What Matters More: Your Skills or Your Degree?
The game is changing. Whilst you were told that a college degree was your golden ticket to success, the
The game is changing. Whilst you were told that a college degree was your golden ticket to success, the biggest companies in the world are quietly rewriting the rules and prioritising skills over degrees.
IBM doesn’t require degrees for over 40% of their open positions. Google has removed degree requirements from many roles. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has said that about half of Apple’s workforce doesn’t have four-year degrees. The message is clear: what you can do matters more than where you went to school.
The Great Shift: From Pedigree to Performance
Josh Bersin, a leading HR industry analyst, puts it perfectly: “The future of work is about skills, not jobs. Companies must shift from hiring for pedigree to hiring for capability.”
This isn’t just talk. It’s happening right now. Companies are tired of hiring people with impressive degrees who can’t actually do the work. They’d rather have someone who can solve problems, think critically, and get things done, regardless of their educational background.
But here’s what this doesn’t mean: it’s not permission to skip education entirely. It’s about understanding that education comes in many forms, and college is just one of them.
The Reality Check Nobody Wants to Talk About
Let’s be honest about what the numbers actually say. A 2024 report by the Strada Education Foundation found something interesting: whilst 82% of recent graduates believe their degree was worth the cost, only 46% of Americans agree with them.
Even more telling? About 40% of college graduates are underemployed in their first jobs. They’re working in positions that don’t actually require a degree. Meanwhile, people who went through bootcamps, got certifications, or taught themselves skills are landing jobs that pay just as well, sometimes better.
But before you celebrate too early, here’s the other side: bachelor’s degree holders still earn about 67% more in median lifetime earnings than those with only a secondary school diploma. The degree still matters, but it’s not the whole story anymore.
Where College Still Rules (And Where It Doesn’t)
Let’s get real about when you absolutely need that degree. If you want to be a doctor, surgeon, dentist, engineer, psychologist, or scientist, there’s no way around it. These fields require formal education because lives and safety depend on your knowledge. You can’t just watch YouTube videos and call yourself a brain surgeon.
But for investors, marketers, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, designers, and many tech roles? The landscape is completely different. These fields care more about what you can produce than what’s on your diploma.
I know people who went to college and ended up working in completely different fields that had nothing to do with their degree. The education was valuable, but it wasn’t what got them the job. Their skills did.
The Original Skills Over Credentials Story
This idea isn’t new. Thousands of years ago, there was a young shepherd named David who faced the ultimate “you’re not qualified” moment. When the Israelite army cowered before the giant warrior Goliath, David volunteered to fight him.
The response was predictable: “You’re just a boy. You’re not trained. You have no military experience.” King Saul even tried to dress David in proper armor and give him a sword, the “credentials” of a real warrior.
But David knew something they didn’t. “I can’t fight in these,” he said, taking off the armor. “They’re not me.” Instead, he picked up five smooth stones and his sling, the tools he’d mastered protecting sheep from lions and bears.
The trained soldiers with all the right equipment stood frozen in fear. The “unqualified” shepherd boy with practical skills won the day.
David didn’t beat Goliath because he had the right credentials. He won because he had the right skills, the courage to use them, and the wisdom to know that borrowed armor never fits as well as your own abilities.
The New Path Forward
Here’s what successful people are doing instead of just collecting degrees:
They’re learning constantly. Whether it’s through online courses, certifications, bootcamps, or just diving deep into their craft, they never stop developing their abilities.
They’re building portfolios, not just resumes. Instead of listing where they went to school, they’re showing what they can actually create and accomplish.
They’re getting specific credentials that matter. Short-term certificates in high-demand skills often carry more weight than a general degree. A Google Analytics certification might be worth more to a marketing agency than a four-year business degree.
They’re focusing on learning agility. The ability to pick up new skills quickly is becoming more valuable than any single skill you already have.
Why Teachability Beats Credentials Every Time
When Jesus was building his team to change the world, he had plenty of options. He could have chosen the scribes with their extensive religious education, the Pharisees with their advanced theological degrees, or the lawyers who knew every detail of the law.
Instead, he walked by the Sea of Galilee and called fishermen. He picked a tax collector who was hated by everyone. He chose ordinary people with no formal religious training, no credentials, no impressive backgrounds.
Why? Because he saw something the religious establishment missed: teachability.
The formally educated religious leaders thought they already knew everything. They were stuck in their ways, convinced their credentials made them untouchable. But the fishermen? They knew they didn’t know everything, and they were hungry to learn.
This is exactly what smart companies are looking for today. They’d rather hire someone who’s curious, adaptable, and eager to grow than someone who thinks their degree means they’ve finished learning.
The best employees aren’t those who arrive knowing everything. They’re the ones who arrive ready to figure everything out.
The Truth About Your Path
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” C.S. Lewis said that, and it applies perfectly here.
Maybe you didn’t go to college. Maybe you went but studied something you’re not passionate about. Maybe you’ve been out of school for years and feel like you’re behind. None of that matters as much as what you do next.
Your path is yours to determine. College doesn’t automatically get you a job, but neither does sitting around with just a secondary school diploma. The difference is in taking action to develop yourself, regardless of which path you choose.
The Mindset That Changes Everything
Success starts in your mind. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve something because you don’t have the “right” credentials. The most successful people I know got there by focusing on becoming incredibly good at what they do, not by collecting degrees.
If you want an edge over others, start gaining the skills that companies actually need. Take online courses. Get certified in software that companies use. Learn skills that are in high demand. Build things. Solve problems. Show, don’t just tell.
Skills Over Degrees
The skills over degrees movement isn’t really a debate at all. It’s about understanding that there are multiple paths to success, and the best path is the one where you never stop learning and growing.
College might be right for you, especially if you’re going into a field that requires it. But if it’s not, don’t let that stop you from building an amazing career. Focus on developing real, valuable skills. Show companies what you can do, not just where you went to school.
The future belongs to people who can adapt, learn, and solve problems. Whether you get those abilities from a university, an online course, or hands-on experience doesn’t matter nearly as much as actually having them.
Your capability is what counts. Everything else is just paperwork.
