘proof’ I could do that role (proof of sales increases etc) with my current role being the same but all they are interested in is ‘does she have a degree’ no? Okay not interested. A few have even put that on the email.

My brother is younger, he has just got a degree, he has no experience in any workplace and got tons of interviews in roles not even related to his degree or had any experience. The role he took again not related to his degree, all they cared about was that degree.

Has anyone got a good job without a degree? It use to be about experience in a role.. now it feels like I could be amazing at marketing or selling with stats to prove it but they aren’t bothered if I dont have a degree. I’m 23 and have so many outgoings I can’t see I could do uni now!

I work in the veterinary industry with no prior experience of veterinary/uni degree - I absolutely love it and good pay too. It’s about finding your feet and working damn hard to get recognised. You can then do what you want.
Good Luck
 

Starzaan

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 January 2010
Messages
4,084
Visit site
Yep, I am a sales rep for Weatherbeeta and I have no degree. I’ve been promoted twice since starting with the company 18 months ago and absolutely love my job.

My mother owns a recruitment company specialising in recruiting at board level for biiiiiig companies, and she didn’t push me to get a degree. If you have the right attitude and work ethic you can get just as far without one - you just need to work a little harder sometimes to get noticed.

ETA my brother was pulled out of uni as he was just smoking weed and messing around. He has no degree and has worked his ass off. He is now managing director of one of the worlds biggest exhibition companies, has lived and worked all over the world, and is extremely well off. No degree.
 

Red-1

I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
Joined
7 February 2013
Messages
17,814
Location
Outstanding in my field!
Visit site
Yes, no degree, retired at 47, home and horses all paid for.

If you are not well qualified or driven, then the way to make money is to do jobs that no one else wants to do. Stinky, dangerous, unsocial jobs. Like the Police :p

They are talking about needing a degree for that in the future, but many are educating people in situ.

Believe me, it was no easy ride, but I did get credit for keeping on turning up and doing my best. Even on very little sleep. Even when injured. Even when scared half to death.

It was tough, but it is done now :)
 

Shay

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 August 2008
Messages
7,345
Visit site
If you are applying for jobs which specify a degree and you don't have one then you are going to get knocked back I'm afraid. Absolutely you can get on and get on very well without one but you do have to start at the bottom and work your way up which can be very difficult if you also have two horses and lots of other outgoings. You might have to take a short term cut for a longer term gain. Or look at things like apprenticeships which allow you to work and qualify.
 

DabDab

Ah mud, splendid
Joined
6 May 2013
Messages
12,572
Visit site
Yep, I know lots of people with good jobs and no degree, but most have a lot of cpd qualifications that they've got along the way instead.

It sounds like you are going for jobs that attract a lot of applications. The key at your stage is being really open minded. If you're getting no positive responses from what you're applying for at the moment, look at what else is available.
 

Arzada

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 April 2012
Messages
2,379
Visit site
I have friends who have never applied direct for jobs. They will only use agencies and have never been unemployed. Polish your CV and arrange to visit agencies, especially ones specialising in your area of work for a chat about what you are looking for etc. One friend has a few bits of an accountancy qualification but is not a qualified accountant. Last year, aged 61, he got his GCSE Maths. He didn't get any GCSEs etc at school. He's a well paid management accountant, never been unemployed, keeps his CV up to date, contacts the agencies who know him when he's looking for a new position and sells himself when he is invited for interview. Wishing you good luck with your job search.
 

gallopingby

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 January 2009
Messages
1,625
Visit site
You need a good professional looking CV, not necessarily a degree. It’s important that your skills match the job profile so a waste of everyone’s time applying if they don’t! As already said sometimes the way forward is to start with a job that will be difficult to fill, unsocial hours, weekend working off season leave. The straightforward 9 - 5 jobs will always attract lots of applicants and employers naturally choose the best qualified for the company profile. Flexibility is always an asset. Sometimes it may be worth considering relocating to a different area. Good luck.
 

