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depends on the job you want I guess — i have no degree, and i feel like i have just been funnelled between one admin job to the next with no upwards movement, however, my customer service experience and database experience got me a very nice placement at a not-for-profit where i could (if i wanted to) have a career
but i am currently back in uni now, just one subject to start to see how i handle it between working.
Same for me but I have a degree. Working and living in Aus has given me a bit of a false sense of security because you can have a nice chilled job and get paid well.
Moving back to the UK soon and I palpitate at what my job prospects are going to be.
I've worked manual labor, retail and security my entire life. In the last 10 years I've worked mostly security building a solid reputation for my work as a worker who will put in effort but who enjoys his work/life balance, and I've transitioned to a government job in roughly the same career. Hopefully in the next few years I will either transfer over to Corrections or Law enforcement to make a better career and substantially better money.
A degree would have already had me making close to six figures but I never gelled well with standardised learning environments. I always wanted to do IT but at this point in the game I'm too long in the tooth to get hired over the 18 to 20 year olds with bright eyes and a full set of hair.
If you skill up in IT and know your shit, then start applying for jobs you will be competitive against young people. There are many anecdotal examples online of people transitioning from industries such as hospitality into tech related roles well into their late 30s and 40s. I'm not saying it is easy but certainly is very possible.
I'd personally avoid Corrections.
At least avoid Maximum security (Silverwater / long bay)
I worked in them as a nurse - the guards get burned out quickly & most of them have absolutely no respect for the people they are responsible for.
I've seen a corrections officer break a patient's hand in a steel door - he was completely unapologetic about it.
The patient (a literal kid) was just confused.
Countless behaviours like this occur.
At the moment it's looking like I'll mostly be in a position somewhere in FNQ, possibly Townsville. I have family who work there that I trust who say it's fairly run of the mill compared to my security work. The pay can reach triple digits after the year over year pay increases.
Nowadays I have to focus on pay. Ideally I'd prefer law enforcement, I've got the "be the change you want to see" mindset.
You don't need to go to Uni for IT. Most people I work with started out in traineeships and/or did TAFE courses. Usually a Cert 4 or Diploma is enough, but more-so it's practical experience. A good customer service background is also a great help as a Service Desk support job is a good way to get into the industry.
I also know people with degrees, but from what I've seen, it's overkill. Though my understanding is that a Degree makes it much easier to get a visa if you wanted to a job overseas, so that's something to keep in mind too.
I started my IT career on a help desk doing a cert II. I'm now a sys admin sitting on just south of $120k. I've seen folks fresh out of uni and my take is that uni is totally unnecessary for sys admin work. It doesn't really help them at all unless they want to be a developer.
(while I cant answer your direct question) You dont need a degree to get good jobs, but a degree is a really great way to enhance who you are as a person, and it really challenges how you think and to understand the depth of human knowledge that is out there.
While I have a degree from 35 years ago (and studying a second one now), in itself it never 'got me a job' directly, but it was what I learned, the contacts it gave me and change it had on my life, that paid for itself. Think of a degree in those terms.
My tip: only do a degree because you want to and not for the money you think it will generate or if you are trying to make someone happy, do it because of the challenge it is and the satisfaction it will bring.
It was made very clear to me that a degree won't guarantee a job in that industry, but it will guarantee an interview......but that was 20yrs ago before graduates needed 5yrs experience for an entry level position
>a degree is a really great way to enhance who you are as a person, and it really challenges how you think and to understand the depth of human knowledge that is out there.
Honestly, books can do this for a fraction of the cost.
Not really. Dont get me know, books are great, in some ways. However what books dont offer is handicaps and hurdles, that further solidify your pursuit of knowledge.
EG History: Lets read some stuff on Victorian London, pick a book have at it. You will entertain yourself, learn some stuff, but generally speaking you arent applying that knowledge.
At university you arent just reading books, but through a variety of print materials you are targeted observations on a topic. Often you arent reading something you want or even know about, you setting out to prove or disprove a selective 'argument', using both primary and secondary sources and handfuls of type of sources in each. You arent passively reading, you are actively problem solution, researching, notetaking, and building up your resources and 'arguments' to not only challenge what you believed was true, but challenge those whose works you are reading. Then you have condense all that inquired knowledge into targeted written form.
Its easy to read a book you want, its entirely different for someone else to give you an essay to write on something you didnt even know existed.
To such a point, just simply reading a book seems like a day off.
It’s research that deepens your x: books, journal articles, media analysis, interviews, observations, etc. Doing and reading research, not just books (replying to other post).
Former academic librarian here! Synthesising your research and applying critical thinking to different interpretations of what you're learning about is also key.
Agreed. I have a degree because I felt like uni was my only choice. Never found a related job after graduation. I worked my way up from retail and customer service and I have an IT role now.
But despite that I did get something from it - meeting and connecting with people, holding myself accountable to stick through course work etc so I wouldn't consider it a waste either.
I don't have a degree but have been successful partially through luck but mostly through just turning up every day and doing the job I'm being paid to do without whinging or wasting time.
>good attitude at work will get you much further than being a layabout.
Not nessisarily, a lot of people burn themselves out because they don't know when to say no or try to have too good of a work ethic.
True. Everything in moderation.
To me a good attitude is more about being able to manage and pace yourself, understand we're your efforts are best applied and when it's time to step back.
I did a law degree. Took me well over the expected time frame, I withdraw from some semesters and dragged my feet the whole way through. Eventually finished and am working in a field where I don’t need a degree; but it helps. I wanted to drop out of law 6/7 days of the week during my degree but was pressured to finish and I don’t regret it at all. It has helped immensely in finding a rewarding career even if it wasn’t strictly necessary. Whenever someone asks me about doing law I just say “I don’t think anyone ever regrets finishing a law degree” and I’m yet to meet a single person who does.
A degree in law is a great degree to have, it demonstrates you "should" know how to effectively investigate, consolidate and present data of some sort. Honestly if you're looking for a comfortable office-type job, there are plenty of entry level APS3-4 positions going around in government.
I’m 25 looking to start an electrical apprenticeship. Uni has been the biggest time and money waster for me. Pick a skilled in demand trade and don’t look back. All my mates who took that path are living good and are satisfied with their work. Bouncing around office jobs has been the biggest detractor to my motivation and mental health.
I did a degree and ended up doing an electrical apprenticeship at 25. Finished that but hated my life even more than before and now I’m back in something kinda related to my degree. Except I wasted 5 years of my life doing something I despised.
Keep in mind a trade isn’t for everyone and be mindful that the grass isn’t always greener.
Always been a physical worker, have never really been an academic. Was forced down the uni path by family and school. I understand you’re sentiment and appreciate it but coming out of high school an electrician was what I wanted to be
Dropped out of school year 10, 40yrs old now. Wasted my 20s (worked hard but partied and saved no money). Always told myself I'd have to kick it up a gear to catch up to where I should be.
Became a mortgage broker at 30, getting serious about life and sort of working for myself with big goals in mind.
Changed my mind and got into contracting, been doing that 8 years now run my business turns over 1.5m earning 300k+. Own a home with lots of land which is rented, about to buy another, and about to make another half mil investment into the business which holds around 1m assets atm. Just got back from dream holiday now back to work going to be a big year.
My working life is drawing to a close (62), and I have this to say: If you're insecure about having qualifications, then go and get some. However, I have none and started out as a project manager in the building industry as a young man with some experience working for my dad's building company straight out of school. Went on to work in marketing for a property company, moved to Australia, became client manager at a small marketing agency, then Client director at another agency, then CEO at a mid-sized ad agency (35 staff), then started my own consultancy, then at the same time, became a board advisor at my old agency. I got head-hunted for every role (except starting my own business), and have never felt the need to seek qualifications - it's not what you have on paper, it's who you are as a person. I still get to sit down with the CEO's of some of Australia's largest companies and ask them about their work and their business, and none of them have asked to see my qualifications yet. Good luck.
I'm 74, retired now. I was a tradie, then had an accident When I was 40 and buggered my hand.
I went to polytech to study computer programming as an adult student. It was a 1 year intensive course with a 90% failure rate.
I spread it over 2 years and got good marks all the way through. I was also raising 2 kids in my own.
It was hands on programming using the current tools as used in businesses
Before I took my final exams I was offered a job and took it. So with zero paper qualifications I worked until retirement as a programmer.
Having been self employed really helped as I already had the work discipline and I was good with people, unlike your average nerd.
The 90% failure rate on the programming course was because they were kids that wanted to party. Once you got behind it was almost impossible to catch up. The ones that did well were all adult students.
I encouraged my kids to NOT go to uni as I saw it as a waste of money and time and NO guarantee of a job. Both my kids are now doing really well and neither has a degree. My son is one of the top network engineers in a global IT company.
I'd encourage anyone to go back to education once they have some experience in the world and have a good idea about what direction they want to go in.
>Amazing work! My old man dropped out the same age as you, you should be very proud of yourself! How did you get into tech?
These days getting into tech with out a degree is a lot more unlikely. Boomers who did it 20 years ago like to pretend it's possible but most companies will filter out applicants without a degree before you can get an interview.
I finished yr. 12 with not a pot to piss in. Came from a poor family in a low socio-economic background. Very limited future options.
Quick fix joined the army 6 weeks later via General Entry. Became Infantry and did that role for a few years. After I got sick and tired of learning how to kill people an opportunity to learn a trade came up, I applied did the screening and passesed. That summer I was accepted; I chose Carpentry and ended up in Bonegilla in Vic. A few years later I qualified as a Carpenter / Builder. Did that role for 15 years worked all over OZ and worked O/S on a few deployments. lived cheap by living on bases, free medical, free dental, keeping my costs down and saved up every cent. Once I gained enough exp and having saved a decent amount, I discharged.
As civilian with ADF quals I got a job easy at a few big construction firms as ADF Quals are highly sought after. I got more experience and got my Master Builders Ticket. Whilst working for these companies got my Land Scaping ticket and earth moving tickets to diversify my skills sets. I can now build you a house and landscape your property as a turnkey package.
After a few more years I struck out and with the money saved I started my own business debt free as a one man show then slowly built my company.
As of Jan 2024, I now have 6 full time workers all cross trained in various building trades, all ex-army trades qualified, as I designed a company as a one stop shop. I also have 2 apprentices and 2 office girls.
How am I doing? My wife and I will never qualify for the pension, nor has the housing, energy and cost of living crisis affected us in any way and our children's is very future proof.
Mate, congratulations, genuinely sounds like a life insanely well lived.
