🔍 Career Mythbuster Challenge! 🔍

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:mag: Career Mythbuster Challenge! :mag:

:thought_balloon: Myth: “You need a degree to succeed in your dream career.”

:face_with_monocle: Truth or Myth?
What do you think? Is this a hard truth or just a career myth? Let’s challenge the norm and dive into the facts, real-life stories, and insights!

:point_right: Share Your Take:

  • Have you experienced this myth firsthand?
  • Do you think there’s truth to it, or do you have a different perspective
  • Tell us about a time when this myth was proven wrong (or right) in your own journey!

:speech_balloon: Drop your thoughts, stories, and opinions below! Let’s get the conversation started! :point_down:

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Having a degree is not an assurance that you’ll succeed in your career. There are successful people out there na hindi naman nakatapos ng college pero natamasa na ang success sa kanilang buhay. Marami sa kanila ay nasa bussiness industry.

Pero hindi rin natin maikakaila na yung diploma/degree na pinaghihirapan natin shows dedication and years of hard work. It’s a good stepping stone sa career natin dahil pinapakita nito na meron tayong sapat na kaalaman sa kung ano mang gusto nating pasukin lalong lalo na sa law, medical, teaching, IT, at iba pang industry. Here in the Philippines, having a degree is really important. Most employers here require diploma or bachelor’s degree to aspiring applicants. Mas nagiging competitive na rin ang professional world and having a degree + skills sa career path mo ay isang malaking advantage.

I’m currently taking up a Statistics degree. My goal is to pursue a career in data science or actuarial science. Finding jobs in both path would require me to have a degree as per job search websites.

All in all, a degree is not a guaranteed success but merely a step for good opportunities sa iyong career path.

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A dream career is a job or profession that aligns closely with an individual’s passions, interests, and ambitions. It’s the type of work that feels fulfilling and enjoyable, often reflecting a person’s talents and what they love to do. People pursuing their dream careers usually feel motivated by purpose, creativity, or the joy they find in their work. Examples could be an artist creating new art daily, an entrepreneur building their own business, or a software developer coding innovative apps. Success in a dream career means personal satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment more than just financial rewards.

Therefore, the idea:

you need a degree to succeed in your dream career

is mostly a myth. While a degree can be helpful and open doors, it’s not the only way to achieve success. Many careers today, especially in tech, arts, and business, value your skills, experience, and what you can do more than just having a diploma.

In my case, although I loved my course and was looking forward to a bright future ahead, I wasn’t able to pursue my degree due to personal circumstances. But having a diploma gave me the confidence that no matter what, when, or how, I can always succeed and be who I want to be.

So, still, if you can, finish your degree so you always have a fallback because most of the time, a dream career is not always an “ideal career”.

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Having a degree is not an assurance that you’ll succeed in your career.

+10000 on this one, sobrang real! There are so many hardworking people who have finished their degree program (and even graduated with high honors!) who still struggle to make a living :frowning: On the other hand, I have met so many great and successful people who have gotten so much in life without finishing college.

Pero hindi rin natin maikakaila na yung diploma/degree na pinaghihirapan natin shows dedication and years of hard work.

This is very true nonetheless! Whenever I get interviewed for jobs outside my degree program, I noticed na namamangha ang employers by the sheer fact that I finished my degree program despite not pursuing a related career which shows how determined I am to finish what I started despite the odds.

Here in the Philippines, having a degree is really important. Most employers here require diploma or bachelor’s degree to aspiring applicants.

This is definitely undeniable kahit sobrang unfair at nakakainis especially for talented individuals who weren’t fortunate enough to finish their degree :((

All in all, a degree is not a guaranteed success but merely a step for good opportunities sa iyong career path.

TAMAAA! It’s a good to have, but definitely not a guarantee for a good and fulfilling career

P.S.
Wishing you the best sa degree program mo! I hope you get into one of those fields in the future!! :heart_hands:

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Great insights, Katherine! Really agree with you especially on this one:

While a degree can be helpful and open doors, it’s not the only way to achieve success.

There are just SOOOO MANY paths to a fulfilling and successful career that at this day and age, having a degree is no longer a must.

So, still, if you can, finish your degree so you always have a fallback because most of the time, a dream career is not always an “ideal career”.

I couldn’t agree more. At the end of the day, we make do with what we have, even if it’s not the dream career. And that’s okay! We just have to keep moving forward, rolling the dice, and striving to reach a career that closely resembles the dream we have. :))

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The belief that “you need a degree to succeed in your dream career” is more of a career myth than a hard truth. While this notion is often used as an example, many successful personalities, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, do not have college degrees. However, it’s important to remember that the chances of achieving their level of success are perhaps only 1 in 100 or even 1 in 1,000. These individuals, while their stories are inspiring, are exceptions rather than the norm.

