Is having a degree going to help me?

[danny]

I have seriously been contemplating doing a business degree . But so far have got by without having one and have recently been promoted. Will it really boost the speed of my career ?

[m8internet]

Getting a degree is a personal choice, and can help in the long-term

A degree simply shows and proves you have an aptitude for the subject, it does not prove you can actually do it in the real world!

If you already have the aptitude then the job and any promotional prospects will pretty much happen anyway

The main advantage to a degree is that it opens doors at a higher management level, but in the same time you could have learned all those jobs in between
Equally though, the higher management level jobs may have a degree as a mandatory entry requirement, which I personally think is wrong after all if you are capable of job then you should be considered for it

All too often I come across high-paid managers, not long out of university, and who simply cannot get a grasp of the business they are in!
At the same time there are less paid manager, without any qualifications, who understand perfectly what I am on about and act on it!

[retailworld]

Spot-on.

The best managers know the business from the ground up - and generally that points to managers who have been with a company for years, or at least been in the same industry.

I degree looks good on your CV if you are applying for high-level jobs outside of your current employer.

[emmab]

Thankyou both !!! It is a very touchy subject for me as I personally share your views . Hard work never did anybody any harm, and I find it easy to learn by doing, not by reading. That is just my preferred method as i'm sure this way works for alot of people.

[retailworld]

Of course, the flip side being, do you want a degree or other qualification to build up confidence and to push yourself a little bit further? Many people do a degree for themsevles, not just to further their career.

[emmab]

Yes some people do do it for themselves. Have you considered working full time and doing an open University Degree ?

[LOUISEH]

You see I would disagree. If I was interviewing two people who were level pegging and one of them had a degree , I would choose the one with the degree

[JoshCJ]

I'd say for the first couple of jobs (depending on how long they last) a degree is very useful. But after that point, if you are staying in the same field I'd personally say that experience is more useful than a degree

[NetBiz]

On a personal note, I did all my studying whilst working full time as I was abroad. A degree shows commitment to learn about the relevant subject but no amount of studying can replace common sense.
My mother would groan at placing graduates without work experience into companies (She worked in recruitment for more than 20 years)...
so I think a combination of both is the only way to succeed.

[quikshop]

Degrees open doors, and someone with a degree and business experience can go for any opportunity.

There are still breath-taking levels of intellectual snobbishness in some industries (financial being the biggest culprit) towards people without degrees, and towards people without degrees from the right Universities.

If you have real aspirations to be a career person then a degree is a valuable asset in your portfolio.