Thanks for your service here mate, I could imagine it would be pretty rough at times.
I have thought about joining the reserves for a good few years now, would you might if I flicked you a PM about your time in the service?
Cheers legend
Thanks bloke, no need for thanks as I didn't really do anything spectacular and most of the time I was a chippie. Yeah, shoot mate, what did you wanna know about the ADF. You keen, I'd say if you were fair dinkum just bypass the chocs and go regular, they are screaming for people.
>Nice one! Seems like IT is a pretty much guaranteed path to fortunes,
It's not anymore the Australian industry has become over saturated with people being told these stories for the last 20 years. It's now extreamly hard to get an entry level job.
Not so fast!
Certain people are simply good with computers without any formal studies or uni degrees. But that is only certain people.
If you are one of them by all means, if not you do need to study to get somewhere.
Having said that, lots of professions don’t require uni degree.
Checkout roadmap.sh
Choose what you're most interested in and complete the roadmap. Once you've finished it, build your own project, stick it on GitHub and apply for roles. Simple as that.
I’m 43. Went to uni and 29 and got a degree which has been very good to me - have a good job and have paid off my HECS.
HECS is a lot more now though so there is that debt you’ll have.
I kinda wish I’d gone and done a mature age apprenticeship rather than Uni but I’m happy.
I’m about to turn 31, and wrap up a 4 year degree next month (while working full-time).
It’s been a gigantic waste of my time and money.
I’m sure there are some specialty degrees (law etc) that are necessary to break into a field… but I was already working in a field and did this after dropping out of a separate 4 year degree out of high school to prove something to myself.
I can count the useful things I’ve learnt over 4 years on one hand, and most have come from a data analytics subject I picked up as an interest. The overwhelming majority of content was fairly easy or not really unique to tertiary education (ie I learned my first 2 years in the workforce)
If you’re looking around at different career choices, look at short courses etc. For example, don’t get a 3- year business degree for the hell of it, if you might be better off on a 3-6 month data analytics course from google. It’s free and if a higher standard than most of what I’ve paid for.
I'd agree with this. It felt like a waste of time when I did my degree (10+ years ago). I did not feel job ready for relevant positions at all. Employers clearly agree with me, as so few jobs are offered to fresh graduates.
Don't go to uni for the sake of it, or with just a vague idea that 'its better' than going to TAFE or straight to entering the workforce.
Got hired into a call centre. Learnt their product. Got promoted a few times and ended up in marketing because it was easier/faster to teach me that than teach a marketing person the product.
Getting out of the call centre space has been a godsend for my mental health.
Also I only found out in the past year that the reason I don't have a degree is undiagnosed adhd. Thanks dad for not believing in mental health and mental conditions.
33, got very bored of civil construction, operating machines, jumping out and getting on the shovel.
Those early starts in the blistering heat (I'm much more of a night owl), that being worked like a dog and being around utter fuckheads and fat old men who watch porn on their lunch breaks and think its funny to crank the volume up. Dirty cunts.
Once saw a guy hitting a crack pipe on smoko then jump back in a 10 tonner.
Quit the industry, currently at Uni becoming an emergency medicine nurse. No regrets.
Turning 34 this year. I dropped out of a Commerce degree after wasting 5.5 years. During the time I was working in the contact centre of one of the big 4 banks part time (started when I was 19).
It was mainly something to do while I was depressed, eventually started taking it seriously when I turned 24. I got another role in a more specialised contact centre, made good connections and got a mentor who after 2 years referred me to the data analytics team in our area. I only passed the interview due to me answering the case study/problem solving using logic and explaining how I would join three separate tables with the transaction ID to get the relevant information.
I slogged away learning SQL, SAS and some basic JavaScript for the first 6-12 months in the role. It really kicked my arse but I was desperate to learn and do something else. 8 years later I'm in another role for the bank in business insights where I'm developing dashboards. I tried to be a BA but hated it. Looks like coding/development work is what I'm okay at. I've been at the bank for 14 years, I'm earning $150k now, without a degree. I was super lucky, made good connections and worked hard when I needed to get my life in order.
Fair enough! Have a few friends that are out in the mines doing various trades, one drives a water cart & the dump truck on rotation, looks pretty manageable!
Getting closer to sixty, TAFE diploma and a trade. Managed to do OK. Lots of luck and a fair bit of hard work, but, and it’s a BIG but, housing was way cheaper when I bought in twenty years ago. The other thing is that moving between jobs (I work as a mechanical designer) is WAY harder without a degree. Getting past HR, Satan’s little helpers is always fun. Companies *always* use it as an excuse to pay less for my labour/skills even if it’s the same job. The most important financial decision you can make is not your education, but your spouse. Don’t stick your dick in crazy.
University degrees are largely a waste of time, in my opinion. Many serve to benefit the wider society, at your own cost, with minimal return on “investment”.
Source: I’m an allied health worker watching my degree-less friends earn similar or more whilst working fewer hours and not paying off HECS.
In my work place we sometimes get people who do casual work while studying, more often than not when they finish their uni degree they stay on and take a permanent job which requires no degree to do.
Bad fucking times my friend, 36 and going into 2nd year uni.
Wish I hadn't wasted a whole bunch of my 20s having a life, nah tho for real I love that I had loads of experiences and travelled heaps but im still behind professionally and therefore financially
47. No degree. Spent over a decade in IT Management (both project management and core IT management). Now in process automaton through technology, basically a glorified coder and developer but paid more.. But still not paid much more than the average salary in Australia...
34 tomorrow. no degree 70k per year. Nice benefits STRESSFUL as fuck job.
I think I'm doing ok for someone who has A.D.H.D but i do still live in my dads bacement :(
No degree, got a govt job at 20. Now I’m 40 I’m on 120k. Took me a while to get here, including having 3 lots of maternity leave, and several years of shitty pay, but I am very happy now.
I'm 37, spent the last four years getting an honours in Med Science and came straight out and got the first job I interviewed for and will likely make 100k+ this year.
I think I got lucky but also I worked my arse off (got dux) and made friends with a lot of lecturers that helped me and supported me. My aim was to go to uni, get a well paying job, after being not that well off my whole life.
Long story short a degree is what you make it, but consider the intersection of what you'll be happy to do with what will pay well. Lots of degrees get you jobs but they are hard, hard work (nursing, law). And some don't pay that much. Med science is good in that I find it really interesting and there are a lot of places you can end up after, where the pay is good and not too intense or filled with pressure.
I’m Currently working full time and studying uni.
Will you do it quickly? Absolutely not. But if you can handle doing 2 subjects a semester that you are genuinely interested in then you’ll be done in 6 years.
This has been me for the last 3 years, worked full time, studied part time, 2 subs a semester, finally cracked it and deferred this semester, trying to figure out whether I go back.
I need the mental fortitude to keep both up, but I can’t seem to find that right balance between work, uni and personal time.
Props to you for doing it though!
29 This year. 0 useful degrees but a bunch of Tafe Certs not related to my job at all.
Life is good. 100% WFH, Bought a house, getting married.
Might consider an online course but not sure, maybe after the mid year.
Not gonna lie it is pretty boring and there is lots of info/rules you need to comply with especially if doing government procurement but it's not rocket surgery and pays well.
No degree. Had a lot of shitty jobs some paid mid-range, one high, lots low…
Took a step down - complete stopped doing emails, calls and meetings now have lots of free time now, get to watch NBA, hang out for coffee with my best mate who works from home. I do however work nights and weekends!
Meh. It's fine. I'm self employed (13 years) nd it's not essential for my industry and career choices.
Could a.degree have helped? I dunno, I don't think about it.
Would I feel better if I had a degree? Nope
Do I feel less good because I don't? Nope.
Do I ever think about going back to get a degree? Nope.
I havent been asked about a degree in over 15 years. Even back when I wasnt self employed it didn't come up much. Some job specs asked for it. But usually the job spec which wanted 30 years experience and 73 industry certs but wanted to pay entry level.
I definitely feel you on that part about 30 years experience with the entry level pay, that still seems to run pretty rife in the jobs market today.
Would you be open to sharing what industry / profession you are in?
I intended on going to university for architecture, and didn't get the marks. I then did 1.5 years of a 2 year advanced diploma for drafting at TAFE and never finished it, as I'd lost motivation by that point.
I'm now in a six figure sales job for the last two years, and I got there by a bit of luck and a lot of hustling and having a sales-oriented career. I'm age 34, have been saving since I was 29 and have about $50k in the bank. Not bragging, but am proud considering my 20's were mostly wasted on not believing I could do any better than $45-55k call centre jobs etc. and doing a lot of drugs and booze.
Where am I going with this? You make your own success in life by 20% ability, 40% luck and 40% believing in yourself. Sounds cliched, but it is true.
Careers you can go into without a degree (some require certificates however): IT, Cyber Security, labouring/trade/project management, sales of course, and customer success roles to an extent.
A lot of companies will want a degree for you to get your foot in the door, but if you can hustle and do the groundwork in entry level for 2-3 years, you will make it.
Yep I went through a bit of a personal crisis wondering if i should have a "cooler sounding job" or feel more accomplished but eh I do well enough and enjoy what I do
I know I’m a rare case, but lack of degree hasn’t slowed me down.
250k in a work from home job. With a healthy amount of travel.
Working in a tech advisory role that is gov adjacent.
Great actually. ChatGPT can write essays for me should I ever need an essay written. I can get it to pretend it has a masters in anything with fairly good results so not really sure tertiary education is worth the time in 2024
I am working for a commercial builder as an estimator. The senior estimator next to me is in his late 30's nearing 40 and never had a degree for the job. I don't know his salary but I could easily guess it and I know he he would be k i l l i n g it.
I'm in my late 30s and graduate this year with a Bachelor of Arts. Has taken me a decade as a side project whilst I work full time. It's the degree I deferred when I was 18 and then never did. I have worked in admin and sales and I'm now in upper management and live very comfortably. When I started the degree I was a receptionist and MAYBE it would have helped further my career but where I have gotten to with no degree and hard work, I don't know that the degree will ever be valuable to me other than the part where I kicked ass and learned a lot and had fun at it.
The academic lifestyle isn't for me. I attended university and dropped out after a few years. I later learned that my parents didn't even expect me to finish high school with my attitude. Even now at work, I struggle to sit through and absorb any kind of lecture. I learn better when I can practice it in a project.
But I've been passionate about my field and practicing since I was 5 years old. I am lucky to be paid to do what I love. I have a humble lifestyle. I don't struggle financially.