That said, we should not dismiss the value of a college degree simply because some have succeeded without one. In many fields, having a degree can serve as a stepping stone to valuable networking opportunities, skill development, and credentials that open doors to specific industries. However, a degree alone does not guarantee success. To truly thrive in any field, one must possess qualities beyond formal education.

One of my favorite TED Talks is Angela Lee Duckworth’s discussion on grit, where she highlights the power of perseverance and passion in achieving long-term goals. According to Duckworth, success does not solely depend on intelligence or talent but is deeply rooted in one’s grit—the persistent pursuit of goals despite challenges and setbacks. This kind of mindset can be a more critical factor in achieving success than any diploma.

Determination, resilience, and a willingness to learn can take a person far in their journey. Embracing a growth mindset and viewing failures as learning opportunities can bring you closer to success.

While a degree can be a valuable tool or asset, it is not a requirement for success. To achieve one’s goals, whether a degree holder or not, one must be willing to put in the effort, remain determined, and stay resilient, even in the face of challenges.

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A degree will not determine an individual’s ability to achieve his/her dream career. I believe na a degree is a starting point to realize how much you worked hard for something and how far you are willing to go. A degree can be helpful in some ways and there are other jobs that require a specific degree para matanggap ka.

The phrase “I want to succeed” depends entirely on the person, not the degree. It’s the amount of focus, hard work, and skill you’re willing to improve in order to achieve what you want. Rejection, disappointments, self doubt will always be there, but these are just part of our journey we need to accept and not endure.

Therefore, It’s a myth.

There are a lot of famous personalities and business men that succeed without a degree like Mark Zuckerberg, Vice Ganda, and Jimmy Donaldson and there are also some that achieve theirs with a degree and chose to expand their knowledge and expertise to that specific field like Elon Musk.

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Myth: “You need a degree to succeed in your dream career.”

Naniniwala po ako na hindi natin kailangan ng degree to succeed in our dream career. I think it’s abput the skillset that you have that will make you succeed. Right now, marami na tayong mapagkukuhanan ng resources to learn a thing or two. Kakailanganin mo lang talagang sipagan sa pag-aral. And I personally know a lot of people na hindi nagamit ang degree nila sa current work nila and they are successful in their own ways.

Kaya lang naman nasasabi tong statement na ito dahil here sa Philippines, masyado pong mataas ang standards ng society and yet the education system itself is failing to prepare the students for the ‘real world’. If you look at other countries like USA, Australia etc., they want results. Yes, sabihin na nating may degree ka nga but you lack the skills needed to survive in the ‘real world’, mahihirapan ka talaga.

If we want the said statement to become a truth, I think the government should fix the education system. The society is constantly changing and we need to adapt to these changes.

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…quite the loaded statement to discuss, tbh.

I would say first, recognize that not all careers are structured in the same way. If your dream career is to be an accountant, then no way around it; you gotta pass CPALE and to be allowed to take CPALE, you need to graduate BS Accountancy somewhere. However, if you want to be an entrepreneur, then having a good business idea and/or a lot of money to spend on the business tends to be a bigger prerequisite.

Either way, the first thought that came to mind is "does your dream career have to be a job title or an activity?"I ask this because to some people, they pursue a degree only for it to have a different set of activities than expected. Math-inclined people that realize how rules-based accounting is, or non-Math inclined people building a business and realizing how much math is involved in it.

In my case, I would define it as “just to give other people the insights needed for them to make better decisions”. Would this mean being a market research consultant who analyzes survey results to make sure client questions are answered? Would this mean figuring out what loans a customer can feasibly pay back? Would this mean being part of a start-up (am currently looking for a job, #shamelessplug)?

But the point is essentially: first, clarify your “dream career” first.

Second is tempering expectations on what you can possibly achieve. Bill Gates arguably got his success because he was one of the earliest people who got into coding (oversimplification, admittedly) while Nikola Tesla died poor even though his inventions are key to numerous things we use today. There’s SO MANY things in life that affect how you can attain ANYTHING in this world, and whether you like it or not, they won’t just always go away if you close your eyes. You may have a degree but if your elders made a hobby out of digging themselves into debt, you won’t have as much freedom to make choices for your dream career as someone who does not have that issue to resolve.

To summarize, tbh it’s "some dream careers DEMAND a degree, but concern yourself more with what you can actaully do with what you have, coz a degree can help give you more options and avenues, the same way networking events can.

Sorry, writing this at 4AM is not exactly my brightest idea ahahahha