Slightlyconfused

Go away, I'm reading
Joined
18 December 2010
Messages
10,826
Visit site
Or have look at adult apprenticeships. Sometimes they pay quite well or you just have to work with a smaller wage until your apprenticship is done.

Ive got two interveiws in the next two weeks for very good companies and a good wage for apprenticeships and they know i do not have my maths gcse and will be doing it along side my work if i get a job.
 

Orchard14

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 January 2019
Messages
138
Visit site
My sister has no degree or even A-levels, she left school with poor GCSEs and worked as a waitress BUT she is intelligent, incredibly hard-working, passionate and driven. She now runs her own business employing 11 people, bought a house cash and goes on exotic holidays twice a year - all before turning 30. Me on the other hand - lazy, introverted, not passionate about anything and like the easy 9-5 life so I had no choice but to get qualifications if I stood any chance of getting a well paid job so I got a first-class undergrad and two postgraduate degrees and work for one of the worlds biggest conglomerates and earn a handsome salary - a position which doesn't even let you submit a CV without at least a 2:1 degree and internship experience.
I went to uni with people who did very well academically but couldn't get a job after it all because they weren't 'a fit' for the corporate world. If you ask me it's all about who you are, not what you've got.
Industries like recruitment and estate agency offer high earning potential without the need for academic qualifications. I tried estate agency and hated it but I prefer strategic challenges over sales personally.

However, with all that being said, it's never too late to go to university. My mum didn't go until she was 37 and had two children!
 

Leam_Carrie

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 August 2012
Messages
928
Location
Leamington Spa
Visit site
I did professional qualifications rather than a degree. Depending on your industry, is there something you can do in the evening? (This might not be possible with the horses)
Otherwise there are careers much less focused on qualifications. What do you want to do?
 

Umbongo

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 October 2009
Messages
2,452
Visit site
When I finished uni I actually found it harder to get a job because of my degree. Either I didn't have enough experience in the line of work, or my degree made me look over qualified for other jobs. After being unemployed for a while, then working in a shop...... I got a job as a trainee veterinary nurse and had to do a diploma for that as my degree was unrelated.

Depends on what sort of thing you are looking for, and how you sell yourself on your cv?
Would you want to go to uni? Is there something you would be interested in studying?
 

lunginggirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 December 2009
Messages
104
Visit site
I work in the veterinary industry with no prior experience of veterinary/uni degree - I absolutely love it and good pay too. It’s about finding your feet and working damn hard to get recognised. You can then do what you want.
Good Luck

I am really interested to get into this area of work, I would love to hear more about how you did :)
 

Scarlett

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 August 2006
Messages
3,645
Location
Surrey
Visit site
No degree here either, just started at the bottom and worked up. Came to my current company 5 years ago and started on the help desk, just been promoted to a technical management role that should need a degree to do. My partner has no degree either but travels the world as a service and calibrations tech, and has just been made manager of his dept.

You might need to take a step sideways now to a lesser role in a company with prospects rather than trying to step up, then you can get yourself promoted within the company. Unfortunately you are at an age where you are competing against folk with degrees, and if you are applying for jobs against folk with a degree then there's always a chance you'll lose to them. You need either education or experience imo. If you don't have the degree go get the experience and it will help you in the future.
 

ElleSkywalker

As excited as Kitty about to be a bridesmaid
Joined
9 March 2011
Messages
11,988
Location
Tiny farm some where in UK
Visit site
I went to uni aged 23 and got a degree. I had two horses, had long since moved out of home and had no financial support from family at all. I worked all the way through and graduated with a 2.1 (BSc Hons) Yes if I'd not worked I'd have got a first but that wasn't an option.

My degree didn't really change the job options I had after but did make interviews easier to get.
 

Michen

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 January 2014
Messages
10,910
Visit site
I guess you’ve got a few options. Sell the horses and get a degree/qualification if you can’t afford to study with the outgoings you have from the horses. I had to do this when I went to uni, and it was 6 years before I got a horse again.

Or accept that though still perfectly possible, it will be a little harder without a degree, and you may need to take less pay initially/do something that’s not ideal to begin with in order to get to where you want to be.
 