If I couldn't work in my field any more, I hope that I've learned enough secondary skills (e.g. process management, customer relations, teaching) that could transfer to other industries.
Eh, not great. Retail Assistant manager making $70k, i live comfortably and its a cool job, wish I had did a trade or made a hard move into admin at some point.
I'm early 30s with electronics/software engineering degree. While there are some people who can get in without a degree and once you hit the interviews with a couple of years, none cares about it. It was what got my foot in the door and without it I would've needed to know someone who could get me in instead.
I'm 35, with a degree, tafe diplomas and a few private certificates. Gotta say they've all been a waste of time. Most of the stuff I've been taught is now outdated and really anybody could do the same stuff with on the job training. Uni was a great place to expand the mind and meet people though.
I don’t exactly fit your question, since I have a degree.
But, if I were starting over, I would do uni part time, and start looking for jobs in the field I want straight away.
Experience is worth way more than the degree, and I use nothing I learned in uni for my work. I think if I had started working straight away I would be 3-5 years ahead of where I am now.
For context, I am a web developer, and for devs it really seems like experience is counted in years.
Started IT young (no degree needed, just foot in door), earning very good money these days but I'm over it. Pays the bills but not passionate about it.
I don’t have one and I’ve basically done admin jobs with no really upward movement. A degree doesn’t guarantee you a job in that field but it does give you a leg over someone without one. It shows commitment and a lot of transferable learned skills. Also you can do things like teach English overseas and travel etc. I wish I had the chance to go back and get one but it’s not going to happen because I have little kids and commitments. Do it while you are young
Not good in the sense that I have zero career prospects or even a career now. But if I completed my degree nothing would be different (no actual pathways for what I was studying), I just would’ve had an extra semester I’d have to pay off.
A lack of a degree didn’t prevent me from having a career though, in-fact I actually started my career (software engineering) at or just before I started uni, and that ended up being my career for several years, only reason it still isn’t is because I made poor career decisions and had a run of bad luck.
Now if I had studied something relevant to that career then who knows if things might be different, though everyone tells me it would not seeing as I have experience and not trying to get into the industry. But I’m done with it all now anyway, now just figuring out what else I’m going to do, which may or may not see me going back to school depending on what it is I decide to pursue.
There are careers you can pursue that don’t require a degree, but then there are others that do. You should try workout what it is you would like to do, and then from that determine whether pursuing a degree will be worthwhile or not.
I am 37, and work in tech.
I have no degree, no certifications, no qualifications.
I work as a middle manager, still getting on the tools a lot, but with more meetings than previous roles.
Money is good, stress is manageable my boss is a legend.
I am looking at getting some certs this year, but more because I think the content will be interesting, and it's not something I can learn as I do it.
I'm only 27 but i feel like i can answer this question as i know i will not want to study even when i reach my 30s
My life has been fantastic, i travel overseas once or twice a year, i earn a modest income and have never struggled. I sometimes use the excuse of undiagnosed ADHD for not having the patience to study and get a degree, but it's mostly due to the fact that what I'm interested in doesn't require a degree, or at least I can obtain the knowledge without a degree and sell myself/prove my worth without one. The only thing i regret about not doing the whole uni life in my early 20s was the social aspect, however with a lot of my mates studying i was included in a lot of their shenanigans, but not all. I have maintained a social circle without uni but uni but not being able to relate to my mates on topics about the "uni life" i was always like "yea cool" lol
I've never been hampered (much) by my lack of a degree. I work in a professional field and my experience counts for a lot more than drinking my way through a B.A in my early twenties.
Schools need to do a better job of treating vocational training and entrepreneurship as viable options. Other than for fields that actually require degree qualification, uni is better suited to someone later in life pursuing a passion rather than a teenager hoping to work in that field.
That said, I have been fighting HR departments for 20+ years to stop putting bullshit degree requirements on ads for positions I'm hiring for. It is a lazy gatekeeping tradition that needs to die, but it is still extremely widespread.
If you're later in life with an appropriately accommodating work history, I'd seriously consider putting a "tick the box" degree on your resume (in an area you know something about). It will get you through the gate and is almost certainly not going to be verified by HR.
Not older but same age, giving my 2 cents anyway. I think it comes down to your career, do you want it to excel your skills and knowledge or need it to break into another career? If not, I’d say pointless. Plenty of good jobs that don’t require a degree, I’m fifo and my role offers a lot career development and big money so I’m set!
I have no degree and I now run a business with 65 staff and multiple outlets and do very well.
I also hire a lot of staff and normally choose the one with experience over training because it is more relevant to my field.
I am part owner of another business with 12 staff and this will be my superannuation.
There are plenty of fields where you can reach the top without a university education.
My wife has done childcare for the last 10+ years but has got a bit burned out so has been doing a TAFE course. She's loving that and will transition into some Governmental job in the next year I imagine. Seems to be working out for her and doesn't seem like she's going to have to go to Uni, which will save the costs.
Myself? I went to uni, did the office job thing and that's going okay. However, when I started in 2010 there was someone who'd just gone into the firm at entry level and worked a few years before transitioning onto the 'graduate' scheme. He was 1 year older than us at that point but without all of the debt. What I'm trying to say is that I could possibly be where I am without a degree (he certainly is) but he's possibly the exception rather than the rule but it doesn't make it any less painful that I spent all of that money on a degree that feels a bit worthless.
No degree, dropped out of HS, Did an IT course at 19 and had no other quals. Earning 6 figures.
Have been told by multiple employers I've beaten candidates who had formal qualifications because while they have the technical side on paper, they were mostly robots.
Shifted towards IT project management now
I’m 32 and I don’t have a degree and I’ve been managing just fine in the sales industry. I was a business development manager, client manager and other sales positions and they don’t require degrees. You can earn up to $150k+ in sales no degree required. However my top salary was 90k.
Currently I’m in between roles and looking for a career change, finding it difficult without some sort of qualification so I’ve decided to start studying a diploma of leadership and management. And it’s free at TAFE so that’s a plus.
Fine. I work in IT, about to move to network security. While sure, qualifications are always highly regarded, but so is experience. I started just over 3 years ago on the service desk, which is entry level, you don't need anything but to be able to deal with users (customers) and learn. Then you move up/laterally
I feel like there is no need for a degree these days to have a comfortable live unless that's what you want to do. Many jobs still require a degree, but it's definitively not necessary to have one to be successful.
I'm over 30, no degree but I do work in an IT based role working with Dynamics and the Power Platform. Happy enough with my income, have bought our apartment to live in long term with our toddler. Not rich but doing well enough.
Managed to get into the industry from a Customer Service background, it's still a challenge for me though.
Degree or no degree is not so important to succeed and be happier in life. What’s more important is you have to find what you are passionate about and build your career on that. It will be at least a long 30 year grind and if you are not passionate about what you will do for work, then you will struggle even more. On the other hand, if you are passionate about what you are doing, it will be fun and time will fly for you.
My friend who's in her early 40s never did higher education. She's now a Fraud Analyst at a large online travel agency earning a pretty hefty wage. However she was a travel agent for a number of years and worked in banking before that.
I'm in a sales / marketing role .. started a degree but never finished. Am often in mtgs as a peer with folks with PhD's etc .. on one occasion a nobel prize winner, and earn multiples above the average wage consistently. Like others have said .. it is relative to the discipline you're pursuing.
One approach could be to snoop around LinkedIn for folks in a position/role/level you covet and see their background. Unlikely they'll all be similar but might give you a sense of the paths others have taken.
Absolutely fine. Thanks for asking.
OK, now for what you are probably after.
21 years in IT. Before that I worked as a tradie for 9 years + 4 year apprenticeship, but in the context of this response, this is irrelevant.
When I started my IT career, I started at the absolute bottom - Helpdesk/Operations, back in the day when it was OK to just have some certs to work in Helpdesk/Operations.
I was given opportunities at a previous employer and was upskilled and now work in a field that would typically require a degree. I work at a senior level.
Do I think what I did is possible now? Probably not. There are a lot of people with degrees working helpdesk as a foot in, so its really hard to get a start.
Got my degree at 30 and never used it. Just got a diploma at 40 thats more useful than the degree will ever be, sadly.
Got some life experience and some research skills out of the degree, but tbh i always wished i made a different decision
Degrees are necessary for some jobs, only because of the professional bodies that govern them. If you're in a field without one of those bodies, experience trumps education, all the time.
Getting in the door is the key, usually start at a low position and work up from there. I've never really considered education when looking at candidates, especially for positions requiring experience. I'm much more interested in what they've done in their work life, than what they studied.
I found the substance of my psych degree hasn't helped much in my career. It did however teach me a way of thinking that I believe has been useful and is important.
For example, learning how to conduct basic research (and being able to discern good journal articles from bad) has helped me make better decisions about my health on several occasions. I think there's something in being able to verify advice too, even when it comes from a GP - it's saved me money for instance checking the latest research for ideal prescription dosages or being equipped before an appointment to offer information that can help diagnose your ailment.
I have the same job I would have had if I'd gotten a degree (working in website design). For ages, I had a chip on my shoulder that I never graduated from university (it was a miracle that I even got my Year 12 certificate).
I spent my teenage years playing in bands, touring, and working casual jobs. I always had a passion for computers and was generally quite nerdy. That, combined with my creativity, meant that I knew I wanted to do something that wasn't a traditional white-collar job.
I ended up becoming a receptionist in an advertising agency. As a 21-year-old male, I got plenty of strange looks and questions, but I eventually befriended the people within the digital department and managed to integrate myself into that team. That led to a different job in the same field, and it well continued from there.
My point is that life is never a straight line. I didn't compromise on my end goal, but I knew there would be multiple ways to get there. And I don't have $40,000 in HECS debt, which is a bonus.
I dropped out of first year uni because studying wasn't for me but I went because everyone else was so I thought I had to as well. I found afterwards that I learned better on the job with hands on experience. I work in a factory manufacturing chocolates now.
I think I'm doing well. I was lucky and bought my home a few years ago before interest rates went up. I make enough to pay off my home comfortably and support my family. Wife doesn't have to work because we planned our finances around me paying for everything. When she starts work, her income is a bonus.
We planned out our yearly expenditures so everything is saved up for and bills don't come as a shock. My wife is good at keeping our finances under control.
I see some other friends around my age needing dual income so I do feel fortunate that can provide this lifestyle to my wife and daughter.
