(ThyBlackMan.com) One of the greatest challenges to overcome in seeking a better career is education. Many people have degrees that aren’t applicable to many jobs, have never finished their degree, or have no degree at all.
Because we’ve all been trained for generations that the ultimate goal is a college degree and the wealth that will follow, we often get down on ourselves and think that an adult with family responsibilities and a job can never get ahead if he hasn’t already acquired that degree.
The great news is that such thinking is dead wrong.
Of course, there will always be some jobs that rightfully require a college degree, but there are many others that don’t. One example is a mortgage loan officer. Many people with no college education have been able to get hired in this line of work with no college degree.
The labor market is changing. Companies understand now that your ability to interpret English literature has nothing to do with your ability to interpret an applicant’s credit report. If you have an eye for detail, good math skills, and exceptional people skills, the sheepskin is extraneous. Your drive to succeed is far more relevant and powerful.
So in the place of this required formal education, what do you need to do in order to get the type of job that doesn’t care about your postsecondary achievements? There’s nothing surprising about it, but it does bear review in order to make sure you’re completely prepared for how to go about it.
#1: Do Your Homework
Let’s say the job of a mortgage loan officer has piqued your interest. You like it on the surface: Indoor work, interaction with lots of people, a nice income, and so on.
But what do you really know about the day-to-day of these workers? You may own a home yourself, and if so, you’ve sat opposite a loan officer in getting the finance done. But you may not know what your officer did prior to your appointment. Things like taking care of appraisals, evaluating credit, and calculating lots of affordability factors make up the many hours a loan officer spends alone each day, poring through paperwork and punching numbers into an adding machine or spreadsheet.
If a career gets your attention, make sure you know more than just that a degree isn’t required. You have to have skills and aptitudes that college will never teach.
#2: Consider Advancement
Your next job may be a stepping stone, not a final destination. Make sure that a new opportunity presents its own subsequent opportunities to move ahead.
In our example of a mortgage loan officer, you may want to think about what’s ahead. Will you want to repeat the same work for 20 years? For some, the answer is yes, but if you think you’d like a change of scenery and duties someday down the road, you should review what other options could be available as promotions.
Remember that it’s about the option to move up, not the requirement. For some people, the option to grow their customer base (and subsequently their income) is all the advancement they need. Just make sure you are considering that so that you won’t feel trapped someday if opportunities for advancement are scarce.
#3: Remember Job Satisfaction
While that nice check or direct deposit every couple of weeks is a very satisfying thing, we all want more than just money from our jobs. What does your potential career hold for you? You need something that will inspire you to get up in the morning and hit it head-on.
In our example, you’re a key part in getting someone into a dream home. That nervous young couple gets to hear the good news from you that they’ll be getting their first home. That retired couple trying to get closer to their grandkids will learn from you that it’s happening. And on and on.
Finding the intersection of educational requirements, income level, satisfaction, and advancement is the key to finding the job you want, whatever it may be. And that intersection occurs at different places for everybody, so do a good self-assessment and know what it takes to make your job meaningful and productive.
Staff Writer; Willie Cook