Jasper151

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 March 2016
Messages
179
Visit site
I have no degree (hoping to do one soon funded by my employer) and have a decent job. I started as a junior and worked my way up. I was promoted after 4 months and then just kept working hard, doing everything and anything. That meant I have a well rounded and diverse history. Luckily only had to change jobs once to be able to progress on.

A lot of companies offer training programmes, we put plenty of people through university and/or college. Starting salary is still good and you get on the job learning alongside the academic stuff.

Speak with agencies as they will be able to look for you. I get looked up on LinkedIn a lot and head hunted despite not having much of an active page. Use online resources, sites like totaljobs and reed have a function where you can put your CV on and recruiters can look for you.

Ensure your CV is up to date, and if you don't completely have what they are looking for, include a great covering letter explaining why you have still applied.

Work hard, be open and put yourself out there!
 

HEM

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 January 2018
Messages
648
Visit site
I definitely don't think you need a uni degree! I am your age and recently changed jobs... my previous job was a very well paid, 'impressive' and way to stressful first job, admittedly I do have a professional qualification (PA course) but after gaining just over a years experience there when I went for interviews/met with recruiters they were all just amazed at the proper work experience I had at such a young age and barely noticed my professional qualification!

I definitely think it depends on what roles you are going for and your CV needs to look good but I think you just need to be confident, know it is your 'weakness' but use it and your can always turn it into a positive because of the actual work experience you have!!

Good luck and get out there!;)
 

sportsmansB

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 February 2009
Messages
1,326
Visit site
It does sound like you need out of your current company if you are going to be able to get on.
I did my first degree part time (evenings and weekends) and my second by distance learning
I was able to pay as I went per module so the outgoings were manageable, and I studied later in the evenings and a half day at the weekend which was still possible around the horses. I did my accountancy exams part time / distance learning after that, again in a pay as you go sort of way. I even got money towards them for christmas, which was somewhat depressing at the time..
If you are interested in marketing is it worth looking at CIM courses? It may be that once you have a qualification relevant to the roles, it doesn't matter if its a degree or an industry specific qualification. I know CIM do courses at our local tech in the evenings but they also do on line learning
Often a degree is just used as a benchmark of ability- they just want to see that you have the potential to learn at that level - rather than for specific relevant knowledge. Doing a higher level course in the area that you want to work in would also demonstrate this.

The thing is either way you might have to go through a few tight years - by taking a lower role but at a company with more scope for progression (who might, by the way, fund some further study? Worth a look!), or by paying now to get a qualification so you can move directly into a role you want.
Unfortunately there is not necessarily an easy path..
 

cbmcts

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 April 2009
Messages
1,801
Visit site
I've completely changed career twice in the last 2 years. After many, many years in one sector I took redundancy, had some time off and decided that I wasn't commuting into the city anymore. It wasn't easy coming from a niche sector that really isn't understood by those outside it and the best thing I did was to pay (it wasn't expensive!) to have a professionally written functional skills CV. This concentrated on my transferable skills and experience that just weren't been shown to best advantage on a traditional CV plus contained all the buzz words that you need to pass the CV sorting computer systems and be looked at by a human.

Also, knowing that redundancy was looming I took every bit of training that resulted in a certificate. That attitude got me the first job after redundancy in a sector a million miles away from what I had done before because they reckoned I was trainable. Ok I hated that job but the experience gained there in 14 months got me my current job which I love. In both of these I took a paycut but in fairness, I was less concerned about money, more about getting my life back!

In saying that, there is no point applying for jobs that specify a degree in the personal spec as you won't pass the initial sorting of CVs. Use a good agency (not easy to find though) for those and consider a sideways move to get in the door of somewhere you can advance. For the degreeless of us the other option is Local Government and NHS - they specify degree or 'equivalent by experience' in most of their jobs...
 
  • Like
Reactions: HEM

Trinket12

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 December 2017
Messages
383
Location
Vancouver, Canada
Visit site
You need to ensure your resume matches the role you’re applying too. Also be realistic about the roles you apply for, are you applying for roles because they sound interesting and pay more, but your experience isn’t a match?