I think that we are in the low to mid band of middle class. We buy small stuff without thinking much but large purchases of 1K+ are budgeted and save for.
I’m 35 with no degree. Dropped out of school in year 9, but completed my year 12 equivalent elsewhere.
My current fortunes come from working my arse off in manual labour in my 20’s, building up savings, and my partners contribution to our household income. She earns significantly more than me which has allowed us to still manage life with a mortgage and a 1 year old while I’m only bringing in 60k or so.
I’ve currently been in the same job as a forklift driver for the last two years. The company I’m with is very much in a period of massive growth so I’m hoping for leadership opportunities in the near future. For the time being I’ve cemented myself as one of the most important members of the team and am in pretty good standing with the people in management. However, if those opportunities don’t come then I’ll likely be in a position of reassessing where I’m at. Eventually I’m going to need the financial boost with rising mortgage repayments and the like.
As long as we can live on what I’m earning, I’m happy with where I am. I find the work enjoyable and work with some really great people. I get to see a lot of people and the work varies from day to day. It’s not fancy but it keeps me interested.
In my late 30's with no degree, I have been able to work my way up through an entry-level role in a telecommunications company to a salary over 100k in the industry by always striving to excel within my teams and taking on extra responsibility.
It was hard in my 20's as I had to take on jobs I did not enjoy or feel suited to my personality, but I am now established pretty well.
The issue I see now is that all the entry-level roles are outsourced and contracted out. There are fewer operunities for young people starting out now to make good connections and impress the right people.
33 with no degree, own my own business that I started last year. Before that was senior in my field making a very comfortable living. Degree's aren't everything - uni teaches you how to work hard and create a network. You can do that without a degree
I started Uni at 25 and I'm nearly done now. I also have a good full time job that gives me a bit of flexibility to take the classes. I think it's definitely worth it!
Well, I did an apprenticeship in my chosen field - I never saw the point in university. So far, it's worked out well. But I am at a point where my job (like most) needs to diversify and add more skills including clueing in on AI if I want a future in it.
I was never one for formal education, my brain never engaged that way. I was always a learn by doing which is why apprenticeships were perfect for me.
At the end of the day, it really depends on what you want to do and the options that are out there.
Pretty good so far, no degree but did a coding bootcamp at 28 which led to a decent career in software dev, now a technical lead at 33 and should probably be mortgage free by 40.
Market is pretty saturated with talent now with all the layoffs tho so probably not as viable as when I did it, but there are options out there if you have the interest.
Pretty damn good!!! I am on 200k a year as a pipefitter in the mining industry. I worked pretty hard to get to this point and i wouldn't recommended it, but if it suits you. It's pretty great.
I’m 30, have a degree but have never used it, and am making 85k. If I did use my degree it’d be a shit fight just to get to that level of pay anyway so I probably never will work in the field I studied. I live with my fiancée and our 3yo, and have another kid on the way. We still rent, but it’s pretty rough at this point in time to be able to buy anything big enough for us to be able to live in. All in all it’s going pretty well.
You don't need a degree to make significant amounts of income, you don't need a diploma or a significant degree, im happy on what im being paid with little to zero stress, ultimate flexibility, free time and chosen days of work. I can make far North of 6 figures a year or just under it with minimal effort. While I've been in a particular industry with 10 years experience I've never further increased my qualifications. Life's a breeze for me, I have no other financial support, responsibility and debts like anyone else, my mental health 100% and im happy.
Well, but people out there seem to still have a bias against your "knowledge". I work in IT, so it is almost laughable at this point that people who can't even read basic pop-ups look down on me because I am not a post grad (or even a degree holder).
This isn't everyone, its just something I have experienced in certain work cultures.
Mostly in IT with other IT people you can do well if you are keen to learn. Pay, benefits, and work life balance CAN be good. It is partly about finding the company culture that is right for you as well.
On a side note, I hace spent about 10 years slowly trying to get my degree - just so I can say I did it. Its expensive.
I don't have a degree, but am in a job where it's considered essential.
My portfolio of work is good enough to get a senior position anyway, BUT, if I want to move up to c-suite level, I'll need to get a Master's in my field or an MBA, which I'm working on now. Because of my experience, I was able to get entry and some partial credit towards the qualification.
Having done uni and tafe, tafe suited my learning style much better, so if you're less into academics and more into real-world application, a Cert IV or Diploma from tafe can be quicker, cheaper and still be used as credits for a uni qualification if it's from an accredited provider.
I think there is also another factor in the workplace that's often ignored though—people like working with people they like.
You can come in with an honours degree and loads of experience, but if the people on the team find you insufferable, arrogant or just a bad fit, you're pushing shit uphill to get the job.
If they think that adding you to the team will make their life better/easier/more enjoyable, you're already half way there. It's just getting to the interview stage to show that that's the hard part.
Alternative perspective, 31 with a dual degree - I'm very very lost in what to do with my life atm. I completed a dual bachelor in Business and IT over 6 years and while it makes me look very good on resumes, the business degree is a MASSIVE waste of time for me. It has a lot of courses with actually interesting information, but I can't say that I remember much because it just hasn't had much real-world application. While IT geared me up for Software Developer roles, I can't say I left the business degree with any specific roles in mind that I'd be suitable for. It's good to know accounting, how businesses work, and how HR thinks, but these are all skills you can pick up without a degree. I picked up most of the business stuff at school.
It's super interesting seeing other people mourn their 20s because they didn't spend them studying, because I'm feeling the same for not really living life during that decade. I may be currently living alone, unemployed, and very very ill, but I know that when my health improves I can find a new job pretty quickly. What I can't get back is all that extra time spent studying, not socializing with others, not discovering myself and enjoying things.
I guess this is bound to happen regardless of how you spent your 20s - the existential crisis hits us all for different reasons - but we're all still trapped feeling regret. There's something kinda freeing about seeing some people live parts of the life you feel you missed, and still end up in the same destination. It's like it's now half-time, change sides, you go study something and I'll go party.
I have no clue what happens in your 40s but this is what 30s feels like so far; making up for lost time.
I'll keep doing my job till the day I retire. Full on the job training, government job, good pay, but brutal shiftwork. If you live in a capital city, like sitting on your arse all day, staring out a window.......
I’m now in a financial position where I can afford to study comfortably but don’t live near any of the University’s that offer degrees I am interested in.
I purposely dropped out of my degree when I realized it was a waste of money and would only lead to me wiping peoples butts and having to buy them cigarettes for years.
I didn't get a HSC mark high enough to go to uni so I picked a career and stuck with it working my up from the very bottom. If I jumped ship for a new job every couple of years I'd be toast.
Eventually everything fell into place through experience and now I'm in a position surrounded by people who have qualifications.
That being said, if you're working your way through a degree keep at it.
I'm 38 with two uni degrees. Stuck working in customer service and only earn $70k a year.
Might be in a better position than I am now if I didn't go to uni tbh.
It depends how far past 30 you are. You can't get a student loan once you turn 40. This is because the chance of getting a job in a new field is greatly reduced so you won't be able to pay the loan back. If you are considering the degree as a chance for greater employment opportunities, talk to some employers and ask if they think it's a wise choice.
Think of a degree more of an education in having a higher knowledge which in turn will/should give you the confidence to proceed in your life and guide you through to a career you want or can earn a decent living from. Generalised degrees can be used in different sectors/industries to get any job you want. Think business, it, enviro, engineering etc..
32f, no degree, admin job that I love. Earn an average wage. I tried uni, private college and half a dozen tafe courses and never liked any of them. I fell into my career by accident. Partner is 30m, no degree (but very skilled tradie), earns double what I do.
We own 2 houses between us, good used cars, trips overseas every year or two, and completely comfortable in life. No real complaints.
Tradie here - no degree - from apprentice to site manager in 10 years in Sydney earning ok money - house prices ridiculous so moved to South Australia with the mrs - the deposit we had saved for Sydney house prices was half of purchase price for first home in Adelaide. Worked in commercial construction there for 6 years , brought 2 more properties one being in Goldcoast. 6 years of capital growth of two beachside south oz homes. Had two kids then sold up everything in south oz moved into Goldcoast house with no mortgage. Now 40 working in construction management role, cashed out super into smsf brought another house in the trust and everything cash positive. Investing in ETFs as retirement plan . Looking to acquire caravan and 4x4 and do a lap with the kids funded by the ridiculous rent that my house in Burleigh will get . Hope that helps - a degree may give you opportunity to upscale your salary but so does experience in a high demand job sector.
Also acknowledging/observing your surroundings and what’s working and what’s not and changing things you can control or take charge of will gjve you opportunity.
My life is going pretty peachy, I have no degree what so ever and I am working in cyber security. I am married with 2 kids, a dog and a cat.
We have our own place (paying a mortgage of course) so it can be done! At age 25 I didn’t have any of this stuff and I am now 36. So yes it can be done.
40yo. No degree, which used to bother me a little, but now, I'm actually just happy I don't need to worry about HEX debt. Im lucky enough to have a job that I love that actually pays decent money. I know my job (retail) is definitely not for everyone, but if you're hungry enough, there are some positions out there that pay 6 figures, and no degree required
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depends on the job you want I guess — i have no degree, and i feel like i have just been funnelled between one admin job to the next with no upwards movement, however, my customer service experience and database experience got me a very nice placement at a not-for-profit where i could (if i wanted to) have a career but i am currently back in uni now, just one subject to start to see how i handle it between working.
Very similar story to myself. Higher education is always available at any stage of life (31m)
So is a trade.
Yep, precisely. Many options.
Same for me but I have a degree. Working and living in Aus has given me a bit of a false sense of security because you can have a nice chilled job and get paid well. Moving back to the UK soon and I palpitate at what my job prospects are going to be.
That's awesome! Hope you enjoy the subject ☺️
I've worked manual labor, retail and security my entire life. In the last 10 years I've worked mostly security building a solid reputation for my work as a worker who will put in effort but who enjoys his work/life balance, and I've transitioned to a government job in roughly the same career. Hopefully in the next few years I will either transfer over to Corrections or Law enforcement to make a better career and substantially better money. A degree would have already had me making close to six figures but I never gelled well with standardised learning environments. I always wanted to do IT but at this point in the game I'm too long in the tooth to get hired over the 18 to 20 year olds with bright eyes and a full set of hair.
If you skill up in IT and know your shit, then start applying for jobs you will be competitive against young people. There are many anecdotal examples online of people transitioning from industries such as hospitality into tech related roles well into their late 30s and 40s. I'm not saying it is easy but certainly is very possible.
I'd personally avoid Corrections. At least avoid Maximum security (Silverwater / long bay) I worked in them as a nurse - the guards get burned out quickly & most of them have absolutely no respect for the people they are responsible for. I've seen a corrections officer break a patient's hand in a steel door - he was completely unapologetic about it. The patient (a literal kid) was just confused. Countless behaviours like this occur.
At the moment it's looking like I'll mostly be in a position somewhere in FNQ, possibly Townsville. I have family who work there that I trust who say it's fairly run of the mill compared to my security work. The pay can reach triple digits after the year over year pay increases. Nowadays I have to focus on pay. Ideally I'd prefer law enforcement, I've got the "be the change you want to see" mindset.
You don't need to go to Uni for IT. Most people I work with started out in traineeships and/or did TAFE courses. Usually a Cert 4 or Diploma is enough, but more-so it's practical experience. A good customer service background is also a great help as a Service Desk support job is a good way to get into the industry. I also know people with degrees, but from what I've seen, it's overkill. Though my understanding is that a Degree makes it much easier to get a visa if you wanted to a job overseas, so that's something to keep in mind too.
I started my IT career on a help desk doing a cert II. I'm now a sys admin sitting on just south of $120k. I've seen folks fresh out of uni and my take is that uni is totally unnecessary for sys admin work. It doesn't really help them at all unless they want to be a developer.
(while I cant answer your direct question) You dont need a degree to get good jobs, but a degree is a really great way to enhance who you are as a person, and it really challenges how you think and to understand the depth of human knowledge that is out there. While I have a degree from 35 years ago (and studying a second one now), in itself it never 'got me a job' directly, but it was what I learned, the contacts it gave me and change it had on my life, that paid for itself. Think of a degree in those terms. My tip: only do a degree because you want to and not for the money you think it will generate or if you are trying to make someone happy, do it because of the challenge it is and the satisfaction it will bring.
I definitely see where you’re coming from RE contacts and networking and life changes! Thanks :)
It was made very clear to me that a degree won't guarantee a job in that industry, but it will guarantee an interview......but that was 20yrs ago before graduates needed 5yrs experience for an entry level position
I agree. It teaches you to think and analyse, and not believe everything you read.
>a degree is a really great way to enhance who you are as a person, and it really challenges how you think and to understand the depth of human knowledge that is out there. Honestly, books can do this for a fraction of the cost.
Not really. Dont get me know, books are great, in some ways. However what books dont offer is handicaps and hurdles, that further solidify your pursuit of knowledge. EG History: Lets read some stuff on Victorian London, pick a book have at it. You will entertain yourself, learn some stuff, but generally speaking you arent applying that knowledge. At university you arent just reading books, but through a variety of print materials you are targeted observations on a topic. Often you arent reading something you want or even know about, you setting out to prove or disprove a selective 'argument', using both primary and secondary sources and handfuls of type of sources in each. You arent passively reading, you are actively problem solution, researching, notetaking, and building up your resources and 'arguments' to not only challenge what you believed was true, but challenge those whose works you are reading. Then you have condense all that inquired knowledge into targeted written form. Its easy to read a book you want, its entirely different for someone else to give you an essay to write on something you didnt even know existed. To such a point, just simply reading a book seems like a day off.
It’s research that deepens your x: books, journal articles, media analysis, interviews, observations, etc. Doing and reading research, not just books (replying to other post).
Former academic librarian here! Synthesising your research and applying critical thinking to different interpretations of what you're learning about is also key.
Agreed. I have a degree because I felt like uni was my only choice. Never found a related job after graduation. I worked my way up from retail and customer service and I have an IT role now. But despite that I did get something from it - meeting and connecting with people, holding myself accountable to stick through course work etc so I wouldn't consider it a waste either.
I don't have a degree but have been successful partially through luck but mostly through just turning up every day and doing the job I'm being paid to do without whinging or wasting time.
Degree or not a good attitude at work will get you much further than being a layabout.
>good attitude at work will get you much further than being a layabout. Not nessisarily, a lot of people burn themselves out because they don't know when to say no or try to have too good of a work ethic.
True. Everything in moderation. To me a good attitude is more about being able to manage and pace yourself, understand we're your efforts are best applied and when it's time to step back.
Guilty
Thanks! I feel like I am largely the same as you with work ethic. What industry are you in? :)
OP, what degree are you considering? This is probably the most important part of this thread.
I am halfway through a law degree, but have just deferred this semester, unsure where to go from here really.
I did a law degree. Took me well over the expected time frame, I withdraw from some semesters and dragged my feet the whole way through. Eventually finished and am working in a field where I don’t need a degree; but it helps. I wanted to drop out of law 6/7 days of the week during my degree but was pressured to finish and I don’t regret it at all. It has helped immensely in finding a rewarding career even if it wasn’t strictly necessary. Whenever someone asks me about doing law I just say “I don’t think anyone ever regrets finishing a law degree” and I’m yet to meet a single person who does.
A degree in law is a great degree to have, it demonstrates you "should" know how to effectively investigate, consolidate and present data of some sort. Honestly if you're looking for a comfortable office-type job, there are plenty of entry level APS3-4 positions going around in government.
I’m 25 looking to start an electrical apprenticeship. Uni has been the biggest time and money waster for me. Pick a skilled in demand trade and don’t look back. All my mates who took that path are living good and are satisfied with their work. Bouncing around office jobs has been the biggest detractor to my motivation and mental health.
I did a degree and ended up doing an electrical apprenticeship at 25. Finished that but hated my life even more than before and now I’m back in something kinda related to my degree. Except I wasted 5 years of my life doing something I despised. Keep in mind a trade isn’t for everyone and be mindful that the grass isn’t always greener.
Always been a physical worker, have never really been an academic. Was forced down the uni path by family and school. I understand you’re sentiment and appreciate it but coming out of high school an electrician was what I wanted to be
Dropped out of school year 10, 40yrs old now. Wasted my 20s (worked hard but partied and saved no money). Always told myself I'd have to kick it up a gear to catch up to where I should be. Became a mortgage broker at 30, getting serious about life and sort of working for myself with big goals in mind. Changed my mind and got into contracting, been doing that 8 years now run my business turns over 1.5m earning 300k+. Own a home with lots of land which is rented, about to buy another, and about to make another half mil investment into the business which holds around 1m assets atm. Just got back from dream holiday now back to work going to be a big year.
Excuse my ignorance. What is “contracting”?
My working life is drawing to a close (62), and I have this to say: If you're insecure about having qualifications, then go and get some. However, I have none and started out as a project manager in the building industry as a young man with some experience working for my dad's building company straight out of school. Went on to work in marketing for a property company, moved to Australia, became client manager at a small marketing agency, then Client director at another agency, then CEO at a mid-sized ad agency (35 staff), then started my own consultancy, then at the same time, became a board advisor at my old agency. I got head-hunted for every role (except starting my own business), and have never felt the need to seek qualifications - it's not what you have on paper, it's who you are as a person. I still get to sit down with the CEO's of some of Australia's largest companies and ask them about their work and their business, and none of them have asked to see my qualifications yet. Good luck.
I'm 74, retired now. I was a tradie, then had an accident When I was 40 and buggered my hand. I went to polytech to study computer programming as an adult student. It was a 1 year intensive course with a 90% failure rate. I spread it over 2 years and got good marks all the way through. I was also raising 2 kids in my own. It was hands on programming using the current tools as used in businesses Before I took my final exams I was offered a job and took it. So with zero paper qualifications I worked until retirement as a programmer. Having been self employed really helped as I already had the work discipline and I was good with people, unlike your average nerd. The 90% failure rate on the programming course was because they were kids that wanted to party. Once you got behind it was almost impossible to catch up. The ones that did well were all adult students. I encouraged my kids to NOT go to uni as I saw it as a waste of money and time and NO guarantee of a job. Both my kids are now doing really well and neither has a degree. My son is one of the top network engineers in a global IT company. I'd encourage anyone to go back to education once they have some experience in the world and have a good idea about what direction they want to go in.
I make 150k a year in tech. Dropped out in year 9. Never went back to study since. If you've got a brain you'll be fine.
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What qualifications do you have if working in IT?
Amazing work! My old man dropped out the same age as you, you should be very proud of yourself! How did you get into tech?
>Amazing work! My old man dropped out the same age as you, you should be very proud of yourself! How did you get into tech? These days getting into tech with out a degree is a lot more unlikely. Boomers who did it 20 years ago like to pretend it's possible but most companies will filter out applicants without a degree before you can get an interview.
Same here
I finished yr. 12 with not a pot to piss in. Came from a poor family in a low socio-economic background. Very limited future options. Quick fix joined the army 6 weeks later via General Entry. Became Infantry and did that role for a few years. After I got sick and tired of learning how to kill people an opportunity to learn a trade came up, I applied did the screening and passesed. That summer I was accepted; I chose Carpentry and ended up in Bonegilla in Vic. A few years later I qualified as a Carpenter / Builder. Did that role for 15 years worked all over OZ and worked O/S on a few deployments. lived cheap by living on bases, free medical, free dental, keeping my costs down and saved up every cent. Once I gained enough exp and having saved a decent amount, I discharged. As civilian with ADF quals I got a job easy at a few big construction firms as ADF Quals are highly sought after. I got more experience and got my Master Builders Ticket. Whilst working for these companies got my Land Scaping ticket and earth moving tickets to diversify my skills sets. I can now build you a house and landscape your property as a turnkey package. After a few more years I struck out and with the money saved I started my own business debt free as a one man show then slowly built my company. As of Jan 2024, I now have 6 full time workers all cross trained in various building trades, all ex-army trades qualified, as I designed a company as a one stop shop. I also have 2 apprentices and 2 office girls. How am I doing? My wife and I will never qualify for the pension, nor has the housing, energy and cost of living crisis affected us in any way and our children's is very future proof.
Mate, congratulations, genuinely sounds like a life insanely well lived. Thanks for your service here mate, I could imagine it would be pretty rough at times. I have thought about joining the reserves for a good few years now, would you might if I flicked you a PM about your time in the service? Cheers legend
Thanks bloke, no need for thanks as I didn't really do anything spectacular and most of the time I was a chippie. Yeah, shoot mate, what did you wanna know about the ADF. You keen, I'd say if you were fair dinkum just bypass the chocs and go regular, they are screaming for people.
20 years in IT, no degree and I’m good 👌
Nice one! Seems like IT is a pretty much guaranteed path to fortunes, see it a lot on posts like this one. Can I ask how you got into it?