As a recruiter I see that a lot, candidates won’t say one year of experience apply to a role that asks for 8, so they get the thanks but no thanks. Canadians are VERY into the degree thing, but only when it’s relevent to a role, I have never had one of my managers decline a candidate based on their education, it’s always been about their ability.

It might be worth connecting with an agency, they can take a look over your resume, give you some guidance on changes, and may even have clients you can match with.
 

laura_nash

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 July 2008
Messages
2,364
Location
Ireland
towercottage.weebly.com
I have a masters degree and a good job that I could never have got without my degree. I didn't go to uni though, did it through the Open University - the batchelors whilst working full time at a 9-5 office job then the masters alongside my entry-level job in the industry (my employers paid for the masters in an agreement that I stayed with them for min x years after). This was after 2 years of equine college and a few years working in stables. In my area (IT) employers really rate the OU, its seen as a positive if anything that I didn't go to a conventional uni.
 
Last edited:

GTRJazz

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 February 2014
Messages
324
Visit site
I never had the time for a degree got a apprentice mechanic job when I left school. Seven years later I had a mortgage and my first child. changed around a lot after that made redundant a few times then got a job in a small firm that made prototype cars, made redundant again, got a job with Ford at their R&D site as a temp technician worked up to temp Engineer after 5 years with the help of night classes but still no degree. Left and did a conversion course working on jet engines for Jumbo's, left after a couple of years as they were not doing so well worked had dropped off as engine type GE CF-650 quite old.
Back to Ford senior Engineer in charge of software and testing diesel engines for 12 years . Diesel gate then happened most engine testing moved to America . Now old 58 next birthday sent CV to many jobs but no luck over qualified? really I do not have a degree. Better luck at the end of the year offed a job fixing material handling machines after a conversion course working directly for Toyota. Oldest in class by 20 odd years but a good pass ,should see me out .
 

Pippity

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 February 2013
Messages
3,320
Location
Warrington
Visit site
I don't have a degree and it's never been an issue. I got my foot in the door in my industry (network engineering) through human networking, and I've just kept working my way up since. It's one of those industries where degrees are out of date as soon as you've got them, so it's far more sensible to put your time, effort and money into earning certifications - the technical stuff, but also PRINCE2 and ITIL as you get more into the management side (which is nowhere near as fun but, sadly, is far better paid).
 

SpotsandBays

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 December 2017
Messages
1,831
Visit site
I work in the veterinary industry with no prior experience of veterinary/uni degree - I absolutely love it and good pay too. It’s about finding your feet and working damn hard to get recognised. You can then do what you want.
Good Luck
Being really nosey here, what do you do within the vet industry that doesn’t require a degree? If you don’t mind saying of course!
 

MrsCentaur

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 September 2019
Messages
82
Visit site
Me. I don’t have a degree and I have an excellent job as an Estate Manager to an UHNW family, earning just under 100k. I am 31.

I got my first job at 21. Lied about having some experience and was offered a temporary role in admin, worked my absolute bum off for a year and was asked to manage a small team in the same organisation for six months until our project concluded. Fine. I could use ‘Manager’ on my CV looking for my next role. Accepted a job as an office manager earning 5k more than my previous role and worked there for three years, was made redundant. Exaggerated my skills on my CV, was asked to become a Team Assistant within said UHNW family office (14k pay jump), was promoted in a year to Personal Assistant (5k pay jump), did that for three years earning an additional 2-5k pay increase each year until my eventual promotion to Estate Manager (big pay jump!).

I worked hard, slept little, was responsive and delighted to hear from my bosses at all hours, took two weeks of maternity leave at a time and made sure that everyone knew that I was smart, motivated and would get any job done, regardless of what I needed to do to ensure that it happened. But honestly, the best thing that I did was to place myself within an organisation with space for upward mobility and that was just chaotic enough that my ability to stay calm and solve problems was valued. There is no point working your socks off in a job that simply won’t promote or reward you.

Good luck!
 
Top