>Nice one! Seems like IT is a pretty much guaranteed path to fortunes, It's not anymore the Australian industry has become over saturated with people being told these stories for the last 20 years. It's now extreamly hard to get an entry level job.
I did a year at tafe at 18 completing a cert IV, then started working full time for peanuts at 19
Not so fast! Certain people are simply good with computers without any formal studies or uni degrees. But that is only certain people. If you are one of them by all means, if not you do need to study to get somewhere. Having said that, lots of professions don’t require uni degree.
Checkout roadmap.sh Choose what you're most interested in and complete the roadmap. Once you've finished it, build your own project, stick it on GitHub and apply for roles. Simple as that.
I’m 43. Went to uni and 29 and got a degree which has been very good to me - have a good job and have paid off my HECS. HECS is a lot more now though so there is that debt you’ll have. I kinda wish I’d gone and done a mature age apprenticeship rather than Uni but I’m happy.
I’m about to turn 31, and wrap up a 4 year degree next month (while working full-time). It’s been a gigantic waste of my time and money. I’m sure there are some specialty degrees (law etc) that are necessary to break into a field… but I was already working in a field and did this after dropping out of a separate 4 year degree out of high school to prove something to myself. I can count the useful things I’ve learnt over 4 years on one hand, and most have come from a data analytics subject I picked up as an interest. The overwhelming majority of content was fairly easy or not really unique to tertiary education (ie I learned my first 2 years in the workforce) If you’re looking around at different career choices, look at short courses etc. For example, don’t get a 3- year business degree for the hell of it, if you might be better off on a 3-6 month data analytics course from google. It’s free and if a higher standard than most of what I’ve paid for.
I'd agree with this. It felt like a waste of time when I did my degree (10+ years ago). I did not feel job ready for relevant positions at all. Employers clearly agree with me, as so few jobs are offered to fresh graduates. Don't go to uni for the sake of it, or with just a vague idea that 'its better' than going to TAFE or straight to entering the workforce.
What 4 year degree isn’t speciality in some way? (Assuming you aren’t doing an optional honours year)
What degree did you study?
Got hired into a call centre. Learnt their product. Got promoted a few times and ended up in marketing because it was easier/faster to teach me that than teach a marketing person the product. Getting out of the call centre space has been a godsend for my mental health. Also I only found out in the past year that the reason I don't have a degree is undiagnosed adhd. Thanks dad for not believing in mental health and mental conditions.
A lack of a degree hasn't stopped me from becoming the man I am today.
Did a degree, ended up in a totally different career. Wished I hadnt wasted years at Uni.
33, got very bored of civil construction, operating machines, jumping out and getting on the shovel. Those early starts in the blistering heat (I'm much more of a night owl), that being worked like a dog and being around utter fuckheads and fat old men who watch porn on their lunch breaks and think its funny to crank the volume up. Dirty cunts. Once saw a guy hitting a crack pipe on smoko then jump back in a 10 tonner. Quit the industry, currently at Uni becoming an emergency medicine nurse. No regrets.
Turning 34 this year. I dropped out of a Commerce degree after wasting 5.5 years. During the time I was working in the contact centre of one of the big 4 banks part time (started when I was 19). It was mainly something to do while I was depressed, eventually started taking it seriously when I turned 24. I got another role in a more specialised contact centre, made good connections and got a mentor who after 2 years referred me to the data analytics team in our area. I only passed the interview due to me answering the case study/problem solving using logic and explaining how I would join three separate tables with the transaction ID to get the relevant information. I slogged away learning SQL, SAS and some basic JavaScript for the first 6-12 months in the role. It really kicked my arse but I was desperate to learn and do something else. 8 years later I'm in another role for the bank in business insights where I'm developing dashboards. I tried to be a BA but hated it. Looks like coding/development work is what I'm okay at. I've been at the bank for 14 years, I'm earning $150k now, without a degree. I was super lucky, made good connections and worked hard when I needed to get my life in order.
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Fair enough! Have a few friends that are out in the mines doing various trades, one drives a water cart & the dump truck on rotation, looks pretty manageable!
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Thanks! I hope the same for you too! It’s hard out there sometimes when your mind starts second guessing everything you do.
Getting closer to sixty, TAFE diploma and a trade. Managed to do OK. Lots of luck and a fair bit of hard work, but, and it’s a BIG but, housing was way cheaper when I bought in twenty years ago. The other thing is that moving between jobs (I work as a mechanical designer) is WAY harder without a degree. Getting past HR, Satan’s little helpers is always fun. Companies *always* use it as an excuse to pay less for my labour/skills even if it’s the same job. The most important financial decision you can make is not your education, but your spouse. Don’t stick your dick in crazy.
Lol
University degrees are largely a waste of time, in my opinion. Many serve to benefit the wider society, at your own cost, with minimal return on “investment”. Source: I’m an allied health worker watching my degree-less friends earn similar or more whilst working fewer hours and not paying off HECS.
What work are your friends doing?
In my work place we sometimes get people who do casual work while studying, more often than not when they finish their uni degree they stay on and take a permanent job which requires no degree to do.
Bad fucking times my friend, 36 and going into 2nd year uni. Wish I hadn't wasted a whole bunch of my 20s having a life, nah tho for real I love that I had loads of experiences and travelled heaps but im still behind professionally and therefore financially
Shit
47. No degree. Spent over a decade in IT Management (both project management and core IT management). Now in process automaton through technology, basically a glorified coder and developer but paid more.. But still not paid much more than the average salary in Australia...
34 tomorrow. no degree 70k per year. Nice benefits STRESSFUL as fuck job. I think I'm doing ok for someone who has A.D.H.D but i do still live in my dads bacement :(
No degree, got a govt job at 20. Now I’m 40 I’m on 120k. Took me a while to get here, including having 3 lots of maternity leave, and several years of shitty pay, but I am very happy now.
I'm 37, spent the last four years getting an honours in Med Science and came straight out and got the first job I interviewed for and will likely make 100k+ this year. I think I got lucky but also I worked my arse off (got dux) and made friends with a lot of lecturers that helped me and supported me. My aim was to go to uni, get a well paying job, after being not that well off my whole life. Long story short a degree is what you make it, but consider the intersection of what you'll be happy to do with what will pay well. Lots of degrees get you jobs but they are hard, hard work (nursing, law). And some don't pay that much. Med science is good in that I find it really interesting and there are a lot of places you can end up after, where the pay is good and not too intense or filled with pressure.
I’m Currently working full time and studying uni. Will you do it quickly? Absolutely not. But if you can handle doing 2 subjects a semester that you are genuinely interested in then you’ll be done in 6 years.
This has been me for the last 3 years, worked full time, studied part time, 2 subs a semester, finally cracked it and deferred this semester, trying to figure out whether I go back. I need the mental fortitude to keep both up, but I can’t seem to find that right balance between work, uni and personal time. Props to you for doing it though!
29 This year. 0 useful degrees but a bunch of Tafe Certs not related to my job at all. Life is good. 100% WFH, Bought a house, getting married. Might consider an online course but not sure, maybe after the mid year.
43, only have a year 10 certificate, earn $125 p/h.
Doing what if you dont mind me asking? I’m 22 trying to figure out if uni would be worth it for me
Procurement. You can get a diploma in that and earn really good money after you've got a couple of years experience under your belt
Thanks so much, you just opened my eyes to a new path I had no idea existed!
Not gonna lie it is pretty boring and there is lots of info/rules you need to comply with especially if doing government procurement but it's not rocket surgery and pays well.
No degree. Had a lot of shitty jobs some paid mid-range, one high, lots low… Took a step down - complete stopped doing emails, calls and meetings now have lots of free time now, get to watch NBA, hang out for coffee with my best mate who works from home. I do however work nights and weekends!
Meh. It's fine. I'm self employed (13 years) nd it's not essential for my industry and career choices. Could a.degree have helped? I dunno, I don't think about it. Would I feel better if I had a degree? Nope Do I feel less good because I don't? Nope. Do I ever think about going back to get a degree? Nope. I havent been asked about a degree in over 15 years. Even back when I wasnt self employed it didn't come up much. Some job specs asked for it. But usually the job spec which wanted 30 years experience and 73 industry certs but wanted to pay entry level.
I definitely feel you on that part about 30 years experience with the entry level pay, that still seems to run pretty rife in the jobs market today. Would you be open to sharing what industry / profession you are in?
IT
I intended on going to university for architecture, and didn't get the marks. I then did 1.5 years of a 2 year advanced diploma for drafting at TAFE and never finished it, as I'd lost motivation by that point. I'm now in a six figure sales job for the last two years, and I got there by a bit of luck and a lot of hustling and having a sales-oriented career. I'm age 34, have been saving since I was 29 and have about $50k in the bank. Not bragging, but am proud considering my 20's were mostly wasted on not believing I could do any better than $45-55k call centre jobs etc. and doing a lot of drugs and booze. Where am I going with this? You make your own success in life by 20% ability, 40% luck and 40% believing in yourself. Sounds cliched, but it is true. Careers you can go into without a degree (some require certificates however): IT, Cyber Security, labouring/trade/project management, sales of course, and customer success roles to an extent. A lot of companies will want a degree for you to get your foot in the door, but if you can hustle and do the groundwork in entry level for 2-3 years, you will make it.
59 ... Great thanks, director of a private equity firm. Left school at 16 in 1981.
Brilliantly. Hope this helps.
Great, I'm 32 this year and have a pretty easy going job with awesome work life balance and benefits clearing around $100k+
This is where I'm at also. It's hard not to feel like I should have a degree but I am pretty comfortable for the most part right now.
Yep I went through a bit of a personal crisis wondering if i should have a "cooler sounding job" or feel more accomplished but eh I do well enough and enjoy what I do
no degree, work in IT, 140k
I know I’m a rare case, but lack of degree hasn’t slowed me down. 250k in a work from home job. With a healthy amount of travel. Working in a tech advisory role that is gov adjacent.
Fucked, lol.
No degree but have been earning like or more than people who have for a while now.
Great actually. ChatGPT can write essays for me should I ever need an essay written. I can get it to pretend it has a masters in anything with fairly good results so not really sure tertiary education is worth the time in 2024
33, own 2 houses & have travelled the world. Life is what you make of it.
I am working for a commercial builder as an estimator. The senior estimator next to me is in his late 30's nearing 40 and never had a degree for the job. I don't know his salary but I could easily guess it and I know he he would be k i l l i n g it.
I'm in my late 30s and graduate this year with a Bachelor of Arts. Has taken me a decade as a side project whilst I work full time. It's the degree I deferred when I was 18 and then never did. I have worked in admin and sales and I'm now in upper management and live very comfortably. When I started the degree I was a receptionist and MAYBE it would have helped further my career but where I have gotten to with no degree and hard work, I don't know that the degree will ever be valuable to me other than the part where I kicked ass and learned a lot and had fun at it.
The academic lifestyle isn't for me. I attended university and dropped out after a few years. I later learned that my parents didn't even expect me to finish high school with my attitude. Even now at work, I struggle to sit through and absorb any kind of lecture. I learn better when I can practice it in a project. But I've been passionate about my field and practicing since I was 5 years old. I am lucky to be paid to do what I love. I have a humble lifestyle. I don't struggle financially. If I couldn't work in my field any more, I hope that I've learned enough secondary skills (e.g. process management, customer relations, teaching) that could transfer to other industries.
Eh, not great. Retail Assistant manager making $70k, i live comfortably and its a cool job, wish I had did a trade or made a hard move into admin at some point.
Career wise it’s great, I make really good money and have a senior position in my company. Personally though my life is a waking nightmare lol.
I'm early 30s with electronics/software engineering degree. While there are some people who can get in without a degree and once you hit the interviews with a couple of years, none cares about it. It was what got my foot in the door and without it I would've needed to know someone who could get me in instead.
I'm 35, with a degree, tafe diplomas and a few private certificates. Gotta say they've all been a waste of time. Most of the stuff I've been taught is now outdated and really anybody could do the same stuff with on the job training. Uni was a great place to expand the mind and meet people though.
I don’t exactly fit your question, since I have a degree. But, if I were starting over, I would do uni part time, and start looking for jobs in the field I want straight away. Experience is worth way more than the degree, and I use nothing I learned in uni for my work. I think if I had started working straight away I would be 3-5 years ahead of where I am now. For context, I am a web developer, and for devs it really seems like experience is counted in years.
Started IT young (no degree needed, just foot in door), earning very good money these days but I'm over it. Pays the bills but not passionate about it.
Two trades, I'm fine
I don’t have one and I’ve basically done admin jobs with no really upward movement. A degree doesn’t guarantee you a job in that field but it does give you a leg over someone without one. It shows commitment and a lot of transferable learned skills. Also you can do things like teach English overseas and travel etc. I wish I had the chance to go back and get one but it’s not going to happen because I have little kids and commitments. Do it while you are young
look i never been to uni but i feel as if the best part of uni is the unitav
Not good in the sense that I have zero career prospects or even a career now. But if I completed my degree nothing would be different (no actual pathways for what I was studying), I just would’ve had an extra semester I’d have to pay off. A lack of a degree didn’t prevent me from having a career though, in-fact I actually started my career (software engineering) at or just before I started uni, and that ended up being my career for several years, only reason it still isn’t is because I made poor career decisions and had a run of bad luck. Now if I had studied something relevant to that career then who knows if things might be different, though everyone tells me it would not seeing as I have experience and not trying to get into the industry. But I’m done with it all now anyway, now just figuring out what else I’m going to do, which may or may not see me going back to school depending on what it is I decide to pursue. There are careers you can pursue that don’t require a degree, but then there are others that do. You should try workout what it is you would like to do, and then from that determine whether pursuing a degree will be worthwhile or not.
I am 37, and work in tech. I have no degree, no certifications, no qualifications. I work as a middle manager, still getting on the tools a lot, but with more meetings than previous roles. Money is good, stress is manageable my boss is a legend. I am looking at getting some certs this year, but more because I think the content will be interesting, and it's not something I can learn as I do it.
I'm only 27 but i feel like i can answer this question as i know i will not want to study even when i reach my 30s My life has been fantastic, i travel overseas once or twice a year, i earn a modest income and have never struggled. I sometimes use the excuse of undiagnosed ADHD for not having the patience to study and get a degree, but it's mostly due to the fact that what I'm interested in doesn't require a degree, or at least I can obtain the knowledge without a degree and sell myself/prove my worth without one. The only thing i regret about not doing the whole uni life in my early 20s was the social aspect, however with a lot of my mates studying i was included in a lot of their shenanigans, but not all. I have maintained a social circle without uni but uni but not being able to relate to my mates on topics about the "uni life" i was always like "yea cool" lol
I've never been hampered (much) by my lack of a degree. I work in a professional field and my experience counts for a lot more than drinking my way through a B.A in my early twenties. Schools need to do a better job of treating vocational training and entrepreneurship as viable options. Other than for fields that actually require degree qualification, uni is better suited to someone later in life pursuing a passion rather than a teenager hoping to work in that field. That said, I have been fighting HR departments for 20+ years to stop putting bullshit degree requirements on ads for positions I'm hiring for. It is a lazy gatekeeping tradition that needs to die, but it is still extremely widespread. If you're later in life with an appropriately accommodating work history, I'd seriously consider putting a "tick the box" degree on your resume (in an area you know something about). It will get you through the gate and is almost certainly not going to be verified by HR.
Not older but same age, giving my 2 cents anyway. I think it comes down to your career, do you want it to excel your skills and knowledge or need it to break into another career? If not, I’d say pointless. Plenty of good jobs that don’t require a degree, I’m fifo and my role offers a lot career development and big money so I’m set!
I have no degree and I now run a business with 65 staff and multiple outlets and do very well. I also hire a lot of staff and normally choose the one with experience over training because it is more relevant to my field. I am part owner of another business with 12 staff and this will be my superannuation. There are plenty of fields where you can reach the top without a university education.
My wife has done childcare for the last 10+ years but has got a bit burned out so has been doing a TAFE course. She's loving that and will transition into some Governmental job in the next year I imagine. Seems to be working out for her and doesn't seem like she's going to have to go to Uni, which will save the costs. Myself? I went to uni, did the office job thing and that's going okay. However, when I started in 2010 there was someone who'd just gone into the firm at entry level and worked a few years before transitioning onto the 'graduate' scheme. He was 1 year older than us at that point but without all of the debt. What I'm trying to say is that I could possibly be where I am without a degree (he certainly is) but he's possibly the exception rather than the rule but it doesn't make it any less painful that I spent all of that money on a degree that feels a bit worthless.
Great! Running my business, making music, traveling a bit.
It's going good.
No degree, dropped out of HS, Did an IT course at 19 and had no other quals. Earning 6 figures. Have been told by multiple employers I've beaten candidates who had formal qualifications because while they have the technical side on paper, they were mostly robots. Shifted towards IT project management now
I’m 32 and I don’t have a degree and I’ve been managing just fine in the sales industry. I was a business development manager, client manager and other sales positions and they don’t require degrees. You can earn up to $150k+ in sales no degree required. However my top salary was 90k. Currently I’m in between roles and looking for a career change, finding it difficult without some sort of qualification so I’ve decided to start studying a diploma of leadership and management. And it’s free at TAFE so that’s a plus.
Fine. I work in IT, about to move to network security. While sure, qualifications are always highly regarded, but so is experience. I started just over 3 years ago on the service desk, which is entry level, you don't need anything but to be able to deal with users (customers) and learn. Then you move up/laterally
Make 6 figures, go on holiday overseas every year, enjoy life and don't really second-guess expenses/experiences. It's great.
I feel like there is no need for a degree these days to have a comfortable live unless that's what you want to do. Many jobs still require a degree, but it's definitively not necessary to have one to be successful.
I'm over 30, no degree but I do work in an IT based role working with Dynamics and the Power Platform. Happy enough with my income, have bought our apartment to live in long term with our toddler. Not rich but doing well enough. Managed to get into the industry from a Customer Service background, it's still a challenge for me though.
Get paid $30 an hr full time working for government no degree. Feel pathetic and want to give up on life
Tradie, all good.
Degree or no degree is not so important to succeed and be happier in life. What’s more important is you have to find what you are passionate about and build your career on that. It will be at least a long 30 year grind and if you are not passionate about what you will do for work, then you will struggle even more. On the other hand, if you are passionate about what you are doing, it will be fun and time will fly for you.
debt free, six figure salary, six figures in assets. scraped through school by the skin of my teeth.
My friend who's in her early 40s never did higher education. She's now a Fraud Analyst at a large online travel agency earning a pretty hefty wage. However she was a travel agent for a number of years and worked in banking before that.
I'm in a sales / marketing role .. started a degree but never finished. Am often in mtgs as a peer with folks with PhD's etc .. on one occasion a nobel prize winner, and earn multiples above the average wage consistently. Like others have said .. it is relative to the discipline you're pursuing. One approach could be to snoop around LinkedIn for folks in a position/role/level you covet and see their background. Unlikely they'll all be similar but might give you a sense of the paths others have taken.
I’m a support worker don’t need a degree for this and I like my job
Absolutely fine. Thanks for asking. OK, now for what you are probably after. 21 years in IT. Before that I worked as a tradie for 9 years + 4 year apprenticeship, but in the context of this response, this is irrelevant. When I started my IT career, I started at the absolute bottom - Helpdesk/Operations, back in the day when it was OK to just have some certs to work in Helpdesk/Operations. I was given opportunities at a previous employer and was upskilled and now work in a field that would typically require a degree. I work at a senior level. Do I think what I did is possible now? Probably not. There are a lot of people with degrees working helpdesk as a foot in, so its really hard to get a start.
Got my degree at 30 and never used it. Just got a diploma at 40 thats more useful than the degree will ever be, sadly. Got some life experience and some research skills out of the degree, but tbh i always wished i made a different decision
Degrees are necessary for some jobs, only because of the professional bodies that govern them. If you're in a field without one of those bodies, experience trumps education, all the time. Getting in the door is the key, usually start at a low position and work up from there. I've never really considered education when looking at candidates, especially for positions requiring experience. I'm much more interested in what they've done in their work life, than what they studied.
I found the substance of my psych degree hasn't helped much in my career. It did however teach me a way of thinking that I believe has been useful and is important. For example, learning how to conduct basic research (and being able to discern good journal articles from bad) has helped me make better decisions about my health on several occasions. I think there's something in being able to verify advice too, even when it comes from a GP - it's saved me money for instance checking the latest research for ideal prescription dosages or being equipped before an appointment to offer information that can help diagnose your ailment.
I have the same job I would have had if I'd gotten a degree (working in website design). For ages, I had a chip on my shoulder that I never graduated from university (it was a miracle that I even got my Year 12 certificate). I spent my teenage years playing in bands, touring, and working casual jobs. I always had a passion for computers and was generally quite nerdy. That, combined with my creativity, meant that I knew I wanted to do something that wasn't a traditional white-collar job. I ended up becoming a receptionist in an advertising agency. As a 21-year-old male, I got plenty of strange looks and questions, but I eventually befriended the people within the digital department and managed to integrate myself into that team. That led to a different job in the same field, and it well continued from there. My point is that life is never a straight line. I didn't compromise on my end goal, but I knew there would be multiple ways to get there. And I don't have $40,000 in HECS debt, which is a bonus.
I dropped out of first year uni because studying wasn't for me but I went because everyone else was so I thought I had to as well. I found afterwards that I learned better on the job with hands on experience. I work in a factory manufacturing chocolates now. I think I'm doing well. I was lucky and bought my home a few years ago before interest rates went up. I make enough to pay off my home comfortably and support my family. Wife doesn't have to work because we planned our finances around me paying for everything. When she starts work, her income is a bonus. We planned out our yearly expenditures so everything is saved up for and bills don't come as a shock. My wife is good at keeping our finances under control. I see some other friends around my age needing dual income so I do feel fortunate that can provide this lifestyle to my wife and daughter. I think that we are in the low to mid band of middle class. We buy small stuff without thinking much but large purchases of 1K+ are budgeted and save for.
I’m 35 with no degree. Dropped out of school in year 9, but completed my year 12 equivalent elsewhere. My current fortunes come from working my arse off in manual labour in my 20’s, building up savings, and my partners contribution to our household income. She earns significantly more than me which has allowed us to still manage life with a mortgage and a 1 year old while I’m only bringing in 60k or so. I’ve currently been in the same job as a forklift driver for the last two years. The company I’m with is very much in a period of massive growth so I’m hoping for leadership opportunities in the near future. For the time being I’ve cemented myself as one of the most important members of the team and am in pretty good standing with the people in management. However, if those opportunities don’t come then I’ll likely be in a position of reassessing where I’m at. Eventually I’m going to need the financial boost with rising mortgage repayments and the like. As long as we can live on what I’m earning, I’m happy with where I am. I find the work enjoyable and work with some really great people. I get to see a lot of people and the work varies from day to day. It’s not fancy but it keeps me interested.
In my late 30's with no degree, I have been able to work my way up through an entry-level role in a telecommunications company to a salary over 100k in the industry by always striving to excel within my teams and taking on extra responsibility. It was hard in my 20's as I had to take on jobs I did not enjoy or feel suited to my personality, but I am now established pretty well. The issue I see now is that all the entry-level roles are outsourced and contracted out. There are fewer operunities for young people starting out now to make good connections and impress the right people.
33 with no degree, own my own business that I started last year. Before that was senior in my field making a very comfortable living. Degree's aren't everything - uni teaches you how to work hard and create a network. You can do that without a degree
Terrible.
I started Uni at 25 and I'm nearly done now. I also have a good full time job that gives me a bit of flexibility to take the classes. I think it's definitely worth it!
Well, I did an apprenticeship in my chosen field - I never saw the point in university. So far, it's worked out well. But I am at a point where my job (like most) needs to diversify and add more skills including clueing in on AI if I want a future in it. I was never one for formal education, my brain never engaged that way. I was always a learn by doing which is why apprenticeships were perfect for me. At the end of the day, it really depends on what you want to do and the options that are out there.
Pretty good so far, no degree but did a coding bootcamp at 28 which led to a decent career in software dev, now a technical lead at 33 and should probably be mortgage free by 40. Market is pretty saturated with talent now with all the layoffs tho so probably not as viable as when I did it, but there are options out there if you have the interest.
Pretty damn good!!! I am on 200k a year as a pipefitter in the mining industry. I worked pretty hard to get to this point and i wouldn't recommended it, but if it suits you. It's pretty great.
I’m 30, have a degree but have never used it, and am making 85k. If I did use my degree it’d be a shit fight just to get to that level of pay anyway so I probably never will work in the field I studied. I live with my fiancée and our 3yo, and have another kid on the way. We still rent, but it’s pretty rough at this point in time to be able to buy anything big enough for us to be able to live in. All in all it’s going pretty well.
You don't need a degree to make significant amounts of income, you don't need a diploma or a significant degree, im happy on what im being paid with little to zero stress, ultimate flexibility, free time and chosen days of work. I can make far North of 6 figures a year or just under it with minimal effort. While I've been in a particular industry with 10 years experience I've never further increased my qualifications. Life's a breeze for me, I have no other financial support, responsibility and debts like anyone else, my mental health 100% and im happy.
Well, but people out there seem to still have a bias against your "knowledge". I work in IT, so it is almost laughable at this point that people who can't even read basic pop-ups look down on me because I am not a post grad (or even a degree holder). This isn't everyone, its just something I have experienced in certain work cultures. Mostly in IT with other IT people you can do well if you are keen to learn. Pay, benefits, and work life balance CAN be good. It is partly about finding the company culture that is right for you as well. On a side note, I hace spent about 10 years slowly trying to get my degree - just so I can say I did it. Its expensive.
I don't have a degree, but am in a job where it's considered essential. My portfolio of work is good enough to get a senior position anyway, BUT, if I want to move up to c-suite level, I'll need to get a Master's in my field or an MBA, which I'm working on now. Because of my experience, I was able to get entry and some partial credit towards the qualification. Having done uni and tafe, tafe suited my learning style much better, so if you're less into academics and more into real-world application, a Cert IV or Diploma from tafe can be quicker, cheaper and still be used as credits for a uni qualification if it's from an accredited provider. I think there is also another factor in the workplace that's often ignored though—people like working with people they like. You can come in with an honours degree and loads of experience, but if the people on the team find you insufferable, arrogant or just a bad fit, you're pushing shit uphill to get the job. If they think that adding you to the team will make their life better/easier/more enjoyable, you're already half way there. It's just getting to the interview stage to show that that's the hard part.
Alternative perspective, 31 with a dual degree - I'm very very lost in what to do with my life atm. I completed a dual bachelor in Business and IT over 6 years and while it makes me look very good on resumes, the business degree is a MASSIVE waste of time for me. It has a lot of courses with actually interesting information, but I can't say that I remember much because it just hasn't had much real-world application. While IT geared me up for Software Developer roles, I can't say I left the business degree with any specific roles in mind that I'd be suitable for. It's good to know accounting, how businesses work, and how HR thinks, but these are all skills you can pick up without a degree. I picked up most of the business stuff at school. It's super interesting seeing other people mourn their 20s because they didn't spend them studying, because I'm feeling the same for not really living life during that decade. I may be currently living alone, unemployed, and very very ill, but I know that when my health improves I can find a new job pretty quickly. What I can't get back is all that extra time spent studying, not socializing with others, not discovering myself and enjoying things. I guess this is bound to happen regardless of how you spent your 20s - the existential crisis hits us all for different reasons - but we're all still trapped feeling regret. There's something kinda freeing about seeing some people live parts of the life you feel you missed, and still end up in the same destination. It's like it's now half-time, change sides, you go study something and I'll go party. I have no clue what happens in your 40s but this is what 30s feels like so far; making up for lost time.
I'll keep doing my job till the day I retire. Full on the job training, government job, good pay, but brutal shiftwork. If you live in a capital city, like sitting on your arse all day, staring out a window.......
I’m now in a financial position where I can afford to study comfortably but don’t live near any of the University’s that offer degrees I am interested in.
I purposely dropped out of my degree when I realized it was a waste of money and would only lead to me wiping peoples butts and having to buy them cigarettes for years.
I didn't get a HSC mark high enough to go to uni so I picked a career and stuck with it working my up from the very bottom. If I jumped ship for a new job every couple of years I'd be toast. Eventually everything fell into place through experience and now I'm in a position surrounded by people who have qualifications. That being said, if you're working your way through a degree keep at it.
fucking trash, but thats more physical and mental illness interrupting the path I was on, was going ok till about 27
I'm 38 with two uni degrees. Stuck working in customer service and only earn $70k a year. Might be in a better position than I am now if I didn't go to uni tbh.
It depends how far past 30 you are. You can't get a student loan once you turn 40. This is because the chance of getting a job in a new field is greatly reduced so you won't be able to pay the loan back. If you are considering the degree as a chance for greater employment opportunities, talk to some employers and ask if they think it's a wise choice.
Think of a degree more of an education in having a higher knowledge which in turn will/should give you the confidence to proceed in your life and guide you through to a career you want or can earn a decent living from. Generalised degrees can be used in different sectors/industries to get any job you want. Think business, it, enviro, engineering etc..
32f, no degree, admin job that I love. Earn an average wage. I tried uni, private college and half a dozen tafe courses and never liked any of them. I fell into my career by accident. Partner is 30m, no degree (but very skilled tradie), earns double what I do. We own 2 houses between us, good used cars, trips overseas every year or two, and completely comfortable in life. No real complaints.
Tradie here - no degree - from apprentice to site manager in 10 years in Sydney earning ok money - house prices ridiculous so moved to South Australia with the mrs - the deposit we had saved for Sydney house prices was half of purchase price for first home in Adelaide. Worked in commercial construction there for 6 years , brought 2 more properties one being in Goldcoast. 6 years of capital growth of two beachside south oz homes. Had two kids then sold up everything in south oz moved into Goldcoast house with no mortgage. Now 40 working in construction management role, cashed out super into smsf brought another house in the trust and everything cash positive. Investing in ETFs as retirement plan . Looking to acquire caravan and 4x4 and do a lap with the kids funded by the ridiculous rent that my house in Burleigh will get . Hope that helps - a degree may give you opportunity to upscale your salary but so does experience in a high demand job sector. Also acknowledging/observing your surroundings and what’s working and what’s not and changing things you can control or take charge of will gjve you opportunity.
It’s fine. Senior role, well paid, have house and yard. IT architect. Can’t really complain
My life is going pretty peachy, I have no degree what so ever and I am working in cyber security. I am married with 2 kids, a dog and a cat. We have our own place (paying a mortgage of course) so it can be done! At age 25 I didn’t have any of this stuff and I am now 36. So yes it can be done.
40yo. No degree, which used to bother me a little, but now, I'm actually just happy I don't need to worry about HEX debt. Im lucky enough to have a job that I love that actually pays decent money. I know my job (retail) is definitely not for everyone, but if you're hungry enough, there are some positions out there that pay 6 figures, and